User reviews

The classic German screwball comedy that is a free remake of It Happened One Night. But Paul Martin himself was the first to admit that he never fully captured the right atmosphere. Be that as it may, Glückskinder is first class entertainment, is very well directed and has brilliant and witty dialogue by Curt Goetz. The cinematography is very good and Paul Martin's use of panning and traveling is outstanding. Furthermore there are a couple of nice and silly songs and dances to finish the film off.

As to the cast: Harvey and Fritsch were the dream couple of German 30's cinema (and a good source of income for the UFA) and choosing them as leads was obvious. However, though both are good and charming (as Lilian Harvey always was), neither do not seem totally equiped for the job; here they lack a certain extra to make the viewer completely involved in their relationship. In this they are outdone by Paul Kemp and Oskar Sima, who both had the time of their lives in their parts.

In all literature on this film I never saw mentioned the small part of the judge played by Paul Bildt. Please note this scene: he is brilliant.

The Murnau institute has fully restored this from several sources. The Coca-Cola poster mentioned by another writer here now seems to feature Wallace Beery, unless my eyes deceive me.

This is very loosely based on It Happened One Night, with a reporter rescuing an heiress (maybe), losing his job over it and fighting with the aid of two friends to get it back while his bride decides getting a divorce is the only way to get them both out of trouble. The lead couple's behaviour sometimes seems a little capricious in order to provide themselves with obstacles to keep the narrative going, but the actors look comfortable in each other's company, their two friends are brightly played, the dialogue rattles along as well as in any Hollywood product of the times, and there's one zany song and dance in a tiny apartment.