Charleys Tante

Brandon Thomas classic comedy gets the average German 50's cinema treatment here: mediocre production values and uninspired direction of a routinist without any guts. But we may be glad that Heinz Rühmann was given the opportunity to play the aunt as it he and both Paul Hörbiger and Hans Leibelt who make the film worth watching: when they are on the scene there is something to laugh about. Any other moment the film is dreary and makes the viewer long for a next scene with the three mentioned gentlemen.

Hans Quest did not really know what to do with the material to make the whole thing into a fast-paced comedy that will not let the viewer have time to think about what he is seeing; and that is what "Charley's Aunt" needs. Dull supporting cast (very disappointing Hertha Feiler and Ruth Stephan, but were their parts written well enough?). Hans Olden has a repeated one-liner that must have been very funny on paper, but neither he nor Quest knew how to make the repeated joke work.

But enjoy Heinz Rühmann as the aunt, and surely when he does the "Amazonas-Mambo". (5/10)