1933 ‘Viktor und Viktoria’ Directed by Reinhold Schünzel
Aspiring singer Susanne takes over one night for her sick colleague, the slap-stick actor Viktor, at a small cabaret in Berlin where he works as a female impersonator. By chance, Susanne is then "discovered" by an agent, who thinks she′s really a man. She becomes famous and goes on tour to London. But when the local womanizer Robert catches on to her game, Viktor then has to jump in for Susanne as "Viktoria".
Renate Müller Hermann Thimig Hilde Hildebrand Friedel Pisetta Fritz Odemar Aribert Wäscher Adolf Wohlbrück Ernst Behmer Georg Georgi Goroll Karl Harbacher Trude Lehmann Henry Lorenzen Herbert Paulmüller Rudolf Platte Raffles Bill Paul Rehkopf Seegers-Kurth Franz Sutton Ewald Wenck Gertrud Wolle Jakob Sinn
カルメン狂想曲, Viktor ja Viktoria, Victor et Victoria, Vittorio e Vittoria, Viktor och Viktoria, Viktor og Viktoria, Viktor y Viktoria, Viktor és Viktória, Viktor kai Viktoria, Él es ella
Germany6
Germany
Nearly the first 40 minutes of 1933's Victor and Victoria are devoted to setup but, once it fully clicks into gear, goodness what a delight!
The inspiration for Victor/Victoria, Blake Edwards' much better known remake, Reinhold Schünzel's film tells the story of Susanne (the extremely adorable Renate Müller), a struggling singer and actress who falls into an accidental partnership with an egotistical actor (Victor, played by Hermann Thimig) who has been padding his income by performing as a woman, something he persuades Suzanne to do — just for one night (at first) — when he loses his voice and needs a replacement.
Playing a woman pretending to be a man playing a woman (whew), Müller is wonderful. Her physical confidence…
An absolutely delightful film!
Since the early 1980’s when I saw the wonderful Blake Edwards film, VICTOR/VICTORIA, I wanted to see the original source material … and that finally happened today. VIKTOR UND VIKTORIA is a ribald and very funny satire of sexuality, relationships, and the jaded life of the theatrical profession. It is also a musical, but in a highly unusual style. Yes, there are songs that illustrate the underlying thoughts and feelings of the characters. However, most of the music forms part of the narrative and also contains a wry sense of humor.
When Victor Hempel’s (Herrmann Thimig) dreams to win serious roles are thwarted, he confides to his new friend, Susanne Lohr (Renate…
Literally so unbelievably gooddddddd like I’m blown away. Thank you so much to kino lorber for the restoration the blu ray looks gorgeous (I would’ve loved seeing this in a theater but thanks corona)
There’s really so much I could go into with how this movie plays with gender and sexuality but I don’t have the energy and I think the film speaks for itself anyways. All I’ll say is anton walbrook I love you SO MUCH
87
For someone (like myself), who generally does not seem to care for musicals unless they are from the 1930s, VICTOR AND VICTORIA is a goldmine. Almost the entire film is sung, and with its many beautiful visual flourishes, this is possibly the most outstandingly flamboyant of them all. I can’t think of anything that comes close to this incredibly funny, well-acted and almost transcendental experience. The pacing is quite slow on paper, but it sucks you in so flawlessly that you won’t ever feel the runtime – not once did I even think of checking the time. Renate Müller and Hermann Thimig are both excellent in their roles, and I fully believe every emotional turn they go through, even…
shout out to 1930s german women playing with gender and sexuality while wearing tuxedos gotta be one of my favorite genders
For some reason, I thought this was a Weimar production because it was released in 1933 which sometimes means it was completed before the takeover. That's not the case here as it was entirely created under the new regime. It seems clear to me now, that a line earlier in the film was commenting on the then-occurring "Aryanization" that had already hit the UFA by this point. I have no idea how that (or the whole film for that matter) made it through the censors. The director himself had a special working permit because he was regarded as a "half-jew" by the Nazis. He later emigrated to the United States.
Viktor und Viktoria's direction is flashy, unpredictable, and creative to…
I wish I loved my job half as much as those English barbers
I mostly selected this movie tonight because I plan on watching the Blake Edwards version soon and I wanted to have the original as a frame of reference. Boy am I glad I did! This movie has so much going for it. The energy is high octane from start to finish, a rarity in 1933. The premise is obviously good enough to be replicated decades later. The comedy is genuinely funny, at least most of the time, and the performances are terrific. Muller as a man has the same comedic physicality as Chaplin and the comedic expressiveness of Lloyd, even if she can't match either of them in stunt work.
She is also delightful in every scene.
But not as delightful as the puppy pantomime in the middle of the movie.
Happy Pride Month, everybody.
There’s usually the gay panic of it all with drag stories like this but this Anton guy gives off a vibe in this that he’d be down no matter what
