I did not intend to write about this film until I read the other three comments. I agree with some but not all points taken in them. As I have not read the book I can only judge the film as it is. Though I know that the book must be different in style and pace. Just consider that the book is interspersed with cooking recipes, something you can hardly translate into film language (and consequently has not been attempted).
As with almost all books by Johannes Mario Simmel, the title is misleading, though very catchy. There are not many films of German origin that deal with the Third Reich and WWII in a satirical or comic way, at least not in the 50ies and 60ies. This was the domain of the winner of the war. German war films focussed mainly at either the life of common soldiers ("08/15") or some questionable NS character ("Canaris"). "Es muß nicht immer Kaviar sein" is definitely not a thriller, as has been already observed, but a comedy with a serious background and threatening moments, but fast in switching into parodies of whatever we have seen in real thrillers, like Gestapo henchmen, bullying army officers, seedy fellow spies and more. In this respect he follows the groove of Chaplin´s "The Great Dictator" though of course not in depth and quality.
O. W. Fischer is okay, though he is overdoing his stuff every now and then. Senta Berger is lovely in one of her very first roles and very relaxed with her costars. The voiceover keeps assuring us that whatever might happen, it will not be the end of our hero. Some of the comic confusion is too long and the fights is very slow and unbelievable. It is a relief that the film, who takes place in England, Germany, and France has also been filmed at least partly in those countries, and does not rely on old stock footage like the Edgar Wallace series. The producers have been so sure of the success of this film that they already finished the sequel before this film has been shown in the movies and advertised it like the James Bond franchise at the end of this film.
As with almost all books by Johannes Mario Simmel, the title is misleading, though very catchy. There are not many films of German origin that deal with the Third Reich and WWII in a satirical or comic way, at least not in the 50ies and 60ies. This was the domain of the winner of the war. German war films focussed mainly at either the life of common soldiers ("08/15") or some questionable NS character ("Canaris"). "Es muß nicht immer Kaviar sein" is definitely not a thriller, as has been already observed, but a comedy with a serious background and threatening moments, but fast in switching into parodies of whatever we have seen in real thrillers, like Gestapo henchmen, bullying army officers, seedy fellow spies and more. In this respect he follows the groove of Chaplin´s "The Great Dictator" though of course not in depth and quality.
O. W. Fischer is okay, though he is overdoing his stuff every now and then. Senta Berger is lovely in one of her very first roles and very relaxed with her costars. The voiceover keeps assuring us that whatever might happen, it will not be the end of our hero. Some of the comic confusion is too long and the fights is very slow and unbelievable. It is a relief that the film, who takes place in England, Germany, and France has also been filmed at least partly in those countries, and does not rely on old stock footage like the Edgar Wallace series. The producers have been so sure of the success of this film that they already finished the sequel before this film has been shown in the movies and advertised it like the James Bond franchise at the end of this film.