A delightful movie, full of atmosphere of the post World War I Vienna. The old elites are officially abolished but still dominant in social life. A scandal - worth the 19th century prudery - is made bearable through the famous Viennese easy-going lifestyle. One can smell the scent of the old Monarchy from every corner along with the tragedy of now only being a small and unimportant country. The story is told quickly, the scenes full of whit and very discreet erotic hints. The leads are cast with two of Austria finest: Paula Wessely and Adolf Wohlbrück (internationally known as Anton Walbrook). If you want to dive deeply into Austrian culture and understanding of the countries roots, then watch this wonderful movie.
11 Reviews
Anita's Muff.
morrison-dylan-fan20 February 2015
Warning: Spoilers
With a poll coming up on IMDbs Classic Film board for the best films of 1934,I started to search around a DVD sellers page for forgotten movies from the year.With having strong memories of seeing Anton Walbrook in the excellent The Red Shoes & The Queen of Spades,I was thrilled to spot a title that Walbrook had filmed in Germany in 1934,which led to me getting ready to take the maskerade off.
The plot:
Vienna 1905:
Walking out of a carnival party,artist Der Zeichner Heideneck takes Gerda Harrandt back to his studio.Finding a mask & muff left around by Heideneck's secret lover Anita Keller, (who is Paul Harrandt's fiancée,who happens to be Gerda's husband Carl Ludwig Harrandt's brother)Gerda partially covers her face,and allows Heideneck to do a naked painting of her.Checking up on Heideneck the next day,Heideneck's housekeeper finds him fast asleep.Getting a knock at the door,the housekeeper discovers that Heideneck has been paid to do a magazine cover,which is to be published later that day.Looking round the studio,the housekeeper finds one painting laying around,and gives it to the publishers.
Looking around his studio after waking up,Heideneck is horrified to find that the naked painting he did has gone missing.Talking to his housekeeper,Heideneck is given the shock of his life,when he sees that the painting has ended up on the front page! As the front cover is passed around various members of the city's elite,Carl notices that the woman in the painting looks extremely similar to his wife Gerda.Fearing that Carl is about to explode,Heideneck begins making plans on how to put a mask over his maskerdae.
View on the film:
Taking the 1934 German audience away from the days of the Nazis on the horizon,co-writer/ (along with Walter Reisch)director Willi Forst gives the film an extraordinary stylised appearance that takes Germany back to the days of wealth & luxury,thanks to Forst showing the upper class being surrounded by elegant fashion,rows of flowers & rich theatrical events,that are all warped up in Willy Schmidt- Gentner's lush score.Whilst Forst and cinematographer Franz Planer struggled behind the scenes to find places to keep the microphones hidden in the movies epic locations,they display a real eye in crafting a superb atmosphere,with Forst and Planter's striking use of silhouettes suggesting a darkness & desperation hidden beneath the characters "perfect" lifestyles.
Although the naked painting is sadly not shown on screen,the writers hit a surprisingly raunchy note with their sex Comedy,which goes from frantic attempts to keep affairs hidden,to deadly shares,as Gerda shows Heideneck what happens when her fire is re-lit.Along with the sex Comedy elements,the writers soak the title in a deep melodrama that keeps the film away from being seedy with a real playful punch lighting up in Carl's investigation of the women behind the maskerade,and casting a net across the films last tender moments.
Making her debut,the pretty Paula Wessely gives a tremendous performance as Leopoldine Dur,with Wessely delicately balancing a strong,self-confidence in Dur,and a sweet innocence over not being aware about why Heideneck is suddenly interested in her.Looking absolutely dashing the moment he steps on screen, Anton Walbrook delivers a terrific performance as Heideneck,by covering his face in a devilish smile,which slowly breaks as Heideneck begins to realise what he has got himself involved in,which along with a joyful performance from Peter Petersen as Carl, leads to this being a mask that should be kept on.
The plot:
Vienna 1905:
Walking out of a carnival party,artist Der Zeichner Heideneck takes Gerda Harrandt back to his studio.Finding a mask & muff left around by Heideneck's secret lover Anita Keller, (who is Paul Harrandt's fiancée,who happens to be Gerda's husband Carl Ludwig Harrandt's brother)Gerda partially covers her face,and allows Heideneck to do a naked painting of her.Checking up on Heideneck the next day,Heideneck's housekeeper finds him fast asleep.Getting a knock at the door,the housekeeper discovers that Heideneck has been paid to do a magazine cover,which is to be published later that day.Looking round the studio,the housekeeper finds one painting laying around,and gives it to the publishers.
Looking around his studio after waking up,Heideneck is horrified to find that the naked painting he did has gone missing.Talking to his housekeeper,Heideneck is given the shock of his life,when he sees that the painting has ended up on the front page! As the front cover is passed around various members of the city's elite,Carl notices that the woman in the painting looks extremely similar to his wife Gerda.Fearing that Carl is about to explode,Heideneck begins making plans on how to put a mask over his maskerdae.
View on the film:
Taking the 1934 German audience away from the days of the Nazis on the horizon,co-writer/ (along with Walter Reisch)director Willi Forst gives the film an extraordinary stylised appearance that takes Germany back to the days of wealth & luxury,thanks to Forst showing the upper class being surrounded by elegant fashion,rows of flowers & rich theatrical events,that are all warped up in Willy Schmidt- Gentner's lush score.Whilst Forst and cinematographer Franz Planer struggled behind the scenes to find places to keep the microphones hidden in the movies epic locations,they display a real eye in crafting a superb atmosphere,with Forst and Planter's striking use of silhouettes suggesting a darkness & desperation hidden beneath the characters "perfect" lifestyles.
Although the naked painting is sadly not shown on screen,the writers hit a surprisingly raunchy note with their sex Comedy,which goes from frantic attempts to keep affairs hidden,to deadly shares,as Gerda shows Heideneck what happens when her fire is re-lit.Along with the sex Comedy elements,the writers soak the title in a deep melodrama that keeps the film away from being seedy with a real playful punch lighting up in Carl's investigation of the women behind the maskerade,and casting a net across the films last tender moments.
Making her debut,the pretty Paula Wessely gives a tremendous performance as Leopoldine Dur,with Wessely delicately balancing a strong,self-confidence in Dur,and a sweet innocence over not being aware about why Heideneck is suddenly interested in her.Looking absolutely dashing the moment he steps on screen, Anton Walbrook delivers a terrific performance as Heideneck,by covering his face in a devilish smile,which slowly breaks as Heideneck begins to realise what he has got himself involved in,which along with a joyful performance from Peter Petersen as Carl, leads to this being a mask that should be kept on.
I Want To Live In Pre-War Vienna
MogwaiMovieReviews23 November 2020
This is a real find, that I'd never heard of till today, and which feels very much like a lost Max Ophuls confection, with the viennese setting and the dashing Anton Walbrook (the narrator of Ophuls' masterpiece La Ronde) in the lead as "Vienna's most elegant man". The photography is distinctive and insightful - the camera seems to see more than it should - and many moving images stay emblazoned on the mind much more like still photographs.
The story, of the scandal and misunderstandings surrounding a masked nude portrait of a prominent society lady, would in Hollywood have been little more than a run-of-the-mill farce, but here is filled with delicate emotional touches, insight and romance, and I can't help but think it would be far better known today if it hadn't been filmed in the German language in the lead up to the second world war.
The story, of the scandal and misunderstandings surrounding a masked nude portrait of a prominent society lady, would in Hollywood have been little more than a run-of-the-mill farce, but here is filled with delicate emotional touches, insight and romance, and I can't help but think it would be far better known today if it hadn't been filmed in the German language in the lead up to the second world war.
FOUR STAR - Sophisticated romantic comedy locked away from American audiences because on an inferior MGM remake that flopped!
Larry41OnEbay-23 April 2012
Warning: Spoilers
If I was stuck on a desert island with only one film... this would be it. Considered the pinnacle of '30s Austrian cinema, Maskerade embodies much of the best of 30s European filmmaking, in which the camera dances to a distinctly musical rhythm of movements and countermovements. It sits comfortably among the '30s films of Rene Clair, Max Ophuls and Jean Renoir, as well as Ernst Lubitsch's work in Hollywood. Compared to most of those films, its topic may seem relatively fluffy: an artist creates a minor scandal by painting a masked nude suspected to be an aristocrat's fiancée; when he names an innocent girl in an attempted cover-up, it leads to unexpected romantic entanglement. Willi Forst takes a well-worn continental costume milieu as a starting point, doing everything he can to breathe life into it. The camera darts with ease through ballroom scenes, connecting the eyelines of characters as they scope each other's movements. He laces the film with clever tricks both visual (dialogues filmed in silhouette) and aural (a montage of citizens making animal sounds while reading the gossip pages). Driving everything is a buoyant soundtrack of 19th century waltzes and opera, whose lilting rhythms can be found in the film's pacing even when the music subsides. The film itself feels like a symphony of varied movements: robust allegros, minuet-like montages, and a climactic rondo that brings everything to full circle. Overall, life is presented as an irresistible society ball, governed by status, gossip and decadent desire.
Austrian Cinema's Landmark Treasure of Glamour, Feelings and Developing Self
marcin_kukuczka14 September 2011
"Proud of my achievements? Being humble is all that is left to me in this." (Paula Wessely)
MASQUERADE IN VIENNA from the screen play by Walter Reisch is, undeniably, the most famous film that stars Paula Wessely, the actress whom Sir Laurence Olivier appreciated as a film actress among the greatest ones of the twentieth century, whose performances were studied by Bette Davis. And indeed, her captivating performance in MASQUERADE constitutes a significant factor why the film is so much worth viewing and recently released on DVD. Yet, before some deeper consideration of her charming portrayal, let me address some other aspects that make this movie a pinnacle of both Austrian and European filmmaking.
Willi Forst's movie is one of these cinematic treasures that appears to be clear, entertaining, artistic and respectful towards viewers. Actually, much of its charm we owe to Willi Forst and Walter Reisch, two people who had a decisive presence in the Austrian cinema of that time. After Forst's debut LEISE FLEHEN MEINE LIEDER about the composer Franz Schubert, MASQUERADE brilliantly combines the lovable comedy with some dramatic tensions, presents to us the atmosphere of Viennese society and within... a story of an unexpected feeling between two people who met in the most unpredictable circumstances and who overcome all and breathe life into everything, including the coldest conventions. The movie clearly manifests a unique genre that is to be called a Wiener Film and explores the undeniable talent of Mr Forst, one of the greatest directors who came from Austria except for Billy Wilder. Robert Von Dassanowsky nicely refers to this director in his book AUSTRIAN CINEMA seeing him (Forst) as "one of its greatest filmmakers...and one more casualty from the negligence that has greeted Austrian cinema since the 1950s" (p.49).
The whole atmosphere of the film can boast of truly innovative camera-work that appears remarkable in many memorable moments and Franz Planer's cinematography. It stirs and teases viewers' attention in a captivating manner. There is wit and symbolism. Consider the hilarious moment of how people read and spread a gossip...with animal sounds. Moreover, the number of juxtaposing images together with certain close-ups (including feet and steps), the static camera at ball scenes, the lighting on Paula Wessely's face as well as some highlighted pieces of wardrobe (a chinchilla muff that plays a decisive role in the storyline) are only some of the significant visual merits. Some moments are so beautifully photographed that you can hardly find something equal elsewhere. What I mean here are three scenes: the mask ball, the tea party at Fuerstin and the blissful finale (not to spoil much... just consider the use of snow). A bonus for curiosity and entertainment is added by Enrico Caruso's voice recorded on soundtrack. However, let me now refer to, perhaps, the crucial virtue of MASQUERADE - performances or rather the Performance of PAULA WESSELY.
I have discovered Ms Wessely thanks to my friend and MASQUERADE was my first encounter with this wonderful Viennese actress. I was overwhelmed by her performance. Yes, after all these years, she still enchants us and still touches us. Why? Because her role of one Miss Leopoldine Dur (a name picked randomly and hilariously) is so genuine and her performance so heartfelt. She convincingly portrays 'Die Kleine Person' (a little person) who barely represents the glamor of the high society; yet, a young person who once starts to believe in herself and pushes through to meet her destiny. 'Can an artist find any inspiration in a kind of person I am? A shy little innocent person while there are so many prettier ones? Why me? Actually, WHY NOT...ME? The character partly resembles Ms Wessely herself who wins our hearts not by the distance and self-respect but openness and respect towards others, towards people, her viewers she has always searched...and found. Besides her scene at the mirror that appears to be a sort of turning point for the entire story and, particularly, for her character, her best scene includes the innocent entrance into the artist's studio with quite different expectations than what she found out, actually and scenes she plays opposite Olga Tschechowa near the final moment.
Other cast constitute no lesser effect. While Wessely's leading man Anton Walbrook as Heideneck does not captivate us to the extent we would, perhaps, wish...their scenes are worth consideration. Among many, it is foremost the lovely waltz scene that has become, in a way, a landmark of the film, much due to the aforementioned excellent camera-work. Mr Walbrook, if not a captivating leading man for Wessely, occurs to be acceptable at least. From the supporting cast, the performances that deserve highest attention are: Peter Petersen's Professor Carl Harrandt whose pride has to face doubts, anger and compassion; Walter Janssen's court opera director whose wit makes for the crucial humor of the script; Hilde Von Stolz's sweet blonde Gerda whose interest is directed solely onto the artist rather than art; Julie Serda Junkermann's Fuerstin M. who is only capable of looking at 'good old times' not seeing the positive events that may happen in the times of her elderly life; Hans Moser as Herr Zacharias with his Viennese accent and some typical wit that appears to be a sort of irreplaceable entertainment. Finally, it is Olga Tschechowa whose villainous intrigues make for an unexpected climax of events. Indeed, the muff was there for...something...
MASQUERADE is a highly recommended film, a milestone among Austrian cinematic achievements, a beautiful story of love where the mask of all social jealousy, strict conventions and anger give in before the genuine feeling which makes all things as pure as snow. But MASQUERADE, for me, constitutes yet another pearl, something more than just a great film...a loving memory of Paula Wessely whom people still discover though she is with us in a different way.
MASQUERADE IN VIENNA from the screen play by Walter Reisch is, undeniably, the most famous film that stars Paula Wessely, the actress whom Sir Laurence Olivier appreciated as a film actress among the greatest ones of the twentieth century, whose performances were studied by Bette Davis. And indeed, her captivating performance in MASQUERADE constitutes a significant factor why the film is so much worth viewing and recently released on DVD. Yet, before some deeper consideration of her charming portrayal, let me address some other aspects that make this movie a pinnacle of both Austrian and European filmmaking.
Willi Forst's movie is one of these cinematic treasures that appears to be clear, entertaining, artistic and respectful towards viewers. Actually, much of its charm we owe to Willi Forst and Walter Reisch, two people who had a decisive presence in the Austrian cinema of that time. After Forst's debut LEISE FLEHEN MEINE LIEDER about the composer Franz Schubert, MASQUERADE brilliantly combines the lovable comedy with some dramatic tensions, presents to us the atmosphere of Viennese society and within... a story of an unexpected feeling between two people who met in the most unpredictable circumstances and who overcome all and breathe life into everything, including the coldest conventions. The movie clearly manifests a unique genre that is to be called a Wiener Film and explores the undeniable talent of Mr Forst, one of the greatest directors who came from Austria except for Billy Wilder. Robert Von Dassanowsky nicely refers to this director in his book AUSTRIAN CINEMA seeing him (Forst) as "one of its greatest filmmakers...and one more casualty from the negligence that has greeted Austrian cinema since the 1950s" (p.49).
The whole atmosphere of the film can boast of truly innovative camera-work that appears remarkable in many memorable moments and Franz Planer's cinematography. It stirs and teases viewers' attention in a captivating manner. There is wit and symbolism. Consider the hilarious moment of how people read and spread a gossip...with animal sounds. Moreover, the number of juxtaposing images together with certain close-ups (including feet and steps), the static camera at ball scenes, the lighting on Paula Wessely's face as well as some highlighted pieces of wardrobe (a chinchilla muff that plays a decisive role in the storyline) are only some of the significant visual merits. Some moments are so beautifully photographed that you can hardly find something equal elsewhere. What I mean here are three scenes: the mask ball, the tea party at Fuerstin and the blissful finale (not to spoil much... just consider the use of snow). A bonus for curiosity and entertainment is added by Enrico Caruso's voice recorded on soundtrack. However, let me now refer to, perhaps, the crucial virtue of MASQUERADE - performances or rather the Performance of PAULA WESSELY.
I have discovered Ms Wessely thanks to my friend and MASQUERADE was my first encounter with this wonderful Viennese actress. I was overwhelmed by her performance. Yes, after all these years, she still enchants us and still touches us. Why? Because her role of one Miss Leopoldine Dur (a name picked randomly and hilariously) is so genuine and her performance so heartfelt. She convincingly portrays 'Die Kleine Person' (a little person) who barely represents the glamor of the high society; yet, a young person who once starts to believe in herself and pushes through to meet her destiny. 'Can an artist find any inspiration in a kind of person I am? A shy little innocent person while there are so many prettier ones? Why me? Actually, WHY NOT...ME? The character partly resembles Ms Wessely herself who wins our hearts not by the distance and self-respect but openness and respect towards others, towards people, her viewers she has always searched...and found. Besides her scene at the mirror that appears to be a sort of turning point for the entire story and, particularly, for her character, her best scene includes the innocent entrance into the artist's studio with quite different expectations than what she found out, actually and scenes she plays opposite Olga Tschechowa near the final moment.
Other cast constitute no lesser effect. While Wessely's leading man Anton Walbrook as Heideneck does not captivate us to the extent we would, perhaps, wish...their scenes are worth consideration. Among many, it is foremost the lovely waltz scene that has become, in a way, a landmark of the film, much due to the aforementioned excellent camera-work. Mr Walbrook, if not a captivating leading man for Wessely, occurs to be acceptable at least. From the supporting cast, the performances that deserve highest attention are: Peter Petersen's Professor Carl Harrandt whose pride has to face doubts, anger and compassion; Walter Janssen's court opera director whose wit makes for the crucial humor of the script; Hilde Von Stolz's sweet blonde Gerda whose interest is directed solely onto the artist rather than art; Julie Serda Junkermann's Fuerstin M. who is only capable of looking at 'good old times' not seeing the positive events that may happen in the times of her elderly life; Hans Moser as Herr Zacharias with his Viennese accent and some typical wit that appears to be a sort of irreplaceable entertainment. Finally, it is Olga Tschechowa whose villainous intrigues make for an unexpected climax of events. Indeed, the muff was there for...something...
MASQUERADE is a highly recommended film, a milestone among Austrian cinematic achievements, a beautiful story of love where the mask of all social jealousy, strict conventions and anger give in before the genuine feeling which makes all things as pure as snow. But MASQUERADE, for me, constitutes yet another pearl, something more than just a great film...a loving memory of Paula Wessely whom people still discover though she is with us in a different way.
It's as if Lubitsch & Wilder collaborated on the best romantic film ever!
larry41onEbay23 February 2002
Warning: Spoilers
Beautiful period piece cinematography, sophisticated dialogue, deft humor, souffle like comedy, fascinating characters, sweeping plot twist, a Cinderella story in reverse! This richly charming film is much better than a simple plot description... but if you must know... SPOILERS: Set in pre-WWI Vienna, Mascarade concerns a near-tragic misunderstanding over a nude painting. It is incorrectly assumed that heroine Leopoldine (Paula Wesseley) posed for the painting, when in fact the model was Gerda (Hilde von Stolz), the wife of stuffy Dr. Harrandt (Peter Peterson). The romance between Leopoldine and artist Heidendeck (Adolf Wohlbruck) is threatened when his cast-off mistress shoots him. Dr. Harrandt is summoned to perform an emergency operation on Heidenbeck, but upon discovering that the artist had painted his wife Gerda in the nude, the "good" doctor refuses to minister to Heidenbeck's wound. It is Leopoldine who appeals to the doctor's essential humanity and finally sets things right. The centerpiece of Mascarade is a concert sequence, given period credibility through its use of authentic Enrico Caruso records on the soundtrack.
I seen thousands of rare films, this is one of the BEST
larry41onEbay9 October 2000
I seen thousands of rare films, this is one of the BEST!
I saw this film in the mid-1980's a film archive screening of a 35mm pristine print. It had been scheduled because no one had run the print in decades and the programmer was curious. The reviews from Variety and the New York Times said this was a wonderful, sophisticated, romantic comedy but that this Austrian version had been bought so that MGM could remake the film with Myrna Loy and William Powell. Unfortunately Loy was in a contract dispute and Luise Rainer was substituted with mixed results. The German language original version hardly got any play. When I saw it with a small group of surprised film buffs a very unusual experience happened. The lights came up after the end credits were over and we rose to our feet dumb founded. Several strangers near by turned to one anther with the same question on their lips, "Is it just me, or was that the best movie we've ever seen?' Quickly the electricity zoomed around the room and it was confirmed! The rapturous talk about this film spread like wild fire. IT'S A CHARMING MASTERPIECE! Now I'm a student of Ernst Lubitsch, Frank Capra and Billy Wilder and this film should be shown again to the public where they too can celebrate this delightful film on par with the work of these masters. Let us all support classic film and the screening of movies on the big screen where they were meant to be seen. And let's all support the film archives who's job it is to find, preserve and present these forgotten wonders of early cinema. It's been almost fifteen years since I've seen this gem and I still pray everyday to see it again. I hope someday to share more of it's charm with my old friends and to make new friends by giving them the joyous experience of this buried treasure.
I saw this film in the mid-1980's a film archive screening of a 35mm pristine print. It had been scheduled because no one had run the print in decades and the programmer was curious. The reviews from Variety and the New York Times said this was a wonderful, sophisticated, romantic comedy but that this Austrian version had been bought so that MGM could remake the film with Myrna Loy and William Powell. Unfortunately Loy was in a contract dispute and Luise Rainer was substituted with mixed results. The German language original version hardly got any play. When I saw it with a small group of surprised film buffs a very unusual experience happened. The lights came up after the end credits were over and we rose to our feet dumb founded. Several strangers near by turned to one anther with the same question on their lips, "Is it just me, or was that the best movie we've ever seen?' Quickly the electricity zoomed around the room and it was confirmed! The rapturous talk about this film spread like wild fire. IT'S A CHARMING MASTERPIECE! Now I'm a student of Ernst Lubitsch, Frank Capra and Billy Wilder and this film should be shown again to the public where they too can celebrate this delightful film on par with the work of these masters. Let us all support classic film and the screening of movies on the big screen where they were meant to be seen. And let's all support the film archives who's job it is to find, preserve and present these forgotten wonders of early cinema. It's been almost fifteen years since I've seen this gem and I still pray everyday to see it again. I hope someday to share more of it's charm with my old friends and to make new friends by giving them the joyous experience of this buried treasure.
Love me and the world is mine.
brogmiller27 December 2019
Most reviews by IMDB members of this film are ecstatic and with very good reason. This must surely be director Willy Forst's greatest achievement. There is a magic alchemy at work here by which everthing gels. Cinematography by Franz Planer and music by Willy Schmidt-Gentner,played by the Vienna Philharmonic, only add to the films irresistible appeal.What can one say about the cast?! Olga Tschekowa is the woman scorned; Peter Peterson is the doctor who has to make a choice between personal feelings and professional ethics and Hilde von Stolz is his deliciously flirtatious wife whose reading of the line' I am not interested in art, only artists' is unforgettable. Anton Walbrook as the painter brings as always his particular air of mystery. What woman could resist his magnificent chat up line 'You are too beautiful not to be painted'! This film however really belongs to Paula Wessely. It took me a while to forgive her for appearing in the egregious 'Heimkehr' but artistes in those extraordinary times very often made decisions which they had cause to regret and which came back to haunt them. A talent such as hers comes very seldom however and in this she is simply magnificent. As a post-script there is an uncredited appearance by Lisl Handl who was married to the co-writer Walther Reisch. He was a fine director in his own right for whom Lisl starred in 'Silhouetten' in 1936. They went together to Hollywood where she was condemned to appearing in anti-Nazi propoganda films in which she acted under the professional name of Poldi Dur which just happened to be the name of Paula Wessely's character in 'Masquerade'! Willy Forst's masterpiece is also sub-titled, so how could one possibly not see it?! Full marks all round.
A Disappointing Relic
pf92 October 2005
Not quite what the legend surrounding it would lead you to believe, "Maskerade" is a quite predictable movie in a Schnitzlerian mode, stylistically akin to any of a number of better Max Ophuls movies of its time (e.g. "Liebelei", "La Signora di Tutti"), not to speak of such later Ophuls masterpieces as "La Ronde" or "Madame de". Willi Forst quite engagingly presents the social life of turn-of-the-century Viennese high society, much as quite a number of the characters he brings into play are stereotypes and character development seems to be outside his range.
The great Paula Wessely, an actress with few peers on the stage --- Edwige Feuillère and Laurette Taylor come to mind --- does what is a routine job as a predictable goodie-two-shoes character. On stage her voice was unforgettable (I saw her live once at the Burgtheater and once at the Akademietheater), the kind of voice you would love to listen to even in a reading of the Vienna phonebook. In this movie her splendid voice is not yet fully developed, but admittedly "Maskerade" was made when Wessely was still in her twenties. Moreover, though touched with a considerable amount of Viennese charm, Wessely was never quite a classic beauty like Isa Miranda, Ophuls' Signora, or Audrey Hepburn who would have made an excellent Leopoldine Dur.
Hans Moser does his shtick here like in any other Hans Moser movie, but without anything specific to set this supposed masterpiece above routine.
In retrospect, the funniest thing maybe is, that Olga Tschechowa, an undistinguished actress with good, though hardly very good, looks, afflicted by an unmistakable frigidity, was revered in the German-speaking world of her time (the Thirties) as some exotic femme fatale.
In the role of the dowager, the respectable Julia Serda pales in comparison with say Dame Edith Evans, the doyenne of moviedom dowagers. The Serda character's "In my days things were more exciting" gimmick goes well once, or even twice, but by the time it is getting to be repeated over and over, one feels that Forst is catering to the taste of some Viennese grannies and not to the needs of a movie of genuine integrity.
On the whole, the rather far-fetched story still manages to flow quite well. "Maskerade" entertains, but it also disappoints.
The great Paula Wessely, an actress with few peers on the stage --- Edwige Feuillère and Laurette Taylor come to mind --- does what is a routine job as a predictable goodie-two-shoes character. On stage her voice was unforgettable (I saw her live once at the Burgtheater and once at the Akademietheater), the kind of voice you would love to listen to even in a reading of the Vienna phonebook. In this movie her splendid voice is not yet fully developed, but admittedly "Maskerade" was made when Wessely was still in her twenties. Moreover, though touched with a considerable amount of Viennese charm, Wessely was never quite a classic beauty like Isa Miranda, Ophuls' Signora, or Audrey Hepburn who would have made an excellent Leopoldine Dur.
Hans Moser does his shtick here like in any other Hans Moser movie, but without anything specific to set this supposed masterpiece above routine.
In retrospect, the funniest thing maybe is, that Olga Tschechowa, an undistinguished actress with good, though hardly very good, looks, afflicted by an unmistakable frigidity, was revered in the German-speaking world of her time (the Thirties) as some exotic femme fatale.
In the role of the dowager, the respectable Julia Serda pales in comparison with say Dame Edith Evans, the doyenne of moviedom dowagers. The Serda character's "In my days things were more exciting" gimmick goes well once, or even twice, but by the time it is getting to be repeated over and over, one feels that Forst is catering to the taste of some Viennese grannies and not to the needs of a movie of genuine integrity.
On the whole, the rather far-fetched story still manages to flow quite well. "Maskerade" entertains, but it also disappoints.
Nothing stands out here
Horst_In_Translation23 June 2016
Warning: Spoilers
I cannot agree at all with the reviewer who wrote that he had seen thousands of films and that this one is the best. "Maskerade" or "Masquerade in Vienna" is an Austrian German-language film from 1934, so this one is already over 80 years old and it is from the early days of sound films still. But this is also almost the only positive achievement I can mention about this movie. The writer and director is Willi Forst, one of the most prolific and successful Austrian filmmakers of his time. But his effort here does not get me interested in checking out more of his works. The cast includes a handful actors who were successful and prolific too back then, but the performances are all mediocre at best and the script is so-so as well. I cannot say I cared a lot for any of the protagonists and I did not find the film funny either although there are many sequences where it attempts to be. Same can be said about the romance aspect. In general, this film lacks expertise and a defining touch in most areas. I do not recommend the watch. The only maybe good thing is that it is not Nazi propaganda despite being from 1934.
Wish pre 1940's American films would take note of this.
mehobulls13 September 2020
What a timeless confection of romance and scandal. It's as if I can smell the perfume clinging to the gowns as they fall to the art studio floor, feel the nap of the chinchilla muff, daub the flushed skin of a bourgeois wife's figure just released from the bones on a tight corset, thrill to her gay call for more champagne--all immersed in pale 'fin de siecle' lamp light. What an effervescent touch. Oh Willi, you rake
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