"Der Kongreß tanzt" (and I will do without mentioning the English title this time to avoid confusion with the English-language version) is a German German-language full feature film from 1931, so this one is already over 85 years old and was actually released before the Nazis took over to show you how old this one is. The director and writers are probably not too known anymore today, but is one of their most known works for sure and the cast with Harvey, Fritsch, Veidt and Dagover offers some names that are still pretty popular today, almost a century later. The title already gives away that music is a crucial component in this one here and looking at the year when this came out you will see that it is from the early days of sound film and honestly for that it is still quite an achievement as the audio side including the songs (with lyrics and orchestra) is easily the most memorable aspect of this 1.5-hour movie. "Das gibts nur einmal" is probably the highlight here and it's nice the song got featured at the very end again once more. As for the story, I was not too impressed. The actors are solid and try their best to elevate the mediocre script, but it never really catches my attention here. I also think with all the pompous uniforms and dresses this black-and-white flick would have been infinitely better with color, but I guess you can't blame the makers for the fact that technology wasn't ready enough by 1931. Colors like in these Söderbaum Nazi movies from one decade later would have been amazing here. Anyway, the movie was successful enough to be remade on several occasions and I already mentioned the other works from the same time. For example Harvey, Veidt and Dagover also appear in the English version, but Fritsch is replaced by another actor. But contents-wise I have little to no interest to check out any of these other version as I found this original already pretty forgettable. I have to give it a thumbs-down as this one did not get me dancing at all. Not recommended.

Lilian Harvey was a European star who truly did get "lost in translation". She was one of Germany's top musical stars (even though she was English, her father was a diplomat) but when she was bought to Hollywood because of the success of "Der Kongress Tanze" the timing couldn't have been worse. Her fey romanticism was completely out of step with "42nd Street" and "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime" depression reality and her films "My Lips Betray" and "My Weakness" were flops. But in the Germany of the early 30s she and leading man Willy Fritsch (an extremely versatile star who had the misfortune to be Hitler's favourite actor) were dazzlingly popular and they positively sparkled in this movie. It was a huge international success and was helped by Lil Dagover as a glamorous sophisticate, the wonderful Conrad Veidt as the Machiavellan Metternich and a delightful score that captured the free spirit of Vienna of the 1810s.

Charell used the Vienna congress only as a background to the real story of Christel (Harvey),a kittenish glove sales girl who is causing an uproar because of her unconventional methods of advertising (she throws flower bouquets advertising her shop "The Beautiful Shepherdess" to all visiting dignitaries as they ride by in their coaches). She is determined to do the same to the Tsar Alexander (Fritsch) of Russia - unfortunately the townsfolk think it is a bomb!! (a hilarious sequence where the poor little bouquet is kicked and stamped on!!!) and Christel finds herself in prison facing "25 beatings of the cane on her naked behind"!!!

The Tsar has a double (also played by Fritsch),Ulralsky, a good natured buffoon who stands in for him at public appearances. The real Tsar gets Christel pardoned. Again a funny sequence where the prison guard is pretty upset at being stopped from beating her behind by the Tsar - his face says it all!! Christel and the Tsar go to a beer garden and there is a beautiful rousing song "Das Muss ein Stueck Von Himmel sein, Wien und der Wein" - it is such a pretty, popular song and it originated in this movie. This is followed by the spectacular Polovetsian Dances by Borodin.

The highlight, to me, is Christel's ride in an open carriage to the castle she has been given by the Tsar. Her happiness and emotion come out in the song "It Only Happens Once in a Lifetime". The refrain is picked up by people along the journey, farmers, flower sellers, children in the fields. While all this is going on, Metternich, who doesn't want the Tsar at the congress, enlists the help of the seductive Countess (Lil Dagover) to charm the other "Tsar" from his duties. The film ends on a bitter sweet note - the Tsar returns to Russia and Christel to her ever faithful sweetheart, Pepi.

It is just an extraordinarily joyous musical - at the end there is also a "dance of the chairs". This movie was popular world wide - it had a sumptuous, almost fairy tale appeal and hit American shores when cinema owners were trying to lure patrons in with signs that said "This is Not a Musical". Americans had over-dosed on tons and tons of often substandard musicals - these frothy European bonbons proved there was a place for musical perfection.

Director Eric Charell was also bought to America on the strength of this movie but his only directorial credit in the States was "Caravan" (1934) and it wasn't very good.

Highly, Highly Recommended.

This film is a treasure. It's really witty, funny... full or light eroticism, beautifully performed... lovely songs.

The long sequence of Lilian Harvey being driven to her "new Villa", singing a song is nothing less than a 10 minutes masterpiece in its own right. Harvey is sensational, wonderfully spontaneous. The song is instantly catchy. The hundreds of extras waving at the carriage, throwing flowers and balloons... the children dancing. Everything wonderfully filmed, timed and choreographed. There is a genuine joy in it that will make you feel like a child and smile.

This sequence catches the spirit of the film, but YOU ARE GETTING IT ALL WRONG IF YOU THINK THIS IS THE ONLY PART WORTH SEEING. The film is a wonderfully funny comedy to be compared with a masterpiece like "To be or not to be". In fact my rating is 10.

Films just DON'T GET ANY BETTER.

Sorry if I sound too enthusiastic, but I was just amazed. Don't miss it. It's really special.