Adolf Anton Wilhelm Wohlbrück was an Austrian actor who settled in the United Kingdom under the name Anton Walbrook. A popular performer in Austria and pre-war Germany, he left Germany in 1936 out of concerns for his own safety and established a career in British cinema. Walbrook is perhaps best known for his roles in the original British film of Gaslight, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, The Red Shoes and Victoria the Great.
Michael Strogoff: The Courier of the Czar is a novel written by Jules Verne in 1876. Critic Leonard S. Davidow, considers it one of Verne's best books. Davidow wrote, "Jules Verne has written no better book than this, in fact it is deservedly ranked as one of the most thrilling tales ever written." Unlike some of Verne's other novels, it is not science fiction, but its plot device is a scientific phenomenon. The book was later adapted to a play, by Verne himself and Adolphe d'Ennery. Incidental music to the play was written by Alexandre Artus in 1880 and by Franz von Suppé in 1893. The book has been adapted several times for films, television and cartoon series.
The Prosecutor Hallers is a 1930 French drama film directed by Robert Wiene and starring Jean-Max, Colette Darfeuil and Suzanne Delmas. It was the French-language version of the German film The Other based on the play Der Andere by Paul Lindau. The two films were made at the same studio in Berlin, with Wiene beginning work on the French version immediately after finishing the German film.
Melody of Love is a 1932 German operetta film directed by Georg Jacoby and starring Richard Tauber, Petra Unkel and S.Z. Sakall. It was shot at the Johannisthal Studios in Berlin with sets designed by the art director Max Heilbronner. It premiered on 24 April 1932. It is also known in English by the alternative title Right to Happiness.
Colette Darfeuil was a French actress whose film career began at age 14 in 1920 and continued through the early 1950s.
Joseph N. Ermolieff (1889–1962) was a Russian-born film producer. Ermolieff was a prominent figure in early Russian cinema during the Imperial era, owning large studios in Yalta and Moscow. He fled to France following the Russian Revolution and became an established producer there, founding the company Films Albatros. As well as Paris he also worked at the Emelka Studios in Munich. In 1936 he enjoyed a major international success with The Czar's Courier, and he moved to the United States the following year planning to remake the film in English. He settled in America and became a citizen in 1942, but struggled to establish himself in Hollywood despite producing occasional films such as Outpost in Morocco (1949) and Fort Algiers (1953). In 1944 he produced a Mexican version of Michael Strogoff (1944).
Tomfoolery is a 1936 German comedy film directed by Willi Forst and starring Renate Müller, Jenny Jugo and Anton Walbrook. It was shot at the Johannisthal Studios in Berlin. The film's sets were designed by the art directors Kurt Herlth and Werner Schlichting. It premiered at the Gloria-Palast in Berlin on 12 June 1936.
The Soldier and the Lady is the 1937 American adventure film version of the oft-produced 1876 Jules Verne novel, Michel Strogoff. Produced by Pandro S. Berman, he hired as his associate producer, Joseph Ermolieff. Ermolieff had produced two earlier versions of the film, Michel Strogoff in France, and The Czar's Courier in Germany, both released in 1936. Both the earlier films had starred the German actor Adolf Wohlbrück. Berman also imported Wohlbrück, changing his name to Anton Walbrook to have him star in the American version. Other stars of the film were Elizabeth Allan, Margot Grahame, Akim Tamiroff, Fay Bainter and Eric Blore. RKO Radio Pictures had purchased the rights to the French version of the movie, and used footage from that film in the American production. The film was released on April 9, 1937.
Michel Strogoff is a 1956 historical adventure film directed by Carmine Gallone and starring Curd Jürgens. It is based on 1876 novel of the same title by Jules Verne. Made as a co-production between several European nations, it was shot at the Kosutnjak Studios in Belgrade using CinemaScope.. The film's sets were designed by the art directors Léon Barsacq and Vlastimir Gavrik. Jürgens also appeared in a 1961 follow-up The Triumph of Michael Strogoff.
The Misfortunes of Sophie is a 1946 French comedy drama film directed by Jacqueline Audry and starring Madeleine Rousset, Marguerite Moreno and Michel Auclair. The film is based on the novel of the same name by the Countess of Ségur.
Hungarian Rhapsody is a 1954 French-German historical musical film directed by Peter Berneis and André Haguet and starring Colette Marchand, Paul Hubschmid and Michel Simon. Shooting took place at the Victorine Studios in Nice and on location in Paris and the French Riviera. A separate French-language version At the Order of the Czar was also made.
The Flame is a 1936 French drama film directed by André Berthomieu and starring Line Noro, Charles Vanel and Gabriel Signoret. It is based on a play by Charles Méré. The story had previously been made into a silent film in 1926.
Buridan's Donkey is a 1932 French comedy film directed by Alexandre Ryder and starring René Lefèvre, Colette Darfeuil and Mona Goya. It takes its title from the fable of Buridan's donkey.
The Man Without Love is a 1929 French-German silent drama film directed by Guido Brignone and starring Gustav Diessl, Ágnes Eszterházy, and Harry Hardt. It is based on the play Kean by Alexandre Dumas.
The Student of Prague is a 1935 German horror film directed by Arthur Robison and starring Anton Walbrook, Theodor Loos and Dorothea Wieck. It is based on the eponymous novel by Hanns Heinz Ewers which had previously been adapted into celebrated silent films on two occasions. It was shot at the Johannisthal and EFA Studios in Berlin. The film's sets were designed by the art director Karl Haacker.
The Girl with the Whip is a 1952 Swiss drama film directed by Jean Dréville and starring Michel Simon, Gaby Morlay and Colette Darfeuil. It was shot at the Boulogne Studios in Paris. The film's sets were designed by the art director Robert Dumesnil. A separate German version, The Secret of the Mountain Lake, was also made.
The Czar's Courier is a 1936 German historical drama film directed by Richard Eichberg and starring Anton Walbrook, Lucie Höflich, and Maria Andergast. It is an adaptation of Jules Verne's 1876 novel Michael Strogoff.
About an Inquest is a 1931 German crime film directed by Henri Chomette and Robert Siodmak and starring Annabella, Jean Périer and Colette Darfeuil. It was produced by UFA, as the French-language version of the studio's film Inquest. Such multiple-language versions were common in the early years of sound before dubbing became widespread.
At the Order of the Czar is a 1954 French-West German historical drama film directed by André Haguet and starring Michel Simon, Colette Marchand and Jacques François. A separate German-language version Hungarian Rhapsody was also produced.
School for Journalists is a 1936 French comedy film directed by Christian-Jaque and starring Armand Bernard, Colette Darfeuil and Charles Lemontier. The film's sets were designed by the art director Jacques Gotko.
