Sirk in Germany (1934 - 1935)

Eureka Entertainment are bringing out a double disc set of German director Douglas Sirk's early works that includes three feature films and some short pieces, all in new restorations from the Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau Foundation. Sirk is best known for a series of vividly colourful melodramas he made in Hollywood in the 1950s. While in this set Sirk is very much at the beginning of his career, all three films are eminently watchable (and are actually immensely entertaining). They also require no prior familiarity with the director's work in order to appreciate them. 

Disc One

April, April! (1935)

That's the German for 'April Fool!' by the way. Sirk's directorial feature debut is an 82 minute comedy of mistaken identities. The owner of a pasta company receives a message that a prince is interested in his product. It's April Fool's Day and two of the pasta owner's friends decide to play a trick and convince him and his stuck up family that the prince is coming to visit the factory. Things start to get out of hand when the story is leaked to the papers, necessitating someone to actually play the prince. Then the real prince reads the news story and turns up to the factory as well. Much hilarity ensues in this pacy, good-natured, thoroughly entertaining piece of classic comedy that breezes along in the presence of likeable characters acted well.

The film comes with a commentary track by Sirk expert David Melville Grove who provides an erudite and extremely listenable commentary track that frequently goes into detail about what's happening on screen.

The disc also include three short comedy pieces: TWO GREYHOUNDS (30 minutes) in which applicants for an accountant's job end up in a case of mistaken identity; THREE TIMES BEFORE (19 minutes silent with intertitles, 16 minutes silent but with subtitles) is a story of marital disharmony that results in intervention by a third party; and THE IMAGINARY INVALID (38 minutes), an adaptation of a play by Moliere.

Disc Two

The Girl From Marsh Croft (1935)

The girl in question is Helga, a maid who has had a child by her previous employer and now cannot find work in the small rural German town on which the film is set. Kind-hearted Karsten takes pity on her and offers her a job on his farm, much to the consternation of his fiancé Gertrud, who demands Helga be dismissed from his service. 

A romantic melodrama, THE GIRL FROM MARSH CROFT also provides a fascinating historical insight into the farming activities of the rural folk of Germany in the 1930s. There's also a bit of magic realism in there if you want it. Eureka's presentation is aided immensely by a very helpful commentary track by David Melville Grove who frequently analyses scenes with particular attention to why director Sirk has chosen particular camera angles and movements. He points out the (to this viewer) almost godlike character of Jens the boatman, instead likening him to a Greek chorus, whic is also an apt description. Like APRIL! APRIL! the film holds up surprisingly well and, like that film, tells its tale in a brisk 81 minutes. 

Pillars of Society (1935)

A Henrik Ibsen play is the basis for this tale of a wealthy shipbuilder whose empire turns out to have been based on lies and deceit. In fact so cynical is this film in places it's rather depressing to say that it doesn't feel that dated. Albrecht Schoenhals, who played the prince in APRIL! APRIL! returns here as the Norwegian brother-in-law done wrong by Heinrich George's corpulent man of business who also has a secret love child. The climax is set during a well-executed (for 1935) storm at sea and the entire enterprise demonstrates Sirk's developing feel for both melodrama and character development. 

Disc two also has a 20 minute piece from Sheldon Hall who offers a useful potted history of Sirk's life and career, explaining how over the years the director's work has come to be more appreciated through film texts and retrospectives, as well as paying special attention to the three films included in this set. 

Finally, the set comes with a limited edition 'O' card and a collector's booklet featuring new writing on the films. 

Sirk in Germany is out from Eureka Entertainment in a limited edition (of 2000) double disc Blu-ray set on 

Monday 24th February 2025