''Congress Dances'' is a 1932

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by Erik Charell and starring Lilian Harvey,

Conrad Veidt Hans Walter Conrad Veidt ( , ; 22 January 1893 – 3 April 1943) was a German and British actor. He attracted early attention for his roles in the films ''Different from the Others'' (1919), ''The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'' (1920), and ''The Man ...

and Henri Garat.BFI.org
/ref> It was an

English-language English is a West Germanic language that developed in early medieval England and has since become a English as a lingua franca, global lingua franca. The namesake of the language is the Angles (tribe), Angles, one of the Germanic peoples th ...

version of the German film ''

Der Kongreß tanzt ''Der Kongress tanzt'' (English: ''The Congress Dances'') is a German musical comedy film produced in 1931 by Ufa, directed by Erik Charell, starring Lilian Harvey as Christel Weinzinger, the glove seller, Willy Fritsch as Tsar Alexander I ...

''. A separate French-language version '' Le congrès s'amuse'' was also made. It is centered on the

Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon, Napol ...

, where an Austrian commoner is mistaken for the Tsar of Russia. It was made at the

Babelsberg Studio Babelsberg Film Studio () (also known as Studio Babelsberg), located in Potsdam-Babelsberg outside Berlin, Germany, is the oldest large-scale film studio in the world, producing films since 1912. With a total area of about and a studio area of a ...

near

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

. The film's sets were designed by

Robert Herlth Robert Herlth (2 May 1893 – 6 January 1962) was a German art director. He was one of the leading designers of German film sets during the 1920s and 1930s.Reimer & Reimer p.146 Filmography * ''Masks'' (1920) * '' Island of the Dead'' (1921) * ' ...

and

Walter Röhrig Walter Röhrig (13 April 1897 – 1945) was a German art director.Stephens p.163 Selected filmography * ''The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'' (1920) * ''Masks'' (1920) * '' Parisian Women'' (1921) * '' Island of the Dead'' (1921) * '' Miss Julie'' (19 ...

. It was remade in Austria in 1955 as '' The Congress Dances''

Cast

* Lilian Harvey as Christel *

as Prince Metternich * Henri Garat as Zar Alexander I / Uralsky *

Lil Dagover Lil Dagover (; born Marie Antonia Siegelinde Martha Seubert; 30 September 1887 – 23 January 1980) was a German actress whose film career spanned between 1913 and 1979. She was one of the most popular and recognized film actresses in the Weimar ...

as Countess *

Gibb McLaughlin George McLoughlin (19 July 1879 – 30 June 1961), known professionally as Gibb McLaughlin, was an English film and stage actor. Early days McLaughlin was born in Sunderland, County Durham, England in 1879. For about 10 years he was a sales ...

as Bibikoff *

Reginald Purdell Reginald Purdell (4 November 1896 – 22 April 1953) was an English actor and screenwriter who appeared in over 40 films between 1930 and 1951. During the same period, he also contributed to the screenplays of 15 feature films, such as '' The Da ...

as Pepi * Philipp Manning as

King of Saxony This article lists dukes, electors, and kings ruling over different territories named Saxony from the beginning of the Saxon Duchy in the 6th century to the end of the German monarchies in 1918. The electors of Saxony from John the Steadfast ...

Humberston Wright Humberston Wright (27 September 1876 – 1953), sometimes credited as Humberstone Wright or Humberston H. Wright, was a British film actor. Filmography * '' Trapped by the London Sharks'' (1916) * '' Thelma'' (1918) * '' The Secret Woman'' ...

Duke of Wellington Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they ar ...

Helen Haye Helen Haye (born Helen Hay, 28 August 1874 – 1 September 1957) was a British stage and film actress.
New York Times. 3 Septem ...

as Princess * Spencer Trevor as Finance Minister * Tarquini d'Or as Heurige Singer

References

External links

* {{Erik Charell 1932 films 1932 musical comedy films German musical comedy films Films of the Weimar Republic 1930s German-language films German multilingual films Films directed by Erik Charell Films set in the 1810s Films set in Vienna German black-and-white films Films produced by Erich Pommer Cultural depictions of Alexander I of Russia Cultural depictions of Klemens von Metternich Cultural depictions of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington Films shot at Babelsberg Studios 1930s historical comedy films German historical comedy films 1932 multilingual films 1930s German films Films scored by Werner R. Heymann German-language musical comedy films German-language historical comedy films