Sirk In Germany 1934-1935 - Blu-ray Forum

GlacierTuba · 02-27-2025, 06:27 AM

April! April! from Disc 1 of the Dirk Benedict in Germany set.

Oh my God! This film was class. Just so utterly stupid and funny. I loved it!

A fairly simple tale of a family of dicks, who everyone pretends to admire but behind their backs think they are all up their own arse, hold a dinner party so their daughter who looks like Bette Midler, Madonna, Marilyn Monroe and Molly Ringwald all at the same time and loves choux pastry can sing terrible opera songs in front of everyone and impress her boyfriend who sells flour and looks like Martin from Game On.

Anyway. Two lads at the party get bored so decide to get absolutely BUCKLED on trays of champagne (literally taking entire trays of champagne for themselves). One of them decides to play a prank on the family as it dawns on him the day of the party is April Fools Day.

Cue an April Fools Day prank that gets more and more out of hand as each minute of the film ticks by. The speed of the train wreck of the joke spiralling out of control and the pissed up lad at the party coming to the realisation that its now become a juggernaut that he simply cannot stop is delivered at such a blistering pace the viewer nearly cannot keep up.

It just goes on and on, getting more elaborate and ludicrous until a coincidence occurs that changes everything. I shall say no more as to not ruin it for you. I will note though, keep an eye out for two scenes near the factory tour. One where daughter Mirna runs out of the sitting room and slips on a rug before bolting upstairs to her room. Im almost certain that's a genuine mistake that was left in because she almost flattens herself but manages to stay upright and keeps the scene going.

Another scene during the factory tour. Watch for the 'prince' and the father arguing over pasta. Look at the old fella in the background who is ABSOLUTELY WETTING HIMSELF! I'm almost certain that must have been left in too. You can see him trying to stop himself laughing too. It just adds to the comedy of the scene. Too funny!

Also, the bloke that looks like Martin out of Game On getting ABSOLUTELY RUBBERED in the pub before arguing over a table with the father is brilliant. The way he and Thilde become protective over vases is just so funny! Its not what they say its just their mannerisms about how the vase needs protecting is just so comical!

I loved this little film. It's so stupid because you wonder how utterly dense it is and the people are so up themselves you cannot help but shake your head and just laugh at it all. Its really well delivered and directed. As already said, this film moves at such speed you rarely get a moment to pause for breath.

Looking forward now to the rest of the shorts on Disc 1 and then tucking in to Disc 2 for more! Brilliant blind buy so far. Delighted with it. This release, for me at least, is a winner and a keeper!

Highly recommended!

The Rest of Disc 1:

Polished off Disc 1 of the Dirk Benedict set. April! April! is the main feature, the rest of the disc is 3 short films made between 1934 and 1935. I think all of these were made shortly (excuse pun) before April! April! though.

First film I watched was Three Times Before, which is an oddball film as it appears in two different versions here. It is a sound film but appears in both guises as silent because the audio track is considered long since lost.

What you get here are two silent versions, one with intertitles made by UFA, which the viewing notes state is due to them looking to perhaps issue the film in both silent and sound versions for cinema release. The second version is silent but with dialogue subtitled throughout using text found on a German censor card.

Of the two versions I prefer the latter. I don't think the intertitles work as the gaps between dialogue are far too long. Its an interesting idea though to appeal to both markets before silent films would become historical relics (or in most cases, thrown in the bin, which is such a shame).

Three Times Before is a very simple short comedy film that has some lovely comic touches. The fella dressed as a nonce in a picnic blanket creeped me out though and will haunt my dreams for years to come. Also, what is it with films of this era and houses having rooms with such HUGE doors? You'd need a lockkeeper to open and close some of them!

The Imaginary Invalid

This is another short film, this time about a hypochondriac obsessed with enemas (no, really) who gets swindled by a con artist dressed like Captain Hook, and whose daughter fancies the local quack - who is excellent at opera for some reason - and is instead forced in to an arranged marriage with a wet blanket with the IQ of a bubble in an Aero bar, but the musical gift of Mozart.

Sadly the original negatives are also considered lost but the film was able to be reconstructed from a bungled copy print. More about this is mentioned on title cards before the film starts.

I didn't think I'd enjoy this one at first, as the opening 5 to 10 minutes are a bit of a "where's this going?" vibe. It then gets going and you can't help but enjoy the story of the great swindle unfolding to the climax. Like Three Times Before, you can see where Sirk was developing comedy chops. Nice little film this one, and a welcome time period change to the other films on this disc.

Two Greyhounds

A final short film to round off the disc, and this is probably the strongest of the three. This bloke owns a business in the city, gets a bit peckish so goes to get some lunch. Two lads turn up for a job interview and misdirection and chaos ensues!

This one is an absolute BEAUT! Think of it as a condensed, quick fire April! April! but deliever at such incredible speed I swear I could see flames licking the disc tray of my UB820!

Its pure farce, but so much fun and essential viewing. Leave it, and the rest of the shorts until after the main feature. Think of them as a Milky Way bar, don't scoff them all and ruin the main course.

There are no extras for the shorts. The only extra is a commentary track for April! April! which I've not listened to yet but I will at some stage. Also worth mentioning the booklet, which is fine, but not anything spectacular in my opinion. Half of it is credits for each film in the set, then an essay on Douglas Sirk, which is interesting but the font is so small you need an electron microscope to read it. Bit of a missed opportunity here I think, probably because I love a good booklet and actually read them.

So that's Disc 1 done. On to Disc 2!

RESERVED THIS BIT FOR DRIVEL ABOUT DISC 2 WHEN I CAN BE ARSED TO WATCH IT

02-27-2025, 06:27 AM	#1
GlacierTuba Power Member Member since:Apr 2023	Sirk In Germany 1934-1935 April! April! from Disc 1 of the Dirk Benedict in Germany set. Oh my God! This film was class. Just so utterly stupid and funny. I loved it! A fairly simple tale of a family of dicks, who everyone pretends to admire but behind their backs think they are all up their own arse, hold a dinner party so their daughter who looks like Bette Midler, Madonna, Marilyn Monroe and Molly Ringwald all at the same time and loves choux pastry can sing terrible opera songs in front of everyone and impress her boyfriend who sells flour and looks like Martin from Game On. Anyway. Two lads at the party get bored so decide to get absolutely BUCKLED on trays of champagne (literally taking entire trays of champagne for themselves). One of them decides to play a prank on the family as it dawns on him the day of the party is April Fools Day. Cue an April Fools Day prank that gets more and more out of hand as each minute of the film ticks by. The speed of the train wreck of the joke spiralling out of control and the pissed up lad at the party coming to the realisation that its now become a juggernaut that he simply cannot stop is delivered at such a blistering pace the viewer nearly cannot keep up. It just goes on and on, getting more elaborate and ludicrous until a coincidence occurs that changes everything. I shall say no more as to not ruin it for you. I will note though, keep an eye out for two scenes near the factory tour. One where daughter Mirna runs out of the sitting room and slips on a rug before bolting upstairs to her room. Im almost certain that's a genuine mistake that was left in because she almost flattens herself but manages to stay upright and keeps the scene going. Another scene during the factory tour. Watch for the 'prince' and the father arguing over pasta. Look at the old fella in the background who is ABSOLUTELY WETTING HIMSELF! I'm almost certain that must have been left in too. You can see him trying to stop himself laughing too. It just adds to the comedy of the scene. Too funny! Also, the bloke that looks like Martin out of Game On getting ABSOLUTELY RUBBERED in the pub before arguing over a table with the father is brilliant. The way he and Thilde become protective over vases is just so funny! Its not what they say its just their mannerisms about how the vase needs protecting is just so comical! I loved this little film. It's so stupid because you wonder how utterly dense it is and the people are so up themselves you cannot help but shake your head and just laugh at it all. Its really well delivered and directed. As already said, this film moves at such speed you rarely get a moment to pause for breath. Looking forward now to the rest of the shorts on Disc 1 and then tucking in to Disc 2 for more! Brilliant blind buy so far. Delighted with it. This release, for me at least, is a winner and a keeper! Highly recommended! The Rest of Disc 1: Polished off Disc 1 of the Dirk Benedict set. April! April! is the main feature, the rest of the disc is 3 short films made between 1934 and 1935. I think all of these were made shortly (excuse pun) before April! April! though. First film I watched was Three Times Before, which is an oddball film as it appears in two different versions here. It is a sound film but appears in both guises as silent because the audio track is considered long since lost. What you get here are two silent versions, one with intertitles made by UFA, which the viewing notes state is due to them looking to perhaps issue the film in both silent and sound versions for cinema release. The second version is silent but with dialogue subtitled throughout using text found on a German censor card. Of the two versions I prefer the latter. I don't think the intertitles work as the gaps between dialogue are far too long. Its an interesting idea though to appeal to both markets before silent films would become historical relics (or in most cases, thrown in the bin, which is such a shame). Three Times Before is a very simple short comedy film that has some lovely comic touches. The fella dressed as a nonce in a picnic blanket creeped me out though and will haunt my dreams for years to come. Also, what is it with films of this era and houses having rooms with such HUGE doors? You'd need a lockkeeper to open and close some of them! The Imaginary Invalid This is another short film, this time about a hypochondriac obsessed with enemas (no, really) who gets swindled by a con artist dressed like Captain Hook, and whose daughter fancies the local quack - who is excellent at opera for some reason - and is instead forced in to an arranged marriage with a wet blanket with the IQ of a bubble in an Aero bar, but the musical gift of Mozart. Sadly the original negatives are also considered lost but the film was able to be reconstructed from a bungled copy print. More about this is mentioned on title cards before the film starts. I didn't think I'd enjoy this one at first, as the opening 5 to 10 minutes are a bit of a "where's this going?" vibe. It then gets going and you can't help but enjoy the story of the great swindle unfolding to the climax. Like Three Times Before, you can see where Sirk was developing comedy chops. Nice little film this one, and a welcome time period change to the other films on this disc. Two Greyhounds A final short film to round off the disc, and this is probably the strongest of the three. This bloke owns a business in the city, gets a bit peckish so goes to get some lunch. Two lads turn up for a job interview and misdirection and chaos ensues! This one is an absolute BEAUT! Think of it as a condensed, quick fire April! April! but deliever at such incredible speed I swear I could see flames licking the disc tray of my UB820! Its pure farce, but so much fun and essential viewing. Leave it, and the rest of the shorts until after the main feature. Think of them as a Milky Way bar, don't scoff them all and ruin the main course. There are no extras for the shorts. The only extra is a commentary track for April! April! which I've not listened to yet but I will at some stage. Also worth mentioning the booklet, which is fine, but not anything spectacular in my opinion. Half of it is credits for each film in the set, then an essay on Douglas Sirk, which is interesting but the font is so small you need an electron microscope to read it. Bit of a missed opportunity here I think, probably because I love a good booklet and actually read them. So that's Disc 1 done. On to Disc 2! RESERVED THIS BIT FOR DRIVEL ABOUT DISC 2 WHEN I CAN BE ARSED TO WATCH IT Last edited by BigNickUK; 02-27-2025 at 05:04 PM.

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