Familie Schimek (1935) User Reviews

Concentrated Moser fun

[suchenwi · 8/10 · 5 August 2007]

Hans Moser was a famous comedy actor, who worked in films from 1918 to 1963 (the year before his death). His big era started with talkies from 1930, because he is most notable for his talking style - Vienna dialect, very much through the nose, with sometimes stilted vocabulary and very often incomplete sentences. He really steals the show in this picture (though Grethe Weiser was also quite enjoyable as Mrs. Kaltenbach).

"Familie Schimek" was originally a theater play by Gustav Kadelburg (around 1900). Kadelburg is most famous for "Das weisse Rössl", but around the beginning of the 20th century he was one of the most popular comedy authors in Germany. "Familie Schimek" was produced as movie three times in 1926, 1935 (this) and 1957.

The story deals with a complex family patchwork. The Schimek parents have both died, leaving three minor children who live in the family joiner workshop together with their aunt, and master Schigl (Hans Moser) who sort-of runs the shop. Hedwig, the oldest, has found work as chorus girl in revue theater, and aunt and Schigl go to see her premiere.

A custodian for the children is proclaimed by the authorities, furniture dealer Kaltenbach. His associate Weigel has watched Hedwig in the theater and wants Kaltenbach to introduce him to her. From there, a complex but often funny plot develops, involving two similar packages, divorce negotiations, a little courtroom drama and even an act in Moabit prison.

I just watched the film for the third time and still had quite much fun with it. My favorite parts were how Schigl learns to use his brand-new telephone.. and the courtroom scene, of course. If you go for old-fashioned German-language comedy, this sure is one of the better ones. Dubbing or subtitling probably lose much of the verbal humor (though I see the film came out in the US, 1939).

more Moser fun

[cynthiahost · 9/10 · 29 March 2011]

It was a little slow, since I still don't know much German.I had more trouble understanding this picture story cause it was complicated. I had though Hans Mosar and Kathy Haak were married and those two boys and the older girl was the daughter.I thought he was Schimek. And that he was trying to get a loan from Fritz Odemar. It took me a while to notice that the characters wife was played by Gerthe Weiser. Most roles she ever played was some ones best friend and a babbling character. This role was different also a made a mistake of the man down stairs was the next door neighbor a wood carver shop.I kept hearing from the kids Shigl instead of Pa Pa. Well thats when after I saw the movie that I had to find the synopsis. The two young boys and the older girl, who works in the chorus at the theater,parents have died. They live with their aunt , played by Kathee Haak,and late fathers partner , Mr Ludwig Shingl. Downstairs is his business of creating wood furniture.Well He has been trying to look for a guardian for those children. He meets Odemar a furniture store man. To except the job. But there is a disagreement constantly with each other. The scene where Haak and Hans are watching her niece Hedwig, played by Hilde Schnieder, you see a bunch of chorus girls and a elderly man in a black suite dancing and singing with them. This is equivalent to the American film classic, applause, where you see fat middle aged chorus women in the beginning of the film. A big mistake happens when Hed wig leaves a box with her costume in the coach, when an associate or Fritz wants to meet Her . this box with a costume and jewelry keeps going back and forth to Shingl to Gerthe to Oder back to Odemar. Turns into a fight where Ludwig ends up in prison and when he gets out he just made it for Hedwig Wedding with his co partners , this is another example of the entertainment side of the third Reich