All Powell and Pressburger films have their fans but I found this hard going. They weren’t filmmakers known for their skill with comedy, and a light touch escapes this tale of love and deception in post war Vienna. (It badly suffers from lack of location footage) The magic of that city escapes this film as do jokes, charm and fun. Which is a shame since it’s meant to be charming and fun.
The cast are irritating, especially Mel Ferrer. (You wouldn't automatically think of Michael Redgrave and Anthony Quayle as musical stars either. They try and they're okay but how about someone who can sing or be attractive?) It doesn't help that I'm not a big fan of the opera Die Fledermaus on which this is based (I'm declaring my bias because fans of it may find more to enjoy). The plot is silly - who really cares if Michael Redgrave finds out that his wife is a bit of a scamp? And tales of mistresses never seem to work in British films. Maybe it would have been better that this been shot in Italian or something. I did like Anton Wolbrook's speech at the end where the Viennese ask the occupiers to go (but even that, a few minutes later I was thinking, 'well they wouldn't have had to be there if you hadn't hooked up with the Nazis'.)
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