Sweetheart of the Gods
Sweetheart of the Gods | |
---|---|
Directed by | Gottfried Reinhardt |
Produced by |
Artur Brauner Wolf Brauner |
Written by | George Hurdalek |
Starring |
Ruth Leuwerik Peter van Eyck Harry Meyen Robert Graf |
Music by | Franz Grothe |
Cinematography | Göran Strindberg |
Edited by | Walter Wischniewsky |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Bavaria Film |
Release date | 12 April 1960 |
Running time | 99 minutes |
Country | West Germany |
Language | German |
Sweetheart of the Gods (German: Liebling der Götter) is a 1960 West German biographical film directed by Gottfried Reinhardt and starring Ruth Leuwerik, Peter van Eyck and Harry Meyen. The film portrays the life of Renate Müller, a German film actress who died in 1937 in mysterious circumstances. A variety of rumours about Müller's death had developed, but the filmmakers chose to portray it as suicide following Nazi pressure over her relationship with a Jewish diplomat. Following legal objections from Müller's family, the ending was toned down to make her final fate more vague.[1]
Leuwerik recreates scenes and songs from several of Müller's films. However their star personae were very different, with Müller famous as a girl-next-door while Leuwerik played the role in her more usual refined fashion. Although set in the 1930s, stylistically the film often resembles the late 1950s.[2] Willy Fritsch, a German star of the 1930s who had acted alongside Müller in two films, appears in a small role.[3]
The film was moderately successful commercially on its release in West Germany.[4]
Cast
- Ruth Leuwerik as Renate Müller
- Peter van Eyck as Dr. Hans Simon
- Harry Meyen as Volker Hellberg
- Robert Graf as Dr. Hertel
- Hannelore Schroth as Uschi Gunzel
- Leonard Steckel as Furst
- Willy Fritsch as Gunzel
- Werner Fuetterer as Harry de Cassian
- Friedrich Domin as Herr Matthieu
- Lia Eibenschütz as Frau Simon
- Elsa Wagner as Frau Lengefeld
- Willy Krause as Goebbels
- Hans W. Hamacher as Minister
- Bruno W. Pantel as Juwelier Artinger
- Albert Bessler as Ministerialrat
- Tilly Lauenstein
- Walter Clemens
- Eva Maria Brock
- Arthur Schilsky
- Karin Evans
References
Bibliography
- Bergfelder, Tim. International Adventures: German Popular Cinema and European Co-Productions in the 1960s. Berhahn Books, 2005.