Das Geheimnis der roten Katze (1949) Online

On first view, this appeared to me as a silly musical comedy with slapstick and romantic elements, and a plausibility and realism not far from a Punch & Judy show. In fact I was disappointed. But as often, repeated viewing brought me to appreciate this piece more, and get a more positive impression.

1949 remake of a 1931 predecessor of same title, it is set in 1910s Paris, judging by cars and the photo camera. Main cast are an American tourist family (the Jeffersons), André (Heinz Rühmann), an underemployed actor, and two crooks. Mr Jefferson has bought a huge diamond on a chain of pearls, the "Halifax", which like a McGuffin plays a central role - all in all it changes hands more than ten times, from lost to found to stolen and back.

André loses his job playing a polar bear in a varieté, and in search for new employment, ends to play a gang-leader at Le chat rouge (The Red Cat), an "Apache theme restaurant" for tourists which performs fights and dances simulating the underworld.

"Apaches" were members of a subculture of rivaling youth gangs in 1900-20 who figured very prominently in sensational newspaper reporting in those years. Besides more or less petty crime, they were renowned for well-shined shoes, and wild gypsy-like dances, and self-consciousness in general, also on the women's side, so their concept became part of the Paris folklore. "Casque d'or" (1952, with Simone Signoret) portrays them possibly more realistically (haven't seen it yet). The name Apaches was coined either by the press or by themselves, in allusion to American Apaches who had just met their defeat in the 1880s. French Wikipedia has more, see: Apaches (Paris).

André performs his Apache show to tourists and is invited by Gloria Jefferson to the hotel for taking a photo (hilarious 6-second shot...). This makes the main crook Pitou (well acted by Gustav Knuth) suspect that he's after Halifax as well, so they force André to join in their plan which involves disguising as Marquis' de Patipata, and other silly effects. In a chaotic blackout scene, Halifax disappears, but nobody has it. André returns to the hotel in woman's disguise and happens to find the diamond around the monkey's neck. From then on, turbulent hilarity ensues... :^) Many of the gags are blatantly unrealistic (the leg-knotting, the Berlichingen quote...), as are decorations which too often have German lettering for no reason (would a boulanger's tricycle be labeled "Obst und Gemüse"?) But things like the quibbles between Mr & Mrs Jefferson are more interesting. The songs are not crowding the story too much, and at least in the table dance in Le chat rouge "fit into the picture". And the carpet or even more the bathroom scene (or the boxing match) remind of slapstick movies produced in just the era the film plays.

This is not a classic movie one just has to get, but if you run across it (and like old German b&w comedy), it's worth two or more looks.

I just sat through this film, in fact it's still running in the background. It's easy to see why cinema-goers in Germany were so much in love with Heinz Rühmann, and it's also easy to see why he is so much out of fashion today. A great comic talent, no doubt, poor Mr Rühmann once again has to be reduced to the most basic elements of popular comedy - dressed as a woman, as an 88-year man, as a woman again... Oh pardon, yes, and as a polar bear! Though I admit that these banal tricks have sold well since probably Egyptian times (and new films are constantly being made to showcase male comedians in drag), this act is better be somewhat motivated. It's not in this silly comedy about a precious diamond Halifax and the many villains out to get it. The film is set in turn of the century Paris, and involves a lot of running to and fro, some weird songs - and cross-dressing. And it's utterly incomprehensible why a necklace of such immense value isn't looked after better. If you want to get to know Heinz Rühmann, there are much, much better films out there on DVD, such as Florentinischer Hut.