DER HERR IM HAUS (1940)
aka The Gentleman in the House
Article 3275 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 6-7-2010
Posting Date: 8-2-2010
Directed by Heinz Helbig
Featuring Hans Moser, Maria Andergast, Elise Aulinger
Country: Germany
What it is: Comedy

I’m forgoing the usual plot description here for the simple reason that I can’t really piece anything together. I’m watching this one in unsubtitled German, and usually in cases like this, I’m able to pick up some thread to follow, but not in this case. I know it’s a comedy, and it follows the adventures of a man who seems to be either a landlord or a butler. His daughter is involved in a romance with a handsome young man. There’s a big stage production involved. And part of the plot revolves around spiritualism, with one scene in which a medium (who may be a con man; there’s some business about switching necklaces) is trying to summon the spirit of Napoleon Bonaparte. Oddly enough, the main character’s name seems to be Napoleon Bonaparte, but I’m pretty sure we’re not dealing with the historical figure. Almost all of the humor is verbal and tied to various character relationships, which leaves me very little to go on. So I’m marking this one as watched, but until I become really fluent in German, I’m at a loss here.