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Waltzes from Vienna
1934 Biography / Drama / Musical / Romance
Review
Waltzes from Vienna is an
often overlooked film in the oeuvre of Alfred Hitchcock, the director’s
one and only attempt at a musical comedy. Hitchcock was
dismissive of the film: he loathed making it and would later describe
it as the low point of his career. The only reason he made the
film was because his options were limited after the disappointing
public reaction to his previous two films – Rich and Strange (1931) and Number Seventeen (1932).Whilst it certainly isn’t classic Hitchcock, Waltzes from Vienna is not without charm and does show something of the master’s flair for comedy and interesting camerawork. This just about makes up for the lacklustre performances and mediocre script. The only notable performance is that of Edmund Gwenn, who plays Johann Strauss the Elder; the actor had previously featured in Hitchcock’s The Skin Game (1931). The rest of the cast look as if they are performing an end of term review at a frightfully upper class public school, with accents that could slice bread at a distance of fifty paces. © James Travers 2008 Write a review for this film... User Comments
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Director:
Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: Esmond Knight, Jessie Matthews, Edmund Gwenn Synopsis
Johann Strauss the Younger shares the musical aspirations of his father
but he gets no encouragement from that quarter and ends up playing
second violin in his father’s orchestra. He is in love with Risi,
a baker’s daughter, who encourages him to persevere. Countess
Helga von Stahl also has ambitions, as a poet, so she requests the
young composer to set one of her odes to music. Johann is
inspired to compose a waltz about the Danube, a piece that will earn
him instant celebrity and allow him to follow in his father’s
footsteps...
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