by Hal Erickson
synopsis
Der Stolz der 3. Kompagnie (Pride of the Third Company) is set amongst the ranks of the Prussian army. All the standard "military" cliches are in attendance, including the heroic coward, the cowardly hero, the young husband who dies just after learning he's a father, and the rest. Heinz Ruhmann leads a large and stellar German cast, all of whom deliver performances that transcend the hackneyed material. For some reason, Army films were extraordinarily popular with German audiences in the early 1930s, virtually guaranteeing a huge box-office return. The film's oddest on-screen credit was bestowed upon Robert Neppach, whose specialty was listed as "architecture"; could he have been the set designer, or did he actually build the sets?
