Zapfenstreich Am Rhein (1930)
Directed by Jaap Speyer
Share on
Synopsis by Hal Erickson
"Zapfenstreich" translates as "Military Music," of which we hear plenty in this Germany comedy. The hero is a handsome Army lieutenant (Hans Stuwe), in love with several young ladies at once. While sorting out his romantic travails, the officer must contend with two new recruits: silk-hatted magician Siegfred Arno, who shows up in camp with a prop bird cage, and clumsy musician Erno Verebes, a habitual screw-up. The two comic characters eventually stage a camp show, culminating in a happy ending for Stuwe and his sweetheart Charlotte Susa, and Verebes and his sweetheart Maria Solveg. Typically heavy-handed, Zapfenstreich aus Rhein undeniably delivers the laughs.