Wonderful Times (1951)
Directed by Gunter Neumann
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Synopsis by Hal Erickson
Given their recent experiences, it was hardly surprising that Germans in 1951 would want to celebrate the years prior to, and between, the two World Wars. The German documentary Wonderful Times concentrates on the years 1900-1913 and 1919-1939, with Willi Fritsch weaving in and out of the proceedings as an "everyman" character commenting upon the events. Among the celebrities shown in film-clip form are Enrico Caruso, Josephine Baker, Charlie Chaplin, Bernard Shaw, Anna Pavlova, Toscanini and Count Zeppelin. The emergence of Hitler is not ignored, nor is it excessively dwelt upon. The English-language version of Wonderful Times was prepared by film historian Herman G. Weinberg.