Released:
1937-10-30

Overview:
The delightful Johann Strauss comic opera Die Fledermaus was mercilessly lampooned in this truly bizarre production. For starters, a framing device has been added: After appearing in 300 consecutive appearances of Fledermaus (which translates as The Bat) the lead tenor (Georg Alexander) imagines that he's seeing bats everywhere. Driven a bit over the edge by all this, he falls asleep and has a nightmare about the opera, with a group of non-singers cast in the leading roles. The original libretto about romantic assignations, political imprisonments and mistaken identity is burlesqued to the hilt: at one point, the hero finds out that his prison cell is surrounded by rubber tubes!

Directors:
Paul Verhoeven, Hans H. Zerlett

Runtime:
1h 43min

Genre:

• Cast:
• 
  Lída Baarová
  as
  Maria Weigel / Rosalinde
• 
  Hans Söhnker
  as
  Kammersänger Hans Weigel / Eisenstein
• 
  Friedl Czepa
  as
  Hanni / Adele
• 
  Jola Jobst
  as
  Berta / Ida
• 
  Georg Alexander
  as
  Staatsanwalt Wentin / Frank