Es war eine rauschende Ballnacht

The Life and Loves of Tschaikovsky is a very interesting film. This is the second collaboration between Zarah Leander and director Carl Froelich. It is also the only attempt to cast the film simultaneously with Leander and Marika Rökk, two explicitly opposite stars. However, it didn't quite turn out to be a success, because it was already clear at the time that Leander's films were primarily meant to be enjoyed slowly as grand melodramas, while Rökk's films were light and meant to entertain. In this way it stumbles a bit and not even Hans Stüwe, who plays Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, can do anything about it. Of course, in terms of feeling, the whole thing is a great link to Hollywood's Anna Karenina with Garbo, which is probably what it should have resembled the most. However, despite all the circumstances, the film was appreciated in Venice and won awards on home soil as well. Screenwriter Géza von Cziffra also published a novel of the same name with film stills, and was so influenced by the whole production that he eventually named his memoir "Es war eine rauschende Ballnacht: Sittengeschichte des deutschen Films" (The Life and Loves of Tschaikovsky or A moral history of German film). (2021.05.06)