German biopic from the great UFA era with Ruth Leuwerik and Peter van Eyck
This German film drama by Gottfried Reinhardt is loosely based on the life of the great UFA film star Renate Müller (1906-1937) and premiered on April 12, 1960 in Munich's Gloria-Palast. The great Ruth Leuwerik (1924-2016), who had sensational success a few years earlier with the films about "The Trapp Family", can be seen as UFA star Renate Müller.
On the evening of the premiere of her first major UFA film "Die Privatsekretärin / The Private Secretary" (1931), the young Renate Müller first has to build up her courage. She meets and falls in love with a state secretary in the Prussian government (played by the fabulous Peter van Eyck, who was also seen in "Lohn der Angst / Le salaire de la peur / The Wages of Fear" (1953) and "Die 1000 Augen des Doktor Mabuse / The 1000 Eyes of Doctor Mabuse" (also 1960). Him. The film and Renate Müller's hit "Ich bin ja heut so glücklich / I'm so happy today" (which is also excellently interpreted by Ruth Leuwerik) become a huge success and turn the rather insecure actress into a superstar, who a short time later also appeared in the classic "Viktor und Viktoria". (1933) by Reinhold Schünzel. The problems only began when the National Socialists came to power. As a Jew, her beloved State Secretary has to leave the country, so that the two can only rarely be together. Renate Müller is increasingly seen as not being loyal enough to the Nazi regime, which also causes professional and psychological problems. This development is shown particularly impressively in two characters. On the one hand, to Müller's childhood friend (played by the attractive Harry Meyen, who would marry Romy Schneider a few years later), who increasingly comes under the spell of National Socialism, and to a film production manager (played by the wonderful Robert Graf, the father of the successful director Dominik Graf), who increasingly pushed the National Socialists' film policy. Other roles include Hannelore Schroth as Müller's girlfriend (probably modeled on the actress Sybille Schmitz ("Titanic" (1943)), who was a friend of Renate Müller in real life and probably also found her dead) and Willy Fritsch as her husband. The problems are piling up and driving the successful actress into a serious crisis from which there is probably no escape.
It is difficult to say what really happened in the life of Renate Müller, who made her debut at the Bergtheater in Thale in the Harz Mountains. The biopic produced by Artur Brauner's CCC film allows for different interpretations. What's great in any case is that this film is reminiscent of a fantastic actress who led an eventful life in difficult times. The often underestimated Ruth Leuwerik gives an impressive performance in the title role and also sings another hit by La Müller, "Ich brauche Liebe zum Leben / I need love to live".
