Die Landärztin vom Tegernsee

Okay and amusing combination of comedy, Heimatfilm and doctor's film and it makes a nice change from the narrow-minded standard Heimatfilm. It shows some -albeit not too harsh - criticism on a community that is not prepared to accept outside (modern) influences personified in a lady doctor from the city who - to make matters worse - also introduces many new ideas and walks about in jeans. Moreover, Marianne Koch makes a fine change from Heimatfilm regular Marianne Koch.

The cast includes that other regular of the Heimatfilm the unavoidable Rudolf Prack (who was already much too old in 1958 to play the suitor), but to my own amazement and very much due to Paul May's direction Prack had me laugh in one scene (the ladder). But Rudolf Vogel, Willy Millowitsch and Beppo Brem mainly contribute some fine comic scenes.

May's direction is good routine, but could not overcome weak points in the script. Towards the end the film turns into sentimentality, when - after having been absent almost from the beginning - the mayor's pregnant daughter suddenly pops up again. Well, in the end everybody is happy again.

I've seen this movie several times and last time I did I caught the name of New Orleans born Austrian Cheryl Benard playing little "Hannerl". Meanwhile she has changed from child actress to feminist writer (mostly with co-author Edith Schlaffer). Could it be that this prototype-feminist film from 1958 influenced then five year old Cheryl to later writing feminist theory? Anyway this film is much above the usual "Heimatfilm" level, dealing - in an entertaining way - with social progress (acceptance of a woman as a doctor in a small Bavarian town). Compare that to the "blood and soil" attitude of almost every other "Heimatfilm"! Also routine "Heimatfilm" characters Prack, Vogel and Haagen as well as Cologne comedian Millowitsch are doing a good job.

This indestructible classic was filmed in 1958 by successful director Paul May (1909-1976), who had also filmed "08/15", "Und ewig singen die Wälder" and "Via Mala" was still to film. It was produced by the Divina-Film of the incomparable Ilse Kubaschewski, who also had the film marketed through her Gloria film distributor. The film was shot in beautiful Neubeuern, which today belongs to the Rosenheim district.

A young country doctor (Marianne Koch, who has just celebrated her 90th birthday) runs a practice on Lake Tegernsee and has to assert herself against a lot of resistance. Of course, she also finds great love in the form of her veterinarian colleague (Rudolf Prack, 1905-1981). The whole thing is very predictable, but immensely enjoyable and wonderful to watch.

The cast of the other roles is interesting. The wonderful Margarete Haagen (1889-1966) can be seen as a brilliant doctor's assistant. This great actress only came to film at the age of 50. As Grandma Jantzen from the "Immenhof" films, the Nuremberg native will never be forgotten.

The beautiful Maria Perschy (1938-2004) is there as an unwanted pregnant woman. The Austrian actress also made her international debut in the 1960s. In 1963 she starred alongside Rock Hudson in "Man's Favorite Sport?".

The hormonally controlled father of the child is played by the Swiss actor Roland Carey (1933-2019), who is perhaps the film's greatest discovery. The broad-shouldered acrobat had already gotten a taste of film life as Burt Lancaster's double in "Trapez". Roland Carey, who was born in Lausanne, was also a trained actor. From 1960 onwards - thanks to his outstanding physique - he made sandal films in Rome ("I giganti della Tessaglia"). Unfortunately he has been somewhat forgotten.

The legendary folk actor Willy Millowitsch (1909-1999) is there as Kölsche Jung, who was enormously popular in the 1980s by broadcasting plays from his Millowitsch Theater on television. His funeral in Cologne in 1999 was almost on the scale of a state funeral.

And then there is the main actress herself! It is known that Marianne Koch actually practiced as a doctor in her second life. What is less known, however, is that she started the era of spaghetti westerns together with Clint Eastwood with "For a Fistful of Dollars" (1964). Hats off to this wonderful actress!

This film is typical for German "Heimatfilm". A harmless and simple plot, a little bit of humor, a little bit of tragedy, some nice pictures of beautiful countryside - and all is ending good. It shows stereotyped ideas of "usual" life in "usual" german countryside - in fact life wasn't that way. About 90% of German films of that time were lean (and ridiculous) entertainment or (in fact also ridiculous) bombastic drama. Simple, harmless and often primitive film making. This film is not better or worse than others of that time - it´s typical for that curios genre "Heimatfilm". Grin at it!