The Temporary Widow
Encyclopedia
The Temporary Widow is a 1930 British
-German
comedy film
by the Austrian
director Gustav Ucicky
, starring Laurence Olivier
in his first film role, Lilian Harvey
and Athole Stewart
.
Kitty Kellermann is put on trial for murdering her husband, a failed painter. When her counsel resigns from his mandate, the mysterious Peter Bille steps in, though it becomes apparent that he actually is not an advocate but Kitty's lover and moreover confesses the murder. The widow has to admit that the pictures by her deceased spouse sell much better, only for him to suddenly appear alive.
The film was based on the play Hokuspokus written by Curt Goetz
. A German language
version Hokuspokus
was made at the same time. After the war, director Kurt Hoffmann
filmed two further versions in 1953 (starring Curt Goetz himself) and in 1966.
Cinema of the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has had a major influence on modern cinema. The first moving pictures developed on celluloid film were made in Hyde Park, London in 1889 by William Friese Greene, a British inventor, who patented the process in 1890. It is generally regarded that the British film industry...
-German
Cinema of Germany
Cinema in Germany can be traced back to the late 19th century. German cinema has made major technical and artistic contributions to film.Unlike any other national cinemas, which developed in the context of relatively continuous and stable political systems, Germany witnesses major changes to its...
comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
by the Austrian
Austrians
Austrians are a nation and ethnic group, consisting of the population of the Republic of Austria and its historical predecessor states who share a common Austrian culture and Austrian descent....
director Gustav Ucicky
Gustav Ucicky
Gustav Ucicky was an acclaimed Austrian film director, screenwriter and cinematographer. He was one of the more successful and acclaimed directors in Austria and Germany from the 1930s through to the early 1960s...
, starring Laurence Olivier
Laurence Olivier
Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM was an English actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century. He married three times, to fellow actors Jill Esmond, Vivien Leigh, and Joan Plowright...
in his first film role, Lilian Harvey
Lilian Harvey
Lilian Harvey was a British-born actress and singer, long-based in Germany, where she is best known for her role as Christel Weinzinger in Erik Charell's 1931 film Der Kongress tanzt.-Life:...
and Athole Stewart
Athole Stewart
-Selected filmography:Athole appeared in the following films:* Canaries Sometimes Sing * The Speckled Band * The Faithful Heart * The Constant Nymph *Loyalties * The Four Masked Men...
.
Kitty Kellermann is put on trial for murdering her husband, a failed painter. When her counsel resigns from his mandate, the mysterious Peter Bille steps in, though it becomes apparent that he actually is not an advocate but Kitty's lover and moreover confesses the murder. The widow has to admit that the pictures by her deceased spouse sell much better, only for him to suddenly appear alive.
The film was based on the play Hokuspokus written by Curt Goetz
Curt Goetz
Curt Goetz , born Kurt Walter Götz, was a Swiss-German writer, actor and film director. Curt Goetz was regarded as one of the most brilliant comedy writers of his time in the German-speaking world. Together with his wife Valérie von Martens he acted in his own plays and also filmed them...
. A German language
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
version Hokuspokus
Hokuspokus (film)
Hokuspokus is a 1930 German comedy film directed by Gustav Ucicky and starring Lilian Harvey, Willy Fritsch and Oskar Homolka. It was an adaptation of the play Hokuspokus by Curt Goetz. A woman is put on trial for the murder of her husband only for him to turn up alive...
was made at the same time. After the war, director Kurt Hoffmann
Kurt Hoffmann
Kurt Hoffmann was a German film director. He directed 48 films between 1938 and 1971. His film The Marriage of Mr. Mississippi was entered into the 11th Berlin International Film Festival.-Selected filmography:...
filmed two further versions in 1953 (starring Curt Goetz himself) and in 1966.
Cast
- Lilian HarveyLilian HarveyLilian Harvey was a British-born actress and singer, long-based in Germany, where she is best known for her role as Christel Weinzinger in Erik Charell's 1931 film Der Kongress tanzt.-Life:...
- Kitty Kellermann - Laurence OlivierLaurence OlivierLaurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM was an English actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century. He married three times, to fellow actors Jill Esmond, Vivien Leigh, and Joan Plowright...
- Peter Bille - Athole StewartAthole Stewart-Selected filmography:Athole appeared in the following films:* Canaries Sometimes Sing * The Speckled Band * The Faithful Heart * The Constant Nymph *Loyalties * The Four Masked Men...
- President of the Court of Justice - Gillian Dean - Witness Anny Sedal
- Frank StanmoreFrank StanmoreFrank Stanmore was an English film actor. He appeared in 76 films between 1914 and 1938.He was born in London and died in Gravesend, Kent.-Selected filmography:* Love's Boomerang...
- Witness Kulicke - Felix AylmerFelix AylmerSir Felix Edward Aylmer Jones, OBE was an English stage actor who also appeared in the cinema and on television.-Early life and career:...
- Public Prosecutor - Frederick LloydFrederick LloydFrederick Lloyd was a British film actor. He appeared as Doctor Watson in the 1932 film The Hound of the Baskervilles.Lloyd was married to actress Auriol Lee from 1911 to 1922...
- Counsel for the Defense - Henry CaineHenry Caine-Selected filmography:* The Temporary Widow * Dreyfus * The Shadow Between * The Ghost Train * Number Seventeen * Red Ensign * The Price of a Song * Three Maxims...
- Councillor Lindberg