Das Wirtshaus im Spessart (1958) User Reviews (8)

Funny, nice and cross-dressing

[Fimma · 7/10 · 10 February 2007]

"Das Wirtshaus im Spessart" is one of my favourite movies since childhood. It still interesting as fun adaptation fairy tale to modern life. Script writers joke about clergy, army, society. Otto Stor as Reverend trying to escape responsibility by quotation from the Bible. Liselotte Pulver as Contesse von Sandau - the best choice. She is very expressive and imitate male's behavior so hilarious! If you like Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Swann in "Pirates of the Caribbean", you must see Liselotte Pulver's performance. She's the One.

Everything changes in 50 years: it was movie about highwaymen want to be honest, but now is more usual about "how good is to be robber".

Average at best.

[chnutscher · 5/10 · 5 January 2019]

Surely a question of taste, but I always disliked musicals. But if you want to experience real awfulness, then watch a german one like this one, although it gets a bit better towards the end. Unconvincing entertainment to say the least. As comedy the movie is average at best, I suppose it may be better suited for children.

Here to see Liselotte Pulver I concede she gave a good acting performance in this lightweight comedy within the given context. A pretty appearance for sure, here in the figure of a kind of amazone. But my guess is, she had too many of those lightweight comedy appearances to be able to get out of them finally for more serious and challenging roles. A pity.

Raeuber Hotzenplotz laesst gruessen

[PlanecrazyIkarus · 5 May 2002]

This is the first movie centering around the robbers living in the Spessart forest. They kidnap a contessa, who falls in love with their leader. It is basically a straight love story with some humour thrown in, and lots of sidekick robbers. Loveable, and one of my favourite movies as a kid.

Perfect sunday-afternoon flick

[highnemonkey · 8/10 · 11 April 2018]

I do not remember the last time I was so positively surprised by a movie as I have been with "Das Wirtshaus im Spessart". When I went to the cinema to see it, my expectations were low. But actually this one is a fantastic adventure film! The story drags you in right aways and is told in a fast pace, held together by good camera work and jump edits. The colours have this irresistable look of 50s german cinema with colours brighter then reality, especially in the brand new digitalised version I saw, looks fresh after all these decades. Some of the jokes work even 60 years later, such a silly feel good-humour it catches you by surprise at times because as a modern viewer you're not used to it anymore - but refreshed each time. The love story is corny to a likable degree. The songs are rare, short and memorable which makes them enhance the story instead of interrupting it. The acting is what you'd expect - in the best way possible. If you get a chance to see this, at the movies or on a lazy afternoon zapping - catch it. Won't change your life but guaranteed to give a good time!

So-so beginning

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 30 June 2016]

"Das Wirtshaus im Spessart" or "The Spessart Inn" is a West German color film from 1958, so it will have its 60th birthday soon. And it should not be taken for granted as there are many German films from the 1960s that are still in black-and-white. And maybe this use of color is one reason why this this (slightly under) 100-minute movie is still somewhat known today, more than most other 1950s films for sure. And another reason may be that this is just the beginning from a whole series of "Spessart" films. However, I myself must say that this one would have been enough. It was not a failure and there were no really bad moments in here, but as a whole I found it fairly forgettable and it did not have enough fascinating scenes and interesting moments. The director is Kurt Hoffmann and returned for future films as well. The entire film is based on a fairy-tale by Wilhelm Hauff, a writer from the early 19th century who died at a very young age, but still wrote some pieces that are still known today. His stories are usually darker, but this one here really isn't. Yes there is a story about an abducted girl, but it is really all about the comedy, romance and music. Sadly, in these areas it does not stand out compared to all the mediocrity Germany delivered in the 1950s. That's why I give it a thumbs-down. Lead actress Lilo Pulver could not win me over either. Watch something else instead.

Allegory on postwar Germany

[Robert-Lander · 8/10 · 17 June 2003]

Its comical nature notwithstanding, this movie is of historical interest in its implicit portrayal of the West German society: The men are either crooks or completely inept or imprisoned, so the women have to take over the men's jobs. But once the men return from detention the women have no choice but to resume their traditional role as house wife. Furthermore, you have the mobsters who hope to get away with their committed crimes and dream about spending the rest of their lifes with gardening (Gardening of course being one of the things Himmler wanted the Germans to do in the 'Lebensraum im Osten').

The Best of the three "Spessart" films

[marias21 · 16 July 2007]

For the first time I saw The Spessart Inn when I was a child, and it made a huge impression on me, especially the charming "Räuberhauptmann" :) and the song sang by Paruccio and the Count. And I just recently saw it again for the second time - and still enjoyed it very much - I had such a pleasant feeling, all the troubles seemed to be blown away. It's a very pleasant and lovely and romantic film, done with a good sense of humour, with wonderful leading actors, the best of the three "Spessart-series" from my point of view - a mixture of adventure and a true-German-Spirit fairy-tale, a film that will put you in high spirits and lovely mood:) The best of the three, I promise you!

Perfect movie, perfect Lilo, a true classic and great fun

[supermaggie · 10/10 · 12 July 2020]

Forget the negative reviews, I guess they come from people who do not know how to have fun. This is one of the most enjoyable and still moving/not superficial movies ever. I do not like musicals at all, I despise the trend of having popular shows install a musical episode, but this does not apply to this movie at all, there is very rare singing - don't be fooled by reviews giving another impression - and the music is imbedded very naturally/lightly and in a very funny way (like the general's "Zack, Zack") . It features round characters all through (even smaller robber characters get their legend) which are likable or at least understandable/can be related to. It has a message and - most of all - it features the perfect, enchanting Lieselotte Pulver - a gem. And I do not consider this to be a not challenging starting role for her, because she fits so perfectly and fills this role with so much heart and bravado/verve and wittiness and charm like only she can. While others adored Audrey Hepburn, I adore(d) Lilo, who had much more life and verve, and while later generations thought that Buttercup was a role model waitig for a prince to rescue them, I loved how Lilo/Contess Franziska saved herself and everybody else. Much like (another classic for German viewers) Cinderella in the Czech version ("Drei Nuesse fuer Aschenbroedel"), she fought for herself and did not let anybody tell her how to behave - and in a clever and witty way. Like the more recent perfect movie "As good as it gets" this is a perfect movie from the older times. A true classic, (like Danny Kaye's The Jester) not getting old, not moldy/old-fashioned at all, still entertaining and could never be remade, since everybody did their jobs so perfectly, you could never redo or even improve it. And in addition a beautiful scenery (the Mespelbrunn (water) castle for instance). Perfect cast, perfect story, perfect look, perfect movie. If you don't believe it, check it out, you won't regret it.