"Liebesgrüße aus Tirol" is an Austrian German-language movie from 1964, so this one is already comfortably over half a century old, which shows you how much time has passed since then. Still this is a color film, which should not be taken for granted for movies from the mid-1960s, but if we are looking German-language territories, then it is often the case with films from the 1960s that the lighter films, the music comedies were in color and the drama films, especially historic dramas, were in black-and-white. So yes, these under 1.5 hours we got here really are the epitome of a lighter music comedy. Even during its more serious moments like when at the end it could have been all over and the two would never see each other again, it did not feel too tense. The director is prolific Austrian filmmaker Franz Antel, who is probably most known for the Bockerer films he made at the end of his career, but he also worked on many films like this one here and also many sex comedies in fact that were not a rarity back then by any means. But this movie here is harmless and not explicit, maybe also because of the young age of the lead actress. The writer is Kurt Nachmann and he was even more prolific than Antel if we are looking at the mere numbers and even more impressive because he died at a much younger age than Antel. Probably this is also not the only film these two have collaborated on, but too lazy to check now. While the writer and director are sadly, but not unexpectedly as they would be both over 100, no longer with us, the two leads still are and I hope this is also true if you read this review two or three years from now. Peter Weck had his 90th birthday not too long ago ad was nonetheless still in films until five years ago or so. Lead actress Gitte Hænning (or just Gitte) is in her early/mid 70s now, nothing too extraordinary, but it also shows how young she was when this film got made. And still she was far from a rookie, but was very active already in her very young years, first in Denmark, then not much later in Germany/Austria with this film here and also a few others. She seems retired now too. The Denmark reference makes very much sense of course and you can also see from the very special letter in her last name where she was from. She probably still was not really capable of talking in a way Germans and Austrians would, so they just included her Dannish accent in this film too and simply told the audience she grew up in Denmark. Just like the actress did in real. However, her accent really was not thick or anything. Never crucial in terms of the character and even without this explanation it would not have had a negative impact on the movie. So much for the background. Of course, there are many other actors in here, most of them older and really established to get in some kind of authority next to the young guns, but I am not really an expert on this genre/time, not even here in my country or Austria, so cannot say too much. The only one who is always a welcome addition is Rudolf Schündler, but sadly he just plays a minor supporting character here. A bit of a waste. So much for the people.
Now let's lose a few words on the story and plot. I'm afraid there is not too much I can say. If you are mean, then you could say that once you have seen one of these musical comedies from german-speaking territories, you have seen them all. I partially agree. Even if I quite like Peter Alexander. He was not in this film of course, but he is kinda the guy representing this genre of films. And he could have played the lead actor perfectly well too I suppose. If so, then we'd have gotten more male singing here for sure, but maybe this was not Weck's biggest strength, so his young Danish co-lead takes care of that and we listen to her singing on several occasions. Makes sense because Hænning is also today more famous here in Germany for her singing than for her acting really. Which was nothing special. This kinda applies to all the cast members. But then admittedly, it also has to do with the script. No real depth in characters. Instead, they are all written over the top for comedic reasons and probably the director also encouraged the cast members to go over the top with their performances. It's allright though. You know what you get with this film. Most of the time they have not aged too well (if they have ever been good at all) and this one here is no exception. But the music is alright. The songs are a bit on the catchy side overall I would say, especially the one we hear several times, once near the end. Also those were the days when young girls were still called Renate, even if she is only called Rena here from beginning to end. One prime example for overacting and over the top was the elderly rich American lady we have here, who just won't leave, not even when she has plans to and the car is waiting already. Her name is already poking a bit of fun, but she is never truly funny and the running gag about her inventing words also gets a bit old and stale all the time. But pay attenntion to how she always tries to keep out the police. No way they wanted this to become a serious film whatsoever where arrests could have been an option. Instead, it is all about the happy ending 100%. The two do become a couple of course (despite the age difference) and the train does not leave with him. Also he gets the prestigious job he wanted since the beginning, even told his students they should wish him the best there, so it means somethhing to him clearly. The scene with the little boy who seems kind and gentle, but then still proves he is a bit of a rascal was alright very early on. Typical comedy stuff from back then and the idea of teaching somebody manners, be it the small boy, or the slightly impulsive female protagonist is recurring here. Okay, I guess that is all then. Overall, it's pointless fun to a level where I would not call the movie a failure and the music also keeps it from being such, but it's also very far away from a positive recommendation for me. If you like this kind of movies, then go for the watch. It's short enough to not drag a lot. But it's also not a release that will develop interest if you did not care in advance already for these old German(-language) music comedies, usually from the south. Bavaria or so. Best choice is to skip this one.
