Bombs on Monte Carlo (1931 film)

{{Infobox film

|name = Bombs on Monte Carlo

|image = Bombs on Monte Carlo (1931 film).jpg

|caption = German film poster

|native_name = {{Infobox name module|de|Bomben auf Monte Carlo}}

|director = Hanns Schwarz

|producer = Erich Pommer

|writer = Jenö Heltai
Hans Müller
Franz Schulz

|based_on = {{Based on|Bombs on Monte Carlo|Fritz Reck-Malleczewen}}

|starring = Hans Albers
Anna Sten
Heinz Rühmann

|music = Werner R. Heymann

|cinematography = Konstantin Irmen-Tschet
Günther Rittau

|editing = Willy Zeyn

|studio = UFA

|distributor = UFA

|released = {{Film date|1931|8|31|df=y}}

|runtime = 111 minutes

|country = Germany

|language = German

}}

Bombs on Monte Carlo ({{langx|de|Bomben auf Monte Carlo}}) is a 1931 German musical comedy film directed by Hanns Schwarz and starring Hans Albers, Anna Sten, and Heinz Rühmann.[https://web.archive.org/web/20090205133815/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/27149 BFI.org] The film is based on the novel Bomben auf Monte Carlo (1930) by Fritz Reck-Malleczewen. It premiered at the Ufa-Palast am Zoo in August 1931.

The film is known for featuring the German a capella band Comedian Harmonists, who perform the song Das ist die Liebe der Matrosen.{{cite book|title=Ein Freund, ein guter Freund: Robert Gilbert – Lieddichter zwischen Schlager und Weltrevolution. Eine Biographie|isbn=9783862844593|last=Walther|first=Christian|date=9 October 2019|publisher=Ch. Links Verlag }}{{cite web|url=https://secondhandsongs.com/work/162014|title=Das ist die Liebe der Matrosen|website=SecondHandSongs |trans-title=This is the love of the sailors|language=de|accessdate=1 September 2021}}{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BbPWBQAAQBAJ&q=Das+ist+die+Lieber+der+Matrosen+comedian+harmonists&pg=PA89|title=Wenn die Musik spielt ...: Der deutsche Schlagerfilm der 1950er bis 1970er Jahre|isbn=9783839418826|last=Schulz|first=Daniela|date=31 March 2014|publisher=transcript Verlag }}

Plot

Captain Craddock commands the Mediterranean cruiser Persimon, which sails under the flag of the Kingdom of Pontenero. Like his crew, he hasn't received any pay for a long time because the kingdom is bankrupt. Therefore, he refuses to take Queen Yola I on board for a Mediterranean cruise.

Instead, he goes to Monte Carlo to confront the Pontenero consul there. But Yola is already there incognito and, for lack of money, sacrifices her pearl necklace, for which Craddock finally receives 100,000 francs.

Disguised as a demi-monde lady, Yola persuades the captain to try his luck at the casino, where Craddock loses all the money after initial winnings. He blames the manager and threatens to shell the casino with his ship's cannons if he doesn't get the money back.

Undetected, Yola follows the angry captain onto his cruiser, where the artillery is actually readied by the next day. Panic breaks out in the city and people flee. Then Yola reveals herself as the queen on deck and forbids the shelling. She wants Craddock to be her Secretary of the Navy, and since he is recalcitrant, she has him summarily arrested by the first officer. But Craddock jumps overboard to catch a passing passenger ship. Yola does not give up and orders the cruiser to follow the ship. The outcome remains open, the film ends with sea shanties.

Production

The film was produced by the production unit of Erich Pommer.{{cite book|last=Hardt|first=Ursula|title=From Caligari to California: Erich Pommer's Life in the International Film Wars|url=https://archive.org/details/fromcaligaritoca00hard|url-access=registration|publisher=Berghahn Books|page=240|year=1996|isbn=978-1-57181-930-7}} It was made at the Babelsberg Studios in Berlin and shot on location in Nice. The art director Erich Kettelhut designed the film sets. A separate English-language version Monte Carlo Madness and a French version Le capitaine Craddock were also made as part of UFA's strategy to export its films to other countries. In 1960 the film was remade as Bombs on Monte Carlo.