The Flute Concert of Sanssouci

{{For|the painting by Adolf Menzel of that concert|Frederick the Great Playing the Flute at Sanssouci}}

{{Infobox film

| name = The Flute Concert of Sanssouci

| image = The Flute Concert of Sanssouci.jpg

| caption = Film poster

| director = Gustav Ucicky

| producer = Günther Stapenhorst

| writer = {{ubl|Johannes Brandt|Walter Reisch}}

| starring = {{ubl|Otto Gebühr|Renate Müller|Hans Rehmann}}

| music = Willy Schmidt-Gentner

| cinematography = Carl Hoffmann

| editing =

| studio = UFA

| distributor = UFA

| released = {{film date|1930|12|19|df=y}}

| runtime = 88 minutes

| country = Germany

| language = German

}}

The Flute Concert of Sanssouci ({{langx|de|Das Flötenkonzert von Sans-souci}}) is a 1930 German drama film directed by Gustav Ucicky and starring Otto Gebühr.{{cite web |url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/12426/Das-Floetenkonzert-Von-Sanssouci/overview |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520072149/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/12426/Das-Floetenkonzert-Von-Sanssouci/overview |url-status=dead |archive-date=20 May 2011 |department=Movies & TV Dept. |work=The New York Times |author=Hal Erickson |title=New York Times: The Flute Concert of Sans-Souci |author-link=Hal Erickson (author) |date=2011 |access-date=20 July 2008}} It was part of the popular cycle of Prussian films.Hoffmann p. 44 It was made at the Babelsberg Studios. The film's sets were designed by the art director Robert Herlth and Walter Röhrig. Location filming took place around the Berlin area including at the Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam.

Plot

In 1756, a masked ball is being celebrated in the Dresden Palais of the Saxon Minister Heinrich von Brühl. The event serves as cover for confidential talks being held with the envoys of Austria, Russia and France with the aim of conspiring against the Prussian King Frederick II. The Prussian envoy, Major von Lindeneck, sees through the charade and succeeds in bringing a copy of the concluded secret treaty to the Prussian king.

Friedrich consults with his generals, who urge caution. Initially stunned by the conspiracy, Friedrich develops a plan. To do this, he sends von Lindeneck back to Dresden. However, the latter is not very enthusiastic about this, as he thinks he has reason to doubt his wife Blanche's marital fidelity, and he now has to leave her alone. But loyalty to the king is more important to him and he carries out all the orders of the Prussian king.

When the envoys of Austria, Russia and France ask for an audience with Friedrich, he gives a flute concerto to gain time. (This event is based on a famous picture by Adolph von Menzel.) In the course of this concert he receives a telegram from Vienna which completely uncovers the plot. He ends the concert and orders the declaration of war to be handed to the envoys. He goes outside and announces that he has just given marching orders for the regiments. The Seven Years' War begins.

Cast

Otto Gebühr as Friedrich II
Renate Müller as Blanche von Lindeneck
Hans Rehmann as Major von Lindeneck
Walter Janssen as Maltzahn
Raoul Aslan as Heinrich von Brühl
Friedrich Kayßler as Count Karl-Wilhelm Finck von Finckenstein
Carl Goetz as Michael Gabriel Fredersdorf
Aribert Wäscher as Poellnitz
Margarete Schön as Princess Amalie
Theodor Loos as Menzel
Hans Brausewetter as Correspondent
Paul Biensfeldt as Johann Joachim Quantz
Vladimir Sokoloff as Russian Envoy
Friedrich Kühne as Schwerin
Alfred Beierle as Wolf Frederick von Retzow
Georg John as Ziethen
Theo Lingen as Kent

References

Bibliography

{{cite book | authorlink = Hilmar Hoffmann | last = Hoffmann | first = Hilmar | title = The Triumph of Propaganda: Film and National Socialism, 1933–1945 | publisher = Berghahn Books | location = Providence | year = 1996 | isbn = 978-1-57181-122-6 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/triumphofpropaga0000hoff }}