Maskerade (film)

Maskerade also known as Maskerade in Wien, English Masquerade or Masquerade in Vienna, is an Austrian operetta film, and a classic of German language cinema. The exceptional script of this, a great example of the genre of the Wiener Film, was by Walter Reisch and Willi Forst, who also directed. The German premiere was held in Berlin onAugust 1934, the Austrian premiere in Vienna not untilSeptember of the same year.

The picture is published in the newspaper. When Paul sees it and asks von Heidenick some searching questions about the identity of the model, the artist is forced to improvise a story and on the spur of the moment invents a woman called Leopoldine Dur as the alleged model. Leopoldine Dur however turns out to be a real woman Paula Wessely, whose acquaintance Heidenick makes shortly afterwards. This makes his lover Anita so jealous that she shoots him. He survives, and Leopoldine nurses him back to health, in the course of which they fall in love. The true identity of the sitter in the portrait remains a mystery, however.In February 1934, in the middle of the brief Austrian Civil War, Walter Reisch and Willi Forst wrote the screenplay of Maskerade in the Hotel KranzAmbassador in Vienna. Filming began in the same month in the Rosenhgel Film Studios of SaschaFilm. It was only the second film directed by Willi Forst, but is nevertheless one of his masterpieces. It was also the first ever film role for the already distinguished stage actress Paula Wessely. ........

Source: Wikipedia