Masquerade in Vienna (1934): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1934, Masquerade in Vienna is a comedy and romance film directed by Willi Forst, running about 90 minutes.

What it’s about. After a masked carnival ball, Gerda Harrandt, wife of the surgeon Carl Ludwig Harrandt, allows the fashionable artist Ferdinand von Heidenick to paint a portrait of her wearing only a mask and a muff. This muff however belongs to Anita Keller, in secret the painter's lover but also the fiancée of the court orchestra director Paul Harrandt. The picture is then published in the newspaper. When Paul sees it and asks von Heidenick some 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 whose acquaintance Heidenick makes shortly afterwards.

Who’s in it. Masquerade in Vienna stars Paula Wessely as Leopoldine Dur, Adolf Wohlbrück as Der Zeichner Heideneck, Peter Petersen as Professor Carl Ludwig Harrandt and Walter Janssen as Paul Harrandt, Hofopernkapellmeister, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 5.6/10, Masquerade in Vienna has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Masquerade in Vienna page.

If you liked it. Fans of Masquerade in Vienna tend to enjoy Forrest Gump, Parasite, Life Is Beautiful and Fight Club.