Land der Liebe (1937): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1937, Land der Liebe is a comedy, romance and music film directed by Reinhold Schünzel.

What it’s about. Here's one of the most notorious clashes between the Third Reich censorship and the artist's intentions. Director Schünzel who was half Jewish was allowed to work under special commission due to his success with the public (and because Hitler liked his films) which he used for veiled attacks, most famously in Amphitryon. But in 1937 he finally clashed with Goebbels who was furious about this film here which ended Schünzel's German career and by proxy the tradition of quality German musicals which was only shortly revived by Kurt Hoffmann in the 50s. The story is one of the usual operetta stories with a young princess being destined to marry a king which her mother (the delicious Valerie von Martens known as Curt Goetz' wife and acting partner) tries to enforce while the young woman tries to escape her destiny and meets a young writer who is almost a double of the king which launches a plot with fake assassinations, tangled love affairs and some subtle satire.

Who’s in it. Land der Liebe stars Albert Matterstock as König, Gusti Huber as Prinzessin Julia, Valerie von Martens as Fürstin Ilonka and Wilhelm Bendow as Ministerpräsident, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 5.0/10, Land der Liebe has proved divisive with audiences.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Land der Liebe page.

If you liked it. Fans of Land der Liebe tend to enjoy Forrest Gump, Parasite, Life Is Beautiful and Fight Club.