Hans Henninger

This 1936 film tells the story of the doings of foreign agents in Germany and their allies among the German population. Having placed an ad in a local paper looking for "contact with bigwigs in German industry", enemy agents Morris and Geyer end up making contact with an engineer named Brockau. Brockau has developed an improvement in turning oil into gasoline and that's just what these enemy agents are looking for. Brockau, for his part, needs money, because his girlfriend is a selfish cow who demands more and more toys and trinkets, which has put our naive little nerd deep into debt. Brockau, however, is not the only unwitting maroon to fall into the clutches of the evil agents: the former bank agent Hans Klemm, now doing his service in the Wehrmacht, ends up being contacted by an agent from the other side and ends up getting blackmailed into working for them.

The young Styrian woman Therese Brandl desperately wants to work in the theater and therefore travels by train to Vienna to pursue artistic training. The scholarship granted by the elderly Countess Hoyer is intended to guarantee her financial independence. Unaware that she is to be picked up from the Vienna train station, the student immediately takes a taxi upon arrival and asks for recommendations for both an affordable hotel and a charming little pub. Therese gets approached by an older gentleman, a gray-haired bon vivant with considerable life experience. After several glasses of wine, they leave the establishment together and go to Therese's room. Apparently, things escalate there, and they spend the night together without having been introduced. The surprise is all the greater for Therese when she goes to the drama academy the following day to begin her training: her future teacher is none other than the gallant and lover from the previous night, Dr. Alexander Dahlen.

The wintry mountainscapes of Bavaria provide the backdrop for this airy German comedy. The story is set in motion when young clerk Boenecke (Richard Romanowsky) accidentally delivers a check to the wrong bank. Boenecke's boss Schumann (Walter Steinbeck) suspects the clerk of embezzlement -- especially since our hero has taken off on an extended Alpine vacation with his sweetheart Hilde (Magda Schneider). Before this comic chain reaction can be straightened out, hero and heroine have become entangled with a gang of female pickpockets. Essentially a "moonlight and strudel" confection, Winterachtstraum was perfect escapist entertainment for Magda Schneider's legions of fans.

Flanders, Hispanic Monarchy, 1616. The inhabitants of the small town of Boom are busy organizing the annual local festivities when the arrival of the Duke of Olivares, who rules the country on behalf of the King Philip III of Spain, is announced. While the male citizens cowardly surrender to panic, the brave female citizens decide to become the best hosts the Spaniards can ever meet. (German version of the French film La Kermesse héroïque, 1935.)

For centuries, the water supply of a mountain village has depended on an endangered, wooden water pipe. The young engineer Josi blows a channel in the rock. After initial resistance, the villagers are excited about it. The film was based on a novel by Jakob Christoph Heer.

On the eve of the Russian Revolution, a performance of "Tosca" is taking place at the opera house. The artists and staff are too engrossed in their work to notice the unrest in the streets. The leading roles are played by Marina Marta and René Areno, who are also lovers. However, Marina has another admirer in Captain Alexander von Harbin. When, during the final performance, the insurgent communists suddenly storm the opera house, Alexander seems to be Marina's last hope…

Princess Christine is impelled to be married, and expected to perform at the next Schönbrunn festival. But she takes a break and goes to Vienna instead, where she finds herself sharing a carriage with a young stranger.