Der Eiserne Gustav (1958)

Thanks for the memories!

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

"Der eiserne Gustav" is one of the rare movies where we get to see legendary German actor Heinz Rühmann in color. He was in his mid-50s when he starred in this one as the title character, even if he looks considerably older with his white beard. The writer and director is George Hurdalek and it is probably the most known work of his career. The film runs for 100 minutes approximately and stars a couple other successful and prolific actors from the middle of the 20th century here in Germany. Ingrid van Bergen for example is still alive and known today. The film itself came out a little more than a decade after World War II and it will have its 60th anniversary soon. As many other times in Rühmann's later career years, the film has comedic moments, but also works as a drama. It is the story of Heinrich, who has to master all kinds of challenges concerning his professional life as a carriage driver, but also many personal challenges. Things become pretty tough when taxis become more and more popular. I must say after having watched several of Rühmann's films from the 1950s that I was underwhelmed by this movie we have here. I believe it is the strongest part of his career and the reason why I did not like this one here that much is mostly because some other films he made around that time were just superior. It is still obvious that he is having a lot of fun with his character here. It's just that I did not have as much fun watching him and the story here. At times, it just does feel a bit too absurd for my taste and not really authentic. That's why I give it a thumbs-down.

Based on a true event the film shows a coachman taking a journey from Berlin to Paris in 1928. The part of the coachman played by Heinz Rühmann seems to be a repeat of that of the captain in "Der Hauptmann von Köpenick" (1956). The part of the captain was embedded in a good film that had something to say as well; the story of the coachman in this film is more or less the only thing that is on offer and thereby is heavily leaning upon Heinz Rühmann's performance.The scenes may be decently staged (a bit theatrically) and the acting good, Georg Hurdalek never achieved a film with the right atmosphere. From a film like this one would expect an image of the time of Germany (Berlin) and France, but Hurdalek never gives us more than a series of family related events and a summing up in the dialogue of things like the economic crises and the Lindbergh flight without these being a integral part of the premise. Good entertainment though.