The Angel With The Trumpet (1950)

In 1888, an Austrian woman (Eileen Herlie) is in love with the heir (Norman Wooland) to the Austrian throne. Unable to marry him, she enters a loveless marriage to the heir (Basil Sydney) of a piano manufacturing firm. Based on the novel by Ernst Lothar and directed by Anthony Bushell (TERROR OF THE TONGS). The film follows Herlie's character through WWI and later the rise of Nazism as it touches on anti-war sentiments, unrequited romance, illness, devotion to family and duty to country. Principally a stage actress in London and New York, Eileen Herlie's film career wasn't extensive. She's probably best known for her Gertrude to two film Hamlets, Laurence Olivier (1948) and Richard Burton (1964) as well as daytime TV audiences for the soap opera ALL MY CHILDREN. This period drama gives her an opportunity to display her talent in a leading role so for that reason alone, the film is welcome. However, the movie itself isn't anything special. The film is notable for being the English language debut of Oskar Werner and Maria Schell as Herlie's son and daughter in law respectively. With John Justin, Wilfrid Hyde White and Olga Edwardes.