Der Kongress Tanzt (aka Congress Dances) (1931)

A shopkeeper (Lillian Harvey) promotes her wares by ambushing world leaders with floral bouquets. When she tosses the bouquet at a visiting Russian Czar (Willy Fritsch), the bouquet is mistaken for a bomb and she is arrested. Directed by Erik Charell (WHITE HORSE INN), this semi musical has been compared to the early musical films of Ernst Lubitsch (THE SMILING LIEUTENANT) and Rouben Mamoulian (LOVE ME TONIGHT). I think the comparisons are pushing it because it lacks the wit and airiness of those two fine movies. While the film has its moments (Akira Kurosawa was one of its admirers), I found it on the dull side and even a bit heavy handed (in the Teutonic sense). Lillian Harvey is rather sweet in a colorless way but I really liked Willy Fritsch who plays two roles, the visiting Czar and his doppelganger who the Czar uses as his stand in when he doesn't want to attend any functions. I was an hour into the film before I realized Fritsch was playing both parts! With Conrad Veidt, Alfred Abel and Lil Dagover.