Liebelei

Gründgens had already appeared on stage in Schnitzler's work in 1923, but the character of the play was expanded for the film: Baron von Eggersdorf is a disciplined aristocrat whose wife prefers to have fun with Lieutenant Fritz. The betrayed man demands a duel ... Gründgens' harsh facial expressions and strict posture express all conservatism; liberation from social conventions is unthinkable. Not a villain, and yet the film's unsympathetic character. LIEBELEI is Gründgens' last film, made during the Weimar Republic. Premiered in Vienna, it was released in German cinemas after the National Socialists came to power. Gründgens made a career for himself in Germany, the Jewish director Max Ophüls emigrated and screenwriter Curt Alexander died in Flossenbürg concentration camp in 1945.