Sweetheart of the Gods

Sweetheart of the Gods
Sweetheart of the Gods
Directed by	Gottfried Reinhardt
Written by	George Hurdalek
Produced by	Artur Brauner; Wolf Brauner;
Starring	Ruth Leuwerik; Peter van Eyck; Harry Meyen; Robert Graf;
Cinematography	Göran Strindberg
Edited by	Walter Wischniewsky
Music by	Franz Grothe
Production; company	CCC Film
Distributed by	Bavaria Film
Release date	12 April 1960;
Running time	99 minutes
Country	West Germany
Language	German

Sweetheart of the Gods (German: Liebling der Götter) is a 1960 West German biographical film directed by Gottfried Reinhardt and starring Ruth Leuwerik, Peter van Eyck, and Harry Meyen. The film portrays the life of Renate Müller, a German film actress who died in 1937 in mysterious circumstances. A variety of rumours about Müller's death had developed, but the filmmakers chose to portray it as suicide following Nazi pressure over her relationship with a Jewish diplomat. Following legal objections from Müller's family, the ending was toned down to make her final fate more vague.^[1]

Leuwerik recreates scenes and songs from several of Müller's films. However their star personae were very different, with Müller famous as a girl-next-door while Leuwerik played the role in her more usual refined fashion. Although set in the 1930s, stylistically the film often resembles the late 1950s.^[2] Willy Fritsch, a German star of the 1930s who had acted alongside Müller in two films, appears in a small role.^[3]

It was shot at the Spandau Studios in Berlin with sets designed by the art directors Paul Markwitz and Fritz Maurischat. The film was moderately successful commercially on its release in West Germany.^[4]

Cast

Ruth Leuwerik as Renate Müller
Peter van Eyck as Dr. Hans Simon
Harry Meyen as Volker Hellberg
Robert Graf as Dr. Hertel
Hannelore Schroth as Uschi Gunzel
Leonard Steckel as Furst
Willy Fritsch as Gunzel
Werner Fuetterer as Harry de Cassian
Friedrich Domin as Herr Matthieu
Lia Eibenschütz as Frau Simon
Elsa Wagner as Frau Lengefeld
Willy Krause as Goebbels
Hans W. Hamacher as Minister
Bruno W. Pantel as Juwelier Artinger
Albert Bessler as Ministerialrat
Tilly Lauenstein
Walter Clemens
Eva Maria Brock
Arthur Schilsky
Karin Evans

References

^ Bergfelder, p. 111.
^ Bergfelder, pp. 112–114.
^ Bergfelder, p. 114.
^ Bergfelder, p. 112.

Bibliography

Bergfelder, Tim (2005) [2004]. International Adventures: German Popular Cinema and European Co-Productions in the 1960s. New York: Berghahn Books. ISBN 978-1-57181-539-2.