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Poster for A Mad Idea

A Mad Idea

1932 · 87 min

A frothy, fast-moving farce of mistaken identities and hotel chaos, light on its feet and easy to enjoy.

Overview
A series of stupid coincidences causes the young Munich painter Paul to convert his uncle's castle into a hotel for four weeks. But he can't complain: business is good and he has plenty of guests. For exmple, there's Theo Muller with his revue troupe. For reasons of "sound", Muller calls himself "Miller", which, of course, causes more confusion. His daughter, the beautiful Evelyn, is confused with Mabel Miller, who has come to the hotel on a mission for her filthy rich father ... namely, to estimate the worth of the castle.

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How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
    Pacing
    brisk, 3 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
    Attention
    easy-watch, 2 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
    Themes
    • identity
    • deception
    • family
    Places
    • single country house
    • countryside
    Era
    contemporary
    Audience
    adult
    Form
    None
    Content intensity
    • Gore none
    • Language none
    • Violence none
    • Sex mild
    All scales, 0 to 10
    Scales, 0 to 10
    ScaleValue0 to 10
    Action2
    Horror0
    Humour6
    Realism6
    Romance4
    Tension3
    Darkness1
    Complexity4
    Emotional weight2

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    Where to watch in the UK

    No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

    Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

    Details

    Genres
    comedy
    Directed by
    Kurt Gerron
    Written by
    Fritz Zeckendorf, Philipp Lothar Mayring
    Starring
    Willy Fritsch, Dorothea Wieck, Max Adalbert, Rosy Barsony, Wilhelm Bendow, Gerda Bunnemann, Aenne Goerling, Harry Halm
    Cinematography
    Konstantin Irmen-Tschet, Werner Bohne
    Runtime
    87 min
    Country
    Switzerland, Germany
    Languages
    German

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