Die kluge Marianne is an elegant and funny comedy of errors, a story that might seem anachronistic today, but, at the same time, a true declaration of love to women. A film that, even many years after it was made, is perfectly capable of filling viewers’ hearts with joy and optimism.
Perfectly in line with the Austrian cinema of the time, Freunde stages a sentimental drama, in which, however, there is no reference to the war that had just ended. The story of the three protagonists is set in the 1940s, but could take place in any historical period.
Spring on Ice, alongside a rather simple and linear screenplay, sees a mise-en-scène that is predominantly theatrical, but also extremely spectacular, colourful and lively, within which elegant figures move in front of the camera, in a series of carefully choreographed performances that successfully create a balanced mixture of modern dance and Viennese waltz.
It is not surprising that a feature film like 1. April 2000 (a fine fantapolitical satire directed by Wolfgang Liebeneiner) was made precisely in 1952, seven years after the end of the world war and only three years before the Austrian State Treaty by which, among other things, the nation’s neutrality was officially proclaimed.