"Eine Kleiner Sommermelodie (EKS)" is the third film in what might be called the Berlin trilogy, having been preceded by "Zwei in Einer Grossen Stadt" (1942) and "Ein Schoner Tag" (1944). All three are "boy meets girl" pictures shot primarily in wartime Berlin. By far the weakest of the three, "EKS" was never released, though this was more likely due to the nature of the German military situation, rather than the quality of the film.
Filming took place in the summer of 1943 (in one shot you can see a billboard advertising "Romanze in Moll" which was playing in theaters at the time). The military situation then was no longer favorable but still a long way from hopeless, and Berlin itself was relatively undamaged by bombing. But by the time "EKS" was ready for release, Germany was retreating on all fronts and many of the Berlin neighborhoods shown in the film were smoldering ruins. Recognizing that "Sommermelodie's" time had past, the Propaganda Ministry shelved the picture in August 1944.
The implausible plot follows a musically-inclined unteroffizer played by Curt Jurgens. He meets a girl (the lovely Irene von Meyendorff) and writes a song in her honor and name ("Eva Maria"). The actual tune was written by Norbert Schultze, composer of the legendary "Lili Marlene." The soldier and Eva Maria become separated and it seems they will not meet again, but the song becomes a hit and the lovers are re-united.
Unlike it's two predecessors, "EKS" has some brief, completely idealized scenes at the front. The film also features footage shot at a Wunschkonzert at the Deutsches Rundfunk. In fact the first face you see is Heinz Goedecke, host of the famous radio program. Although I have not been able to verify it, I believe Wunschkonzert was no longer on the air by the summer of 1944, which certainly would have been another reason to shelve the film.
Never shown in its own time and seldom seen today, "Eine Kleiner Sommermelodie" came too late to serve its intended purpose as uplifting Nazi propaganda. In that sense, it is the cinematic equivalent of Hitler's wonder weapons which never left their drawing boards.
Filming took place in the summer of 1943 (in one shot you can see a billboard advertising "Romanze in Moll" which was playing in theaters at the time). The military situation then was no longer favorable but still a long way from hopeless, and Berlin itself was relatively undamaged by bombing. But by the time "EKS" was ready for release, Germany was retreating on all fronts and many of the Berlin neighborhoods shown in the film were smoldering ruins. Recognizing that "Sommermelodie's" time had past, the Propaganda Ministry shelved the picture in August 1944.
The implausible plot follows a musically-inclined unteroffizer played by Curt Jurgens. He meets a girl (the lovely Irene von Meyendorff) and writes a song in her honor and name ("Eva Maria"). The actual tune was written by Norbert Schultze, composer of the legendary "Lili Marlene." The soldier and Eva Maria become separated and it seems they will not meet again, but the song becomes a hit and the lovers are re-united.
Unlike it's two predecessors, "EKS" has some brief, completely idealized scenes at the front. The film also features footage shot at a Wunschkonzert at the Deutsches Rundfunk. In fact the first face you see is Heinz Goedecke, host of the famous radio program. Although I have not been able to verify it, I believe Wunschkonzert was no longer on the air by the summer of 1944, which certainly would have been another reason to shelve the film.
Never shown in its own time and seldom seen today, "Eine Kleiner Sommermelodie" came too late to serve its intended purpose as uplifting Nazi propaganda. In that sense, it is the cinematic equivalent of Hitler's wonder weapons which never left their drawing boards.