Comedian Harmonists is a 1997 German film by Joseph Vilsmaier (Stalingrad).
It is about the German close harmony group Comedian Harmonists. They achieved great success in Germany in the 1920s and 30s, and went through turmoil with the rise of Nazi Germany, as three of the group's members were Jewish.
Tropes:
- Bald of Evil: Julius Streicher, one of the most notorious antisemitic propagandists in the Nazi movement, is completely bald.
- Bittersweet Ending: The Comedian Harmonists disband as the three Jewish members are forced to flee Germany. While the Jewish half and the German half both eventually found new members, neither was ever able to recreate the original group's success. They were almost forgotten by history until a documentary led to a resurgence of interest in their music in The '70s.
- Pet the Dog: Despite his extreme antisemitism, Streicher enjoys the Harmonists. When a group of Nazi brownshirts disrupts a performance, he tells them to shush and later invites the group to perform at his house.
- Villains Out Shopping:
- One Nazi official warns Robert and Harry that having Jewish members is going to cause problems down the line. Once he's done, he giddily takes out their album and asks for their autographs.
- Julius Streicher greatly enjoys the group, to the point that he shuts down a group of brownshirts who try to disrupt the show.
