The Bat

Overview
Cast & Crew
Production House
The Plot

The delightful Johann Strauss comic opera Die Fledermaus was mercilessly lampooned in this truly bizarre production. For starters, a framing device has been added: After appearing in 300 consecutive appearances of Fledermaus (which translates as The Bat) the lead tenor (Georg Alexander) imagines that he's seeing bats everywhere. Driven a bit over the edge by all this, he falls asleep and has a nightmare about the opera, with a group of non-singers cast in the leading roles. The original libretto about romantic assignations, political imprisonments and mistaken identity is burlesqued to the hilt: at one point, the hero finds out that his prison cell is surrounded by rubber tubes!

Run Time

1h 43m

Original Title

Die Fledermaus

Genre

Comedy

Country

Germany

Language

German

🎟️
Official Release Date

October 30, 1937

Available Via

Theatrical Release

Imagoton
Tobis Filmkunst
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