Situation Hopeless... But Not Serious

Situation Hopeless... But Not Serious
Directed by	Gottfried Reinhardt
Written by	Robert Shaw (novel) Jan Lustig Silvia Reinhardt
Produced by	Gottfried Reinhardt
Starring	Alec Guinness Mike Connors Robert Redford Paul Dahlke
Cinematography	Kurt Hasse
Edited by	Walter Boos
Music by	Harold Byrne Leon Carr
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date	October 13, 1965 (1965-10-13)
Running time	97 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Situation Hopeless... But Not Serious is a 1965 oddball comedy film shot in black and white directed by Gottfried Reinhardt and starring Alec Guinness, Mike Connors and Robert Redford. It is based on the 1960 novel The Hiding Place by Robert Shaw.

The title is a derived from an old Viennese saying, "The situation is desperate but not serious."

Plot

On 27 November 1944, during World War II, two American fliers, Captain Hank Wilson and Sergeant Lucky Finder, are forced to bail out over Germany. The film begins with them parachuting to the ground. They land in the small town of Altheim. In Altheim, Wilhelm Frick reads his horoscope and it says an exciting change will happen today.

In town they hide in Frick's cellar. He initially locks them in and is going to inform the authorities when one claims German descent and he softens. They sing German songs together. Frick decides to hide them from the authorities. He leaves them locked there and goes to his job as the pharmacist's assistant at Droggerie Neusel. His boss listens to the radio regarding the Allied advance: the Germans have lost Aachen ... the end of the war is close. We see American troops marching through Altheim outside Frick's work.

The two Americans (Finder and Wilson) share the cellar with Frick's cats. They get hobbles: one sketching cartoons the other does metalwork. The latter enables him to make a lockpick and they unlock themselves just as Frick returns. Finder has Frick's gun and turns it on him. They debate what will happen if they leave. He convinces them to stay. To ensure they stay he puts them in shackles while they sleep. He tells them they must stay until the end of the war. He gives them the key to unlock themselves.

he brings them a very pretty little Christmas tree. The story then jumps to VE Day (May 1945) with Frick listening to the radio announcement regarding the end of the war.

The two have to reshackle themselves when Frick brings them food. On VE Day he brings a large bottle of 10 year old Swiss kirsch and is about to tell them the news. By the third tumbler of kirsch Frick is spilling as he pours and all are singing. Frick offers to give them cushions, books... and sunshine.

He enjoys their company so much that he does not inform them when the war ends. Instead, he maintains a masquerade to convince his "guests" that Germany is still fighting. Eventually, after seven years, they escape into a peaceful West Germany and find out the truth.

Cast

• Alec Guinness as Wilhelm Frick
• Mike Connors as Sgt. Lucky Finder
• Robert Redford as Captain Hank Wilson
• Paul Dahlke as Herr Neusel
• Frank Wolff as Quartermaster Sergeant
• Anita Höfer as Edeltraud
• Mady Rahl as Lissie
• Elisabeth von Molo as Wanda
• John Briley as Sergeant (uncredited)
• Carola Regnier as Senta (uncredited)

See also

• List of American films of 1965
• Wake Me When the War Is Over, a 1969 TV film with a similar plot

External links

• Situation Hopeless... But Not Serious at IMDb
• Situation Hopeless... But Not Serious at the TCM Movie Database