Sonnenstrahl (1933) DVD

Writers:

Pál Fejös,  Adolf Lantz    

Annabella,  Gustav Fröhlich,  Paul Otto       

 

Vienna, at the height of the Great Depression.  Like so many others, Hans has no work, no money, nowhere to live.  Having lost his livelihood as a taxi driver, he decides that the only solution is to kill himself.  But just as he is about to drown himself, he sees a young woman dive into the river, obviously with the same intention.  Without a thought, Hans pulls the woman out of the water and does his best to comfort her.  Her name is Anna and she is only 18, but like Hans she no longer has the strength to go on living.  Hans uses the money given to him by the city’s authorities for rescuing Anna to buy some soap, which he sells at a profit.  He soon has enough money to find Anna a room, although he is still content to sleep on a park bench.  By taking various odd jobs, Hans and Anna soon raise enough money to pay a deposit for a concierge post, although they have to marry to make themselves eligible for the job.  This proves to be another false hope, but they are not disheartened.  Fortune smiles on them once more and Hans finds work as a courier for a bank.  Within no time, he has saved enough money to pay the first instalment on a taxi.  However, disaster strikes yet again, and it looks as if the couple’s dreams will be shattered forever...