The Land of Smiles

The Land of Smiles

100 mins | Music | Sept. 27, 1974

Lehar's The Land of Smiles touches the heart as it provides unforgetable melodies from start to finish. There are no weak links in the cast. Too often, we think of operetta as musical fluff, tired cliches, and obligatory dance scenes when things start slowing down. Not so in this classic operetta. We feel the pain of loss suffered by the two main characters, who make their roles natural and believable. There is more to this work than "Yours Is My Heart Alone." There is dramatic consistency and people you find yourself caring about as much as the music, the costumes, and the colorful sets.

The Land of Smiles

100 mins | Music | Sept. 27, 1974

The Land of Smiles
Lehar's The Land of Smiles touches the heart as it provides unforgetable melodies from start to finish. There are no weak links in the cast. Too often, we think of operetta as musical fluff, tired cliches, and obligatory dance scenes when things start slowing down. Not so in this classic operetta. We feel the pain of loss suffered by the two main characters, who make their roles natural and believable. There is more to this work than "Yours Is My Heart Alone." There is dramatic consistency and people you find yourself caring about as much as the music, the costumes, and the colorful sets.
Producers Deutsche Grammophon, Unitel
Original title Das Land des Lächelns
Directors Ingeborg Till, Arthur Maria Rabenalt
Writers Arthur Maria Rabenalt

Cast

Birgit Sarata

as Lisa

René Kollo

as Prinz Sou-Chong

Heinz Zednik

as Graf Gustav von Pottenstein

Gerd Frickhöffer

as Tschang

Teh Wei Ma

as Lu-Li

Henry Georgy

as General

Betty Sedlmayr

as Generalin

Fred Liewehr

as Graf Lichtenfels

Herbert Prikopa

as Lin-Po