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An undisputed master of melodrama, director Douglas Sirk is best known for the lavish, sweeping romances he made during the last decade of his career, including Magnificent Obsession, All That Heaven Allows, Written on the Wind and Imitation of Life. But by the time Sirk – born Hans Detlef Sierck – arrived in Hollywood, he had already made several films in his native Germany. The Masters of Cinema series is honoured to present this collection of Sirk’s earliest films, all of which established a blueprint for his later work: April, April!, The Girl from Marsh Croft (Das Mädchen vom Moorhof)and Pillars of Society (Stützen der Gesellschaft).

In Sirk’s directorial debut – the comedy April, April! – a businessman and shameless social climber, Julius Lampe (Erhard Siedel), is subjected to a cruel April Fools’ Day prank when he is led to believe a noble prince (Albrecht Schoenhals) intends to personally inspect his pasta factory. Then, in Sirk’s first melodrama The Girl from Marsh Croft, farmer Karsten Dittmar (Kurt Fischer-Fehling) falls in love with the disreputable young maid Helga Christmann (Hansi Knoteck) – much to the dismay of his fiancée Gertrud Gerhart (Ellen Frank). Finally, in Pillars of Society, wealthy Norwegian shipbuilder Consul Karsten Bernick (Heinrich George) must face up to a lifetime of corruption and deceit when farmer Johann Tonnessen (Albrecht Schoenhals) returns to Norway after a twenty-year absence and discovers that Bernick has smeared his good name.

Presented alongside Sirk’s shorts Two Greyhounds (Zwei Windhunde), Three Times Before (3 x Ehe)and The Imaginary Invalid (Der eingebildete Kranke), these three features – all released in 1935 – showcase the burgeoning talents of a filmmaker who would go on to become one of the most important figures in the history of Hollywood cinema. Sirk’s early works are presented here on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK from brand-new restorations by the Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau Foundation.

LIMITED EDITION TWO-DISC BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES:

Limited edition of 2000 copies | Limited edition O-Card slipcase featuring new artwork by Scott Saslow | HD presentations from new restorations supplied by the Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau Foundation | Optional English subtitles on all features and shorts | Two Greyhounds (Zwei Windhunde)– 1934 short by Douglas Sirk | Three Times Before (3 x Ehe) [silent version] – 1934 short by Douglas Sirk | Alternate “sound” presentation of Three Times Before (produced at the same time as the “silent version,” unfortunately the original sound reel no longer exists – this version is presented with subtitles) | The Imaginary Invalid (Der eingebildete Kranke)– 1935 short by Douglas Sirk | New audio commentaries on all three featuresby Sirk expert David Melville Wingrove | Magnificent Obsessions – new interview with film historian Sheldon Hall on Sirk’s career from Germany to Hollywood | PLUS: Limited edition collector’s booklet featuring a new extended essay on Sirk’s early works by German cinema expert Tim Bergfelder