The Emperor Waltz (1948)

6.0Approved106 minDirector: Billy Wilder

1948 film by Charles Brackett, Billy Wilder

The Emperor Waltz (German: Ich küsse Ihre Hand, Madame) is a 1948 American musical film directed by Billy Wilder, and starring Bing Crosby and Joan Fontaine. Written by Wilder and Charles Brackett, the film is about a brash American gramophone salesman in Austria at the turn of the twentieth century who tries to convince Emperor Franz Joseph to buy a gramophone so the product will gain favor with the Austrian people. The Emperor Waltz was inspired by a real-life incident involving Franz Joseph I of Austria. Filmed in Jasper National Park in Canada, the picture premiered in London, Los Angeles, and New York in the spring of 1948, and was officially released in the United States July 2, 1948. In 1949, the film received Academy Award nominations for Best Costume Design and Best Music, as well as a Writers Guild of America Award nomination for Best Written American Musical.

Plot summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

FAQ

What is The Emperor Waltz about?
The Emperor Waltz (1948) — Traveling Salesman Virgil Smith wants to sell his Grammophones in pre-WWI Austria. To enhance this, he especially wants to sell one to Emperor Franz Joseph, but at first the Austrian palace guards think he is carrying a bomb. He meets the Countess Johanna von Stolzenberg-Stolzenb
Is The Emperor Waltz based on a true story?
See the production background and source material details on the official Wikipedia article.
Is The Emperor Waltz scary?
Content rating: Approved. See the reviews tab for parental guidance and tone notes.