Das fidele Gefängnis

Where is Alex? Alice von Reizenstein searches in vain for her husband until she finally discovers him drunk under his desk. Soon after, the postman brings the couple good and bad news.

The good news is that Prince Zsbrschowsky has invited them to a masked ball. The bad news is that Alex is going to jail for disturbing the peace at night. Alice is furious, but with a few banknotes for a new hat, Alex reconciles her. During the fitting, a gallant gentleman notices Alice and follows her around town. The chase ends with the gentleman invited to tea at the Reizenstein House. When the prison warden arrives at Reizenstein's to arrest Alex, the gallant gentleman stands in for her husband so as not to compromise Alice as a flirtatious wife. But that's just the beginning of a series of mistaken identities and entanglements: At the prince's masquerade ball, both Alice and Alex slip into many roles to tease the other guests under the cover of anonymity.

Ernst Lubitsch's loose adaptation of Johann Strauss's operetta "Die Fledermaus" is an example of the shallow cinema entertainment that became increasingly popular with audiences as the First World War progressed.

Source: Bundesarchiv