(from the novel Je ne suis pas une héroïne

also known as Der Abend in der Oper by Noëlle Henry)

Rôle: Colonel Günther von Hohensee

Release Date: 18 April 1952

Synopsis: In Belgium, during World War II, a young music student and her mother are the only ones left of a large family, the men having all been lost in the war against Germany. Their château is partially taken over by the German Military Commandant. The girl, Nicole, has an intense hatred for the Germans and tells the Commandant, Colonel von Hohensee, so. When they discover they have a mutual interest in music, especially the piano, they come to know each other better and fall in love. They know it is an impossible situation - especially the girl who is forced by the underground to steal documents and information from him - and realise their romance can only end in tragedy.

Comment: The working title of the film was 'Sunset at Morning' (see Picturegoer article of 26 May 1951 below). The film was made at Elstree studios but a unit went out to Belgium to film various outdoor scenes. The film unit based themselves in the town of Léau, a small town with a population of 2,000 about 45 miles east of Brussels. Some of the scenes were at the Château de Sterrebeek, just outside Brussels, which stood in for the Château de Malvines in the film. The Château de Sterrebeek, built in 1761 by Jean-Antoine Ories in a classicist style was rebuilt in 1908 by Maurice Despret in a neoclassical style. The castle and the gatehouse are protected as a monument and the entire park protected as a landscape in 1958.

Château de Sterrebeek/Kasteel van Sterrebeek today

Maria Schell & Marius Goring in publicity photo for So Little Time 1952

Director Compton Bennett, Maria Schell & Marius Goring behind-the-scenes filming So Little Time 1952. Photo in Der Spiegel 29 May 1951

Marius, Maria and John Bailey in So Little Time 1952

Maria Schell presenting Marius Goring with a birthday cake while filming So Little Time May 1951. Photo in Der Spiegel 29 May 1951

Maria Schell & Marius Goring behind the scenes filming So Little Time 1951

Marius Goring behind the scenes filming So Little Time 1951

Compton Bennett, Lucie Mannheim & Marius Goring behind the scenes filming So Little Time June 1951

Oscar Quitak & Marius Goring behind the scenes filming So Little Time in Leau Belgium August 1951

Marius Goring in uniform stands behind the camera with director Compton Bennett in front of him on the dolly at the side of the camera. Leau Belgium August 1951

Marius Goring & Maria Schell in behind-the-scenes photo from So Little Time 1952

Behind the scenes photos of filming in England and Belgium

Marius Goring said that other than the Powell and Pressburger films, this one was his favourite."A touching little film," said Goring, "my favourite apart from the Powell films. Maria Schell was beautiful and extremely good. It was too soon after the war and people thought every German was a horror...its timing was wrong. A year later, and it would have been all right".

Availability: DVD (Network) Release Date: 9 November 2015.

Background: I was able recently (December 2020) to obtain a 1954 edition in German of the book upon which this film is based, under the title ‘Der Abend in der Oper'. The Swiss author, Noëlle Henry wrote this novel in 1937. But it was not published until 1942, and several editions were out of print in Switzerland in quick succession. Due to the circumstances, the book remained virtually unknown in Germany.

A few changes were made from the novel to the film version. It was set in WWI not WWII and in France not Belgium. Nicole’s name in the book is Erica de Bois-Dauphin, Günther’s first name is Dietrich and he is a major, not a colonel. Gerard’s name was originally Olivier and the housekeeper is called Céline. The character of cousin Philipe is Nicole/Erica’s uncle Gilles.

It took a few days to translate but it was well worth the effort. Beautifully written and very touching.

Decorations worn by Marius Goring as Colonel von Hohensee

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub) on a ribbon around his neck

Silver Wound Badge (Verwundetenabzeichen in Silber) on the lower left breast of his uniform tunic

On the Ribbon Bar - the medals run from left to right

1. Eastern Front Campaign Medal (Medaille Winterschlacht im Osten 1941/42)

2. West Wall Medal (Deutsches Schutzwall-Ehrenzeichen)

3. Sudetenland Medal (Die Medaille zur Erinnerung an den 1. Oktober 1938)

4. War Merit Medal (Kriegsverdienstmedaille)

Thanks to Michael from eMedals for identifying the medals on the ribbon bar

Colonel von Hohensee gives Nicole a piano lesson

So Little Time article in Picturegoer 26 May 1951

So Little Time article in Picturegoer 18 August 1951

Reviews: From an excellent review on IMDb by australiafelix: "So...on one level, So Little Time is about a profoundly ethical question: is it treason to love one's enemy during war? On another, it is about the most fatal kind of fatal romance: when enemies fall in love. Both parties know it will end badly, but...the heart wants what the heart wants. Was it Plato who said love is a kind of madness? For that reason Schell and Goring are compelling and believable as Nicole and Günther - particularly Goring, who struggles with his feelings for Nicole. The film also makes it clear that like many Wehrmacht German officers at that time, Günther perceives himself as a professional soldier, not a Nazi. We realise this in the final scene".

So Little Time review by Freda Bruce Lockhart in The Tatler 30 April 1952

So Little Time review by Bosley Crowther in The New York Times 28 July 1953

So Little Time review by Mae Tinée in the Chicago Tribune (Chicago, Illinois) 10 November

So Little Time review in the Montrose Standard 18 December 1952

So Little Time review in The Times 21 April 1952

So Little Time review by Marjory Adams in The Boston Globe 27 March 1956

So Little Time review by Kate Cameron in the Daily News New York 28 July 1953

So Little Time review by C.A. Lejeune in The Observer 20 April 1952

So Little Time review by Henry Ward in The Pittsburgh Press 3 July 1954

So Little Time review by Campbell Dixon in The Daily Telegraph 21 April 1952

So Little Time review in the Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette 7 June 1952

So Little Time cinema advert in The Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, California) 20 November 1953

So Little Time article in The Tatler 1 August 1951

Maria Schell & Marius Goring in So Little Time 1952

Marius Goring & Maria Schell in So Little Time 1952

Marius Goring and Maria Schell in So Little Time 1952

So Little Time German Film Programme Front Page

So Little Time German Film Programme Middle Pages

So Little Time German Film Programme Back Page

When the heart speaks... (So Little Time)

A Mayflower production by Associated British Ltd.

Book: John Cresswell

Produced by Aubrey Baring and Maxwell Setton

Director: Compton Bennett

Production Manager: E.M. Smedley-Aston

The actors and their German speakers:

Nicole - Maria Schell - Maria Schell

Colonel Hohensee - Marius Goring - Hans Nielsen

Lotte Schönberg - Lucie Mannheim - Hilde Heinrich

Madame de Malvines - Gabrielle Dorziat - Elly Burgmer

Anna - Barbara Mullen - Erna Nitter

Philipe de Malvines - John Bailey - Wolfgang Schwartz

Baumann - David Hurst - Claus Dieter Bove

Professor Perronet - Stanley van Beers - Joseph Offenbach

Gerard - Oscar Quitak - Alfred Lux

Paulette - Andree Melly - Ilse Zielstorff

German version: Rhythmoton-Production, Hamburg - Director: Werner Malbran

Madame de Malvines and her daughter Nicole live in a Belgian castle. During the German occupation, part of their property was taken over by the town's local commandant, Colonel Hohensee. He knows that the population, like everywhere else, is suffering from the effects of the war and tries as far as possible to properly alleviate their situation. One night, when Madame de Malvines has a violent heart attack, he immediately orders a German military doctor to come to the castle. The quick help saves the patient's life and Nicole, who hates the enemy, is forced to thank him. The young countess is extraordinarily musical. But Colonel Hohensee also loves music. His masterly playing arouses her admiration. Both discover their common love for music. From the first moment Nicole fought the enemy invader, but now she has to admit that she's starting to love him. Hohensee also loves Nicole.

A cousin of Nicole, Philipe de Malvines, is a member of the Belgian resistance movement. After escaping under a false name, he has secretly returned to the city and asks Nicole to provide him with valuable military documents from Hohensee's desk. Her lover senses that Nicole is playing a part in the conspiracy. During a heated argument between the two, Philipe, captured by the Germans, is brought in. Hohensee recognises him as Nicole's cousin and orders him to be taken to the headquarters for interrogation. He himself follows in his car. On the way, Philipe is freed by the resistance fighters. They want to take care of Hohensee now. Nicole knows about it and fears for the life of her lover. She runs after the car and insists that he give her a lift. On a lonely forest path, Philipe fires from an ambush. The bullet intended for Hohensee hits Nicole. She dies in Hohensee's arms.