Mother Love

A melodrama about a self-sacrificing mother who, after her husband is struck by lightning, has to raise her three sons and one daughter alone. She buys a small laundry in Vienna and does everything she can to give her children a good life. When one of her employees becomes pregnant by one of her sons, she demands that the two marry. Another son has to leave home after an argument. The third son goes blind. For him, the mother makes her greatest sacrifice: she donates her cornea. Finally, she reconciles with the son who left home and, as a grandmother, can look back on a difficult but fulfilling life.

Directed by Gustav Ucicky, Mother Love leans on a strong ensemble — Käthe Dorsch, Paul Hörbiger, Wolf Albach-Retty — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 1939.