In the White Horse Inn

Ralf Benatzkys immensely popular operetta Im weissen Rossl premiered in Germany in 1930, followed by London the following year and Paris in the latter half of the decade. It made it to the US where it played under another name on the Great White Way. This echt-Austrian work had first been popularized as a play shortly before the turn of the 20th c. This 2008 staging was celebrated as a reference performance for future attempts. Directed by Rolf Langenfass and conducted by Rudolf Bibl, the cast includes Harald Serafin as the Austro-Hungarian head-of-state Kaiser Franz Joseph II.

Directed by Harald Serafin, Rolf Langenfass, In the White Horse Inn leans on a strong ensemble — Harald Serafin, Rainhard Fendrich, Zabine — 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 screen titles of 2008.