Lehar's The Land of Smiles touches the heart as it provides unforgetable melodies from start to finish. There are no weak links in the cast. Too often, we think of operetta as musical fluff, tired cliches, and obligatory dance scenes when things start slowing down. Not so in this classic operetta. We feel the pain of loss suffered by the two main characters, who make their roles natural and believable. There is more to this work than "Yours Is My Heart Alone." There is dramatic consistency and people you find yourself caring about as much as the music, the costumes, and the colorful sets.
Because the soulful county doctor in a small spa town in the mountains has interfered with the business of selling "healing waters", he incurs the enmity of the local shopkeepers. And for that reason, his candidacy for the post of District Medical Officer is thwarted.
Endstation offers the American viewer tantalizing glimpses of busy, bustling mid-1930s Vienna. Otherwise, this minor yarn of an amorous streetcar conductor is strictly formula material. The film benefits from the star power of Paul Horbiger, resplendently garbed in an elaborate conductor's uniform. Also worth noting is the performance of Maria Andergest as the woebegone hatmaker whose fate is inextricably linked with hero Horbiger. Incidentally though the direction is credited with one E. W. Emo, Paul Horbiger actually called most of the shots on Endstation.
