The House in Montevideo

A stuffy, rule-following professor gets an unexpected inheritance from his scandalous sister: a house in Montevideo and a sum of money, but there is a catch, he has to behave shamefully to claim it. The film follows his reluctant attempts to act out of character, as family expectations, social reputation, and his own moral compass clash with the absurd conditions attached to the windfall. Comic situations pile up as he tries half-hearted mischief and encounters colorful locals, while his home life and position as a respected academic make every small transgression feel enormous. The tone stays light, leaning on character-based humor and situational irony rather than broad slapstick.

Helmut Käutner directed this 1963 screen version of Curt Goetz's work, with Heinz Rühmann leading a strong cast that includes Ruth Leuwerik, Paul Dahlke, Hanne Wieder, and Viktor de Kowa. The movie adapts Goetz's wit for the screen and was produced in West Germany during an era when stage-to-film translations were common.

Critics generally enjoyed the performances, especially Rühmann's knack for mixing dignity with awkwardness, and they noted Käutner's steady pacing and respect for Goetz's satirical tone. Modern viewers tend to rate it moderately, appreciating the period charm and the social comedy, while some feel the pacing reflects its stage origins more than cinematic invention.

The film helped keep Curt Goetz's sharp, ironic voice visible to a wider audience after the success of his plays. Certain scenes, like the professor's tentative attempts at impropriety and the contrast between German propriety and exoticized Montevideo, stuck in the memory of fans and have kept the film in retrospectives of 1960s German comedy.

It wasn't a big awards contender on the international stage, though contemporary press praised the cast and direction. Actors, especially Rühmann, received positive notices for their timing and nuance, and the movie is often mentioned when discussing successful adaptations of German theatrical comedy from that period.