Those people interested in the topic of a rotten spinster are advised to watch the splendid Heidelinde Weis in Henry James' "Washington Square" TV- adaption from 1982 ("The Heiress"). In contrast to that, Fritzi Haberlandt's Henriette is nothing but a totally flat character tumbling from one uninteresting episode to the next in her high-heeled boots without giving her the slightest feature of credibility. Suzanne von Borsody or Susanne Lothar at that age would have been able to give the character some traces of mystery or sympathy in her unsuccessful attempts to find love and recognition, but Haberlandt's play makes the viewer wish that not poor Felix gets knocked down at the end, but the leading lady herself. Schweighöfer is much more convincing - although he never says a word. So what was this film all about? Much ado about nothing: you waste 90 minutes watching an unpleasant protagonist ending exactly where she started. And if you ask me: she really deserves to remain a rotten spinster.
Review of An Old Maid
