Der Graf von Luxemburg (1957)

René, the titular Count of Luxembourg, is as charming a womanizer as he is utterly penniless. His excessively extravagant lifestyle has left him destitute, and the bailiffs are already on his trail. To escape the unpleasant commotion, René takes refuge with his friend, the artist Brissard, and Brissard’s model. Under the pseudonym René Duval, he intends to start a new life. One day, after René gallantly comes to her aid, the singer Angèle gives him the lucrative commission of painting her in Brissard’s studio. René is in a difficult spot, since he is certainly no artist. With the help of his friend Brissard, who secretly paints the singer from behind a curtain in René’s place, the portrait is completed after all. During their many sittings, Angèle begins to fall in love with René. Even before this, the portly and not particularly handsome Prince Basil Basilowitsch had fallen in love with Angèle. He would like to marry her, but unfortunately she is of low birth. His father stipulated in his will that Basil must marry his old sweetheart, the hereditary Countess of Luxembourg, or lose his title. Then Boris’s niece, Sophia Laurentia, has a brilliant idea: Angèle must be made socially acceptable and her background improved. A penniless Count of Luxembourg is just what they need! René receives the immoral proposition of marrying Angèle in name only, in order to make her a Countess of Luxembourg. Soon, in all the ensuing confusion, events begin to move rapidly, until at last all the misunderstandings are cleared up and new couples have formed. At a reception in honor of Grand Duke Michail Michailowitsch, Basil gets a wife in Caroline, the real Countess of Luxembourg, in accordance with the will and without any trickery; René and his Angèle get together, and Brissard and his model also become a couple.