Rosen aus dem Süden (1954)

Julien de Costa, a dashing officer in dress uniform, serves as a military attaché for the make-believe microstate of San Maroni. One day, while traveling on the Riviera Express on a delicate mission, he meets the attractive operetta singer Janine Rocca, who tries to persuade him to take part in a little “plot” against her former lover, tenor Sergius Konstantin. Sergius has quite clearly lost interest in Janine, his singing partner in the operetta “Roses of the South.” La Rocca’s plan is to use the smooth-talking officer from a tiny state to make her ex take notice of her again—and, as a result, make him jealous. Janine’s little charade does indeed meet with some success, and Sergius watches with growing displeasure as Janine and Julien flirt away. When the attractive Undersecretary of State Marylin Parker appears, the military attaché’s heart is set aflame too. But the two women threaten to jeopardize de Costa’s mission, the reason for his journey. A particular pair of shoes that both women are determined to wear adds fuel to the fire. But Julien would not be a diplomat if he could not skillfully untangle the complications and misunderstandings that arise. In the end, Janine and Sergius become a couple again, not only in “Roses of the South,” but in real life as well.