Lili Marleen (film) Lili Marleen (film) Lili Marleen is a 1981 West German drama film directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder and starring Hanna Schygulla. The screenplay was produced using the autobiographical novel "Der Himmel hat viele Farben" ("The Heavens Have Many Colors") by Lale Andersen. However, according to Lale Andersen's last husband, Arthur Beul, the film's plot bore little relation to her real life. The film is set during the Third Reich and is about the forbidden love between the German singer Willie (Hanna Schygulla) and the Swiss Jewish composer Robert Mendelssohn (a character based on Rolf Liebermann), who actively seeks to help
Mel Ferrer in "Ondine" (1954) on Broadway and later got married. Ferrer went to Italy to make "Proibito" (1954) and England for "Oh... Rosalinda!!" (1955), directed by Powell and Pressburger. Neither film was widely seen, but "War and Peace" (1956) was a big success; Ferrer played Prince Andrei, co-starring with his then-wife, Audrey Hepburn. In France he supported Ingrid Bergman in "Elena and Her Men" (1956) directed by Jean Renoir. Ferrer and Hepburn made "Mayerling" (1957) for American television; it was released theatrically in some countries. Ferrer returned to MGM to make "The Vintage" (1957) with Pier Angeli which was a big