Professor Mauthner, after many years of exile (having emigrated in 1933 to the USA), returns to Germany in 1948. He can in fact return to his teaching post, but the rejection and petty intrigues of his reactionary colleagues and students make his work almost unbearable.

Wanting a lavish production to mark the 25th anniversary of UFA, the German film studio, Joseph Goebbels, director of the Nazi propaganda machine, commissioned an adaptation of Baron von Münchhausen‘s “autobiographical” stories. Baron von Münchhausen (1720-97) was an eccentric figure in European history, whose tall tales about his adventures rival anything to be found in the legends of Paul Bunyan or classic figures like Odysseus. This film recounts some of the episodes from the Baron’s sensational stories, which are set in the world of the 18th century.

The Weird Countess can easily stand in line with the best film noir masterpieces. It builds a nightmarish mood up to the point when the viewer is sickened by not knowing what exactly is going on. It's structurally very well crafted and employs some very good actors - such as the legends of German cinema Marianne Hoppe and Lil Dagover, breathtakingly beautiful at 74. There's also the very young Klaus Kinski, giving a performance you wouldn't want to miss.