Die Grausame Freundin was one of the last cinematic collaborations between director Carl Lamac and his actress-wife Anny Ondra. The title translates as The Cruel Girl Friend, a description that really doesn't fit the winsome heroine. But to keep her boyfriend in line, Ondra pretends to be a shrewish shrike, and the strategy works beautifully. By 1932, films like Die Grausame Freundin were a dime a dozen, but German audiences continued to eat them up. Within a few years, the "cruel girlfriend" would be the "cruel ex-wife" when Anny Ondra left Carl Lamac and married heavyweight boxing champion Max Schmeling. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi