LIEBLINGE DES FILMS (SAMMLUNG)
23/01/2026
Austria Tabakwerke AG - VIENNA (1941)
GALLERY
“Lieblinge des Films”
The album "Lieblinge des Films," published in Austria around 1941, was the last major film album released before the end of World War II. Produced by Austria Tabakwerke AG of Vienna, it contained 250 black-and-white stickers featuring German and Austrian film stars of the time, distributed as inserts in cigarette packs. One immediately noticeable feature is the complete absence of Hollywood stars. This choice was no coincidence: in the summer of 1940, all American films were withdrawn from circulation in Germany and Austria, following directives from the Reich Propaganda Ministry. As a result, the film market in the German-speaking world was isolated from international cinema, leaving room exclusively for local actors and productions. The album perfectly reflects this cultural and political climate: no American stars are featured; Instead, the most important names in German and Austrian cinema of the period appear, such as Paula Wessely, Hans Moser, Zarah Leander, Emil Jannings, Marika Rökk, Willy Fritsch, and many others; some stickers refer to films released in 1941, confirming the set's dating. For this reason, Lieblinge des Films is considered by scholars and collectors to be the last film album published before 1945, a precious document that bears witness to the cultural closure imposed by the regime and the transformation of the film industry into a propaganda tool.