| Life Begins at Eight | |
| Director: | Michael Kehlmann |
| Producer: | Utz Utermann |
| Starring: | O.E. Hasse Johanna Matz Helmut Wildt |
| Music: | Peter Sandloff |
| Cinematography: | Kurt Hasse |
| Editing: | Gertrud Hinz-Nischwitz |
| Studio: | UFA |
| Distributor: | UFA |
| Runtime: | 100 minutes |
| Country: | West Germany |
| Language: | German |
Life Begins at Eight (German: Das Leben beginnt um acht) is a 1962 West German drama film directed by Michael Kehlmann and starring O.E. Hasse, Johanna Matz and Helmut Wildt.[1] It is an adaptation of the 1940 play The Light of Heart by Emlyn Williams, previously adapted into a 1942 Hollywood film Life Begins at Eight-Thirty.[2] The action is moved from the play's setting of London to Berlin.
The film's sets were designed by the art directors Hans Berthel and Johannes Ott. Completed in late 1961, it premiered at the Marmorhaus in Berlin early in the New Year.
A former stage star, struggling with the decline of his career and a drinking problem, lives with his daughter Cattrin. A young composer falls in love with her and manages to secure her father some work. However his demons ultimately overwhelm him and he commits suicide, freeing his daughter to live her own life.