Adjutant to His Highness: A period drama that’s mostly just grumpy people in uniforms

Is it worth the time?

If you have a thing for old Habsburg-era costumes and long, meaningful glances across a room, you might find something to love here. But if you need a fast-paced plot or someone actually saying what they mean, you’re probably going to hate it. It’s definitely a niche watch.

The whole thing kicks off with Patera making a mess of his social life. Being an adjutant in that world sounds like a nightmare of etiquette, honestly. I found myself checking my watch during the middle stretch, but then a random bit of local color in the garrison scenes kept me hooked.

The vibe

There is this one scene—I think it’s halfway through—where the lighting just gets incredibly moody for no real reason. The actors are standing around, and nobody is saying anything, but the texture of the film really does the heavy lifting. It reminded me a bit of the quiet, dusty atmosphere in Home, where the silence feels heavier than the dialogue.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Adjutant to His Highness (1933) through its definitive frames.

Vlasta Burian shows up and he’s clearly having more fun than anyone else on screen. It is a bit jarring compared to the stiff, serious performances surrounding him. You can almost see the other actors trying to maintain their composure while he’s just doing his own thing.

• The uniforms look itchy. Like, really itchy.
• The garrison sets feel surprisingly real, like you can smell the damp walls.
• Some of the reaction shots last about five seconds too long, which gets weirdly funny if you think about it.

It’s not trying to be a masterpiece. It feels like a project that was just trying to get the job done, and there is something kind of charming about that. It isn't as punchy as Anna Christie, but it’s got its own strange, slow rhythm.

Honestly? The movie gets better once the main character stops whining and starts dealing with the isolation. There is a moment where he’s just looking out a window, and you realize the film actually gets what it's like to be bored out of your mind in the middle of nowhere. 🙄

Anyway, it’s not for everyone. But if you’re bored on a rainy Sunday, it’s a decent enough time-passer.