Artisten (1935): A circus stunt-show that refuses to stay in the ring

Is it worth your time?

If you have a thing for black-and-white German cinema from the thirties, Artisten is a decent way to kill an hour or so. You should watch it if you like practical stunts that look genuinely dangerous because they actually were. Avoid it if you need a coherent, fast-paced plot or if old-fashioned dialogue makes you want to check your phone every five minutes.

Harry Piel is essentially the guy who made the "stunt movie" what it was before everything went digital and boring. He’s all over the screen, climbing things he probably shouldn't be climbing. There is this one sequence near the middle that feels like it was filmed just to prove he wasn't using a double. It lasts forever, and I respect that level of stubbornness.

The plot? Well, it’s a circus thing. There’s a mystery, some shady characters, and enough melodrama to fill a bathtub. It reminded me a bit of the pacing issues I had watching Barcarole, where things just sort of happen until they don't anymore.

• The circus tent lighting is surprisingly moody for 1935.
• The dialogue is stiff, but the physical acting is loud and expressive.
• I swear the background music loops every thirty seconds.

There is this moment where a character is trying to deliver a really serious line of dialogue, and you can clearly see a stagehand shifting around in the back. It’s the kind of imperfection that makes me like this movie more than I probably should. It feels like a living thing, not a product.

The chemistry between Piel and Susi Lanner is… fine? It’s not exactly Man spielt nicht mit der Liebe, but it gets the job done. Sometimes it feels like they’re acting in two different movies that just happened to be filmed on the same lot. 🎪

Ultimately, Artisten is just a bunch of scenes held together by sheer willpower and a lot of sawdust. It isn't trying to change the world, and honestly, that’s a relief. It’s just a man jumping off things while people watch. Sometimes, that’s enough.