Das Lied einer Nacht Review: Silly, Sweet, and Very Loud

If you are looking for something deep or artistic, you should probably look elsewhere. Das Lied einer Nacht is pure, sugary escapism from 1932 that will only appeal to people who love lighthearted vintage comedies. If you hate opera singing or silly identity-swap plots, you will absolutely despize this.

The story is incredibly simple. Enrico Ferraro, a famous opera singer played by Jan Kiepura, gets totally exhausted by his crazy schedule and runs away to Switzerland. 🇨🇭

To get some peace, he decides to swap identities with his secretary. Naturally, this leads to a bunch of ridiculous situations where people don't recognize him, which makes zero sense because he is supposed to be world-famous.

But logic doesn't really matter in a movie like this. It is all about the vibes and the music.

Jan Kiepura has so much energy it is almost scary. He smiles so wide in every single scene that I felt like my own face was starting to hurt just watching him.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Das Lied einer Nacht (1932) through its definitive frames.

His voice is incredible, though. There is a great scene where he sings from a boat on a lake to the lovely Magda Schneider, and it is just so sweet you can't help but grin. 🎶

Schneider is wonderfully charming here. She has this natural warmth that makes the silly romance actually feel kinda real.

The film reminds me a bit of other early comedies of the era, like Only a Husband, where the plot is just an excuse for people to get into harmless trouble. It doesn't try to be anything more than a crowd-pleaser.

Also, Otto Wallburg as the manager is a total blast to watch. He has this frantic, sweaty energy that kept me chuckling even when the jokes fell flat.

Sometimes the audio is a bit rough and scratchy, but that is just the charm of 1930s cinema. At one point, the music gets so loud it completely drowns out what the characters are saying, which made me laugh.

Some random notes I took:

• The dog in the train station scene looked like he had no idea why he was there. 🐶
• Kiepura's hair somehow stays perfectly combed even when he is running through the windy hills.
• One transition shot of a train wheel goes on for way too long.

If you want a cozy, harmless movie to watch on a rainy Sunday, this is a great choice. It is short, colorful in its own black-and-white way, and very cheerful.