Der Erzieher meiner Tochter: A Goofy Silent Comedy with Great Hair

You should probably watch this if you have a soft spot for 1920s German comedies that don't try too hard to be art. It’s perfect for a rainy Sunday when you want to see people in extravagant hats make funny faces at each other.

If you’re looking for a deep, soul-crushing drama like The Living Corpse, you are going to be very disappointed. This movie is strictly for people who enjoy lighthearted chaos and Harry Liedtke’s constant smirking.

The plot is pretty basic, even for 1928. A rich guy is worried about his daughter being a bit too much to handle, so he decides she needs an educator.

It’s the classic 'tame the rebellious girl' trope that hasn't aged perfectly, but the movie plays it more for laughs than anything else. Károly Huszár plays the dad and honestly, his eyebrows do half the acting in the first twenty minutes.

He has this way of looking at the camera like he’s personally offended by the concept of a daughter. It's actually kind of funny how much he over-emphasizes every single gesture.

Then we get Harry Liedtke as the tutor. He’s basically the German version of a matinee idol from that era, and you can tell he knows it.

Every time he enters a room, the lighting seems to get just a little bit brighter. His hair is so perfectly slicked back that I spent a good five minutes wondering what kind of grease they used back then.

There is a scene early on where they are interviewing potential candidates. The way the different guys walk in and out feels like a vaudeville routine.

One guy looks so nervous his knees are actually shaking. It’s the kind of physical comedy that feels a bit dated but still makes you crack a smile because of the timing.

The daughter, played by Dolly Davis, is actually pretty fun to watch. She doesn't just sit there and look pretty; she’s actually got some fire in her.

Compared to some of the characters in The Ladybird, she feels much more alive. She has this one reaction shot when she first sees the new tutor that is just... well, it's a lot of blinking.

I noticed that the sets are surprisingly nice for a movie that feels this light. The house looks like somewhere you’d actually want to live, even if the family is crazy.

There’s a lot of pacing around in large rooms. Silent films love a good 'pacing around' scene to show that someone is thinking really hard.

The middle of the movie drags a little bit. It feels like they had about forty minutes of story and had to stretch it out to a full feature length.

There’s a subplot involving some of the other cast members that didn't really click for me. I think Gaston Modot was in there, but he didn't have much to do except look slightly confused.

It reminded me a bit of the aimless energy in Playing with Fire, where you’re just waiting for the next big gag to happen. Sometimes the jokes land, and sometimes they just kind of thud on the floor.

One thing that really stuck out was a sequence in a garden. The way they used the shadows was actually pretty cool, even if it was probably accidental.

I also loved the title cards. The font they used is very fancy, though it makes it a bit hard to read if you aren't paying close attention.

Does the tutor actually teach her anything? Not really.

It’s mostly just an excuse for them to fall in love while the dad gets increasingly frustrated. The ending is exactly what you think it will be, but that’s not really a bad thing here.

It’s comfortable. It’s like eating a warm piece of toast—nothing special, but it hits the spot.

Small things I noticed:

• The way the dad holds his cigar is weirdly aggressive.
• There is a dog in one scene that looks like it wants to be anywhere else.
• The makeup on the women is very heavy, even for the 20s. They look like they have bee-stung lips in every shot.
• Harry Liedtke’s suit fits him way better than anyone else’s suit in the movie.
• A lot of door slamming. So much door slamming for a silent film.

If you're into the history of German cinema, it’s a neat little artifact. It’s not a masterpiece, but it has a lot of personality.

I think I liked it more than Heut tanzt Mariett, mostly because the chemistry between the leads felt more natural. Even when the plot was being stupid, you wanted to see them end up together.

The print I saw was a little bit scratchy in the second half. It actually added to the charm, though, like listening to an old record with pops and hisses.

Don't go into this expecting to have your life changed. Just enjoy the costumes and the goofy faces. 📽️

Sometimes a simple story about a girl and her tutor is all you really need. Especially when the tutor is Harry Liedtke.