Cult Review
Senior Film Conservator
If you have a weird itch for 1930s German slapstick, maybe. Otherwise, stay far away. It is for people who enjoy watching people run through doorways at high speed while someone looks confused in the background. If you hate dated humor or military posturing, you will probably want to turn this off after about ten minutes. 🎞️
Honestly, the whole thing feels like a stage play that someone accidentally filmed. Everything is loud. Everyone is shouting. The soldiers are constantly tripping over their own feet, which I guess was the height of comedy back then?
Felix Bressart is doing his best, but he looks like he’s trying to hold a crumbling building together with his bare hands. He’s got that specific look of someone who realizes the script isn't going to get any better. There is this one scene where he gets tangled in his own coat—it goes on for way too long. I checked my watch twice during that bit.
The pacing is just... frantic. It doesn't breathe. It just sprints from one loud argument to the next. It reminds me a bit of Angora Love, but without the goats. Which, let's be honest, is a massive downgrade.
I caught myself thinking about The Fate of a Flirt while watching this. Maybe because they both feel like they were made in a hurry. It's not a great comparison, but here we are.
The movie is just so silly. It wants to be a riot, but it mostly just feels exhausting. It’s like being trapped in a room with someone who is trying way too hard to tell a joke they heard a week ago and forgot the punchline to.
Anyway. It exists. It’s a relic. Watch it if you want to see what people found funny right before the world got really serious. Otherwise, you’re not missing a masterpiece. 🤷♂️
