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6.8/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.8/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Der schwarze Walfisch remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you have some spare hours and love dusty, crackling 1930s cinema, Der schwarze Walfisch is definitely worth a look. But if you hate slow plays where people just stand around in a pub arguing about honor, you will probably want to turn this off after ten minutes.
This is a German version of Marcel Pagnol’s famous play, Fanny. It is set in a harbor tavern called "The Black Whale" which looks like it was built out of leftover cardboard.
The main reason anyone still talks about this is Emil Jannings. He plays the big, booming father figure, and boy, does he make sure you know he is in the room. 😤
He has this one scene where he explains how to pour a beer. It goes on for what feels like ten minutes, and he is so incredibly serious about the foam that it actually made me laugh out loud.
The young lovers, played by Angela Salloker and Franz Nicklisch, are... fine, I guess. But they have the chemistry of two wet paper bags, and you can tell they are just waiting for Jannings to stop shouting so they can say their lines.
The movie can't decide if it wants to be a tragedy or a comedy. One minute everyone is crying, and the next, some goofy guy is doing physical comedy in the background.
It has that heavy, gloomy German atmosphere, which is weird because the original French story is supposed to be somewhat warm. If you want something lighter from this era, you are better off trying Un rêve blond instead.
Also, the sound quality is pretty rough. Sometimes the characters sound like they are shouting down a long hallway, and then suddenly the microphone gets too close and you can hear them breathing.
It’s not a masterpiece, and it definitely doesn't have the charm of some older American stuff like Suzanna. But as a weird piece of German film history, it has a strange, clumsy charm.
Just don't expect to be super emotionally moved by it. Mostly you will just want a beer after watching it.
