Der Stumme von Portici (1929) review - A wonderfully messy Weimar comedy

If you are looking for a pristine, serious adaptation of the famous opera, skip this immediately because you will absolutely hate it. But if you have a soft spot for weird, chaotic Weimar-era German comedies where everyone is gesturing like they drank five cups of espresso, then Der Stumme von Portici is a total blast. 🍿

I stumbled on this one late at night. Honestly, I wasn't expecting much besides some dusty old-school slapstick, but it kept me awake.

The plot is supposedly about the opera, but really, it's just an excuse for Karl Etlinger and S.Z. Sakall to run around looking incredibly stressed. S.Z. Sakall—who you might know as the adorable waiter from Casablanca years later—is so young here! He already has those chubby, pinchable cheeks and that flustered energy that makes you want to hug him.

The pacing is totally wild. Some scenes fly by so fast you barely grasp who is marrying who, and then the camera will just linger on a character staring out a window for what feels like an eternity.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Der Stumme von Portici (1931) through its definitive frames.

It has that same chaotic, almost desperate energy you find in other comedies from the era, like Dodge Your Debts. They were clearly trying to figure out how to make people laugh during this weird transition era of cinema, and the result is just... wonderfully messy. 🌀

A few things I scribbled in my notebook:

• Paul Hörbiger's eyebrows deserve their own acting credit. The man can express three different emotions just by twitching his forehead.
• There is a scene with a dog that looks completely confused about why it's on a movie set. It just keeps looking at the camera crew off-screen. 🐶
• The lighting in the indoor scenes is so bright it almost hurts your eyes, like they forgot to turn off the main stage lights.
• Trude Berliner has this incredibly intense stare that feels like she is looking right into your soul. Or maybe she was just trying to remember her next spot on the floor.

Is it a masterpiece? Absolutely not. There is some moments where the jokes don't land at all, and the plot gets so tangled up in its own feet that you just have to ignore the story entirely.

But there is a genuine warmth to it. You can feel the actors having fun, even when the script is clearly falling apart around them.

If you liked the frantic style of Gehetzte Mädchen, you'll probably find something to smile about here. Just don't expect a masterpiece, and maybe turn your brain off a little bit.