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7.3/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 7.3/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Der verhexte Scheinwerfer remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Honestly, if you enjoy watching very tall, skinny men get increasingly frustrated by inanimate objects, yes. It is only about 15 minutes long, so you aren't losing your whole afternoon if you hate it.
People who love old-school cabaret or physical comedy that feels a bit broken will have a good time. But if you need a plot or high production values, you should probably go watch Les Misérables, Part 1: Jean Valjean instead.
The whole thing is set in a theater during a rehearsal or a show, it's a bit hard to tell because everything is so messy. Karl Valentin plays the projectionist or the guy in charge of the light, and he is just not good at his job.
There is this singer on stage trying to be serious, and the spotlight just keeps wandering off. It hits the floor, it hits the ceiling, it hits a random guy's bald head in the wings.
It’s a very simple joke that they stretch out for the whole runtime. It reminds me a bit of the physical gags in The Close Shave, but much more German and... dry.
Valentin has this face that looks like it was carved out of a very tired tree. He doesn't have to do much to be funny; he just stands there looking confused by the machinery.
Liesl Karlstadt is there too, and she is always the perfect balance to his weirdness. They have this rhythm that you can only get from performing together in smoky rooms for years.
The movie doesn't really have an ending, it just kind of... stops. Which I actually liked because a big finale would have felt too forced for a movie about a broken light.
It’s much lighter than something like Man from the Restaurant. It doesn't want to teach you a lesson or make you cry; it just wants you to laugh at a guy being bad at theater tech.
"The light has its own will, and its will is to be anywhere but on the singer."
I found myself wondering how they actually pulled off the light effects back in 1934. It looks like someone was just shaking a mirror in the back of the room, which is probably exactly what was happening.
There is a weird charm to how imperfect the whole production is. You can see the shadows of the camera sometimes, and the acting is very broad, like they are playing to the back row of a real theater.
It’s definitely better than Der kleine Seitensprung, which felt way too polished and boring for my taste. This one is gritty and silly.
Watching this feels like finding an old, dusty reel in your grandpa's attic and realizing he had a weird sense of humor. It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s human.
The expressions O.E. Hasse makes are gold. He looks like he wants to kill Valentin but also like he’s about to burst out laughing. 🤡
Some of the jokes land, some of them just sit there awkwardly for a few seconds too long. I think that’s why I liked it—it doesn't feel like it was edited by a committee to be perfect.
If you’re in the mood for something that feels like a fever dream from the early 30s, give it a go. It’s definitely a more interesting use of your time than some of the stuff coming out now.
Just don't expect it to make sense. It’s a movie about a light. That’s it. That’s the whole tweet. 🔦
I’ll probably watch it again next time I’m feeling frustrated with my own computer. It’s good to know that technology has been annoying people since at least 1934.
IMDb 6.8
1919
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