Die blonde Carmen: When the bit goes way too far

Is it worth your time?

If you have a soft spot for 1930s European fluff, you might get a kick out of this. It’s light, breezy, and mostly harmless. If you’re allergic to mistaken identity tropes or need a plot that moves faster than a tractor in low gear, stay away.

Mártha Eggerth is the whole engine here. She plays a revue star who gets offended by some village gossip about how "actresses have no soul" or whatever, and she snaps. She puts on the peasant act. And honestly? She’s too good at it.

The movie is basically one long joke about how she can't drop the act without ruining her own plan. It’s funny for a bit, but then you realize she’s going to be stuck in this ruse for the entire runtime. It reminded me a bit of the frantic energy in Ist mein Mann nicht fabelhaft?, just with more hay bales.

Small things I noticed

• The way she switches her accent is actually pretty impressive for the time.
• The rural sets look like they were built on a soundstage about fifteen minutes before cameras started rolling. Very clean, very fake.
• Wolfgang Liebeneiner plays the straight man with a look of permanent confusion that I found oddly relatable.

There’s a scene about halfway through where she’s trying to cook something and just completely failing at it, but she can't ask for help because she’s supposed to be a 'farm girl.' The frustration on her face is real. Or maybe she was just tired of the set food. Who knows.

I wouldn't say this is a lost masterpiece or anything. It feels like the kind of thing they churned out to keep people smiling during a rainy Tuesday. It doesn't have the grit of The Manxman, but it’s not trying to be that, either.

The pacing is… well, it’s loose. Some scenes just sort of drift along until someone makes a joke. Other times, the plot hits the gas, and you're left wondering how we ended up at the local festival so quickly. It’s a bit messy, but in a way that feels honest to the era.

Honestly, the best part is just watching Eggerth work. She knows she’s in a silly movie and she leans into it with a wink. You can tell she’s having fun, which makes it easier for you to forgive the fact that the script is basically running on fumes by the third act. 🎭

It’s not going to change your life. It won't haunt your dreams. But if you want to watch a famous person pretend to be a peasant for an hour, you’ve found the right flick.