Die Drei um Edith: A 1929 heist where the diamond is way too big

If you like watching a guy in a tuxedo be a total jerk for seventy minutes, you’ll probably have a good time with this one. It’s a silent heist movie from 1929 that doesn't try too hard to be art, which is actually kind of refreshing.

It’s definitely worth a watch if you’re into old German crime stuff or just want to see some really nice 1920s coats. If you need a movie to change your life or make you cry, maybe skip it and go watch The Living Corpse instead.

The main guy is Roger Brown, but everyone calls him 'Tiger.' He’s a jewel thief who doesn't really seem to hide the fact that he's a criminal very well.

He enters every room like he’s already decided where he’s going to put his feet. He manages to get close to Thomas Morland, who is a big-shot diamond dealer.

Morland has a fiancée named Lady Edith Trent. Tiger spends a lot of time looking at her in a way that makes you think he’s falling in love, or maybe he’s just wondering if her necklace is real gold.

The movie really gets going when Morland gets his hands on the 'largest diamond in the world' in Amsterdam. When they finally show the diamond, I actually laughed out loud.

It looks like a huge piece of aquarium gravel or maybe a glass paperweight. It’s so big that it’s hard to believe anyone would think it’s real, but everyone in the movie is terrified of it.

Tiger sees the rock and basically forgets all about Edith. He decides the diamond is way more attractive than the lady, which is a pretty honest moment for a movie thief.

He steals it and just bolts. The middle of the movie feels a bit like a travel vlog because they move around so much.

I noticed that the street scenes in Amsterdam look oddly empty. It’s like they told everyone to stay inside for the day so they could film a car driving by.

The pacing is a bit weird. Some scenes linger on Tiger’s face for so long that you start counting the lines on his forehead.

Then other scenes, like the actual theft, happen so fast you might miss them if you’re checking your phone. It’s not as tightly edited as Bound and Gagged, that’s for sure.

The Fritz Rasp Factor

Fritz Rasp is in this, and he’s doing his usual thing. He has this face that just looks like it was meant for black and white film—all sharp angles and creepy eyes.

He doesn't have to do much to make a scene feel tense. He just stands there and the vibe immediately gets shady.

There is this one shot of him just watching people from a corner that felt longer than it needed to be. It was almost funny how long he stayed still.

Camilla Horn plays Edith, and she’s fine, I guess. She wears some incredible hats that probably took up half the budget.

She mostly just has to look worried while the men around her fight over rocks and money. It’s a bit of a thankless role, but she looks great doing it.

Hubert von Meyerinck shows up too, and he’s always a treat. He has this eccentric energy that makes the movie feel a bit more alive whenever he's on screen.

I kept waiting for a big twist, but the movie stays pretty simple. It’s a straight line from 'I want that' to 'I took that.'

Sometimes the subtitles (the intertitles) feel a bit clunky. They explain things that we can already see, which is a common problem in these late silents.

I liked the way they filmed the interiors of the offices. They look so heavy and dark, like the walls are made of money and secrets.

The ending feels like they ran out of film or maybe the actors had somewhere else to be. It just sort of... stops.

It’s not as experimental as Ballet mécanique, but it has its own style. It’s a very commercial movie, meant to just entertain people for an hour.

And it works! I wasn't bored, even when the plot got a little thin.

A few things I jotted down:

• The way Tiger handles his gloves is very dramatic. He takes them off like he’s preparing for surgery.
• The car they use in the chase looks like it would struggle to go up a small hill.
• There’s a background extra in the hotel scene who looks directly at the camera for a split second. Once you see it, you can't un-see it.
• The lighting in the final act is surprisingly dark. I could barely see who was punching who.
• Morland’s mustache is immaculate. I want to know what product he used in 1929.

If you’re looking for a deep dive into the human soul, go find The Mystery Club. This movie is about a guy who likes shiny things and the trouble he gets into.

It’s a bit messy, and the 'world's largest diamond' looks like a toy, but it’s got a lot of charm. Sometimes that’s enough.

I’d watch it again just for the outfits and the weirdly intense staring contests. It’s a solid okay movie that makes me miss when movies were this simple. 🎥

Also, I’m pretty sure one of the doors in the office wasn't actually attached to the wall. It wobbles every time someone walks past it.

Small things like that make these old movies feel more real to me. They weren't perfect, and they didn't try to be.