Die Koffer des Herrn O.F. Review: A Weirdly Modern 1931 Satire

You should probably watch this if you like movies that feel like a fever dream about how money works. It is perfect for people who enjoy seeing a small town lose its collective mind over absolutely nothing.

If you hate old black-and-white films where everyone talks at once, you will probably find it annoying. But for the rest of us, it is a fascinating look at how a rumor can build a skyscraper.

The movie starts in a town called Ostend, which is so quiet you can almost hear the dust settling on the streets. Then, 13 suitcases arrive at a hotel that only has five rooms.

The owner is told a guy named O.F. needs six rooms. The math already doesn't work, and that is exactly the point.

I love how the suitcases just sit there in the lobby. They are huge, heavy-looking things that represent a person who never actually shows up.

Peter Lorre plays Stix, the journalist. He has those huge, bulging eyes that make him look like he is constantly vibrating with a secret.

He and the architect, Stark, decide to use the mystery of O.F. to their advantage. They tell everyone the guy is a millionaire from the town's past.

Suddenly, the town starts building things. They build hotels, shops, and nightclubs because they think they need to be ready for this rich guy.

It is like watching a bubble burst in slow motion, except the bubble just keeps getting bigger. The irony is that the world is in a depression, but Ostend is booming because of a lie.

The Little Things I Noticed

• The way the hotel owner looks at the 13th suitcase like it is a bomb.
• Hedy Lamarr is in this, but she is so young you might miss her if you blink.
• There is a scene with a cabaret star that feels about three minutes too long, but her hat is incredible.
• The architecture in the later half of the film looks like it was inspired by a child's drawing of a future city.

The movie moves fast once the construction starts. It stops being a quiet comedy and turns into this loud, frantic celebration of greed.

I found myself wondering if O.F. was even real. The townspeople stop caring eventually, which is the scariest part of the whole story.

They are so busy making money from each other that the original reason for the boom doesn't matter anymore. It reminds me of how people talk about crypto or tech stocks today.

The writing is sharp, though the sound quality in these early 1930s German films is always a bit crunchy. You have to really lean in to hear what they are saying sometimes.

The architect gets to marry the mayor's daughter, and everyone gets a happy ending that feels unearned. It is almost like the movie is making fun of us for wanting a happy ending.

There is a specific shot of the suitcases being moved that I can't get out of my head. They look so heavy, yet they are full of nothing but air and anticipation.

If you are looking for something with a similar frantic energy from that era, you might want to check out The Last Attraction. It has that same sense of things spinning out of control.

One thing that bothered me was the mayor. He is a bit too much of a caricature, even for a satire.

He just seems to agree with whatever the last person told him. I guess that is the point, but it makes him less of a character and more of a prop.

Also, the music gets really loud during the montage scenes. My cat actually jumped off the sofa during the part where they start building the new hotels.

It is weird to think this was made in 1931. The world was falling apart, and here is a movie about people pretending things are great until they actually become great.

The ending is very abrupt. Like, one minute they are talking about finance experts, and the next, everyone is married and the credits roll.

I think the director just ran out of film or got tired of the joke. It doesn't really matter, though, because the journey there is so strange.

• Peter Lorre. Honestly, he is the reason to watch almost anything.
• The sets are actually pretty impressive for the time.
• It doesn't try to be a deep philosophical lecture.
• The suitcases are the best silent characters in movie history.

It’s a bit of a mess, but a fun one. It doesn't take itself seriously at all, which is a relief.

You can see the seeds of much better-known satires in here. It feels like a rough draft for a masterpiece that never quite got finished.

I wouldn't say it's a perfect film, but it's memorable. And honestly, I'd rather watch a memorable mess than a boring masterpiece any day. 💼🏙️

The way the journalist Stix manipulates the crowd is scary because of how easy it looks. He just says a name, and everyone starts spending money they don't have.

If you have some time on a Sunday afternoon, give it a go. Just don't expect a clear answer about who O.F. is, because that's not the point of the game.

It's definitely better than some other obscure stuff from the same pile, like Sein letzter Trick, which is way more predictable. This one keeps you guessing even when nothing is happening.