Die Männer um Lucie: A Stroll Through Old-World Romance

Should you watch Die Männer um Lucie? If you have a soft spot for silent-era charm and don’t mind a plot that moves at the speed of a leisurely afternoon stroll, then sure. People who need constant momentum or high-stakes drama will probably find themselves checking their phones within the first ten minutes. ☕

It’s one of those movies that feels like it was filmed in a bubble. The world outside doesn't seem to exist. It’s just Lucie and these men floating in these pristine, overly-decorated rooms.

Lien Deyers is doing a lot of heavy lifting here with just her expressions. There’s a moment where she’s holding a letter—or maybe it was a handkerchief—and the way she tilts her head is almost enough to make you forget the script is mostly fluff. You can tell the cast is having fun, even if the director was likely aiming for something a bit more sophisticated than what actually hit the screen.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Die Männer um Lucie (1931) through its definitive frames.

It reminds me a bit of the lightness you find in The Merry Widow, though without the same level of polish. It’s scrappier. It’s messier.

Oddly specific observations:

• The lighting in the second act is surprisingly moody for a romantic comedy. Someone clearly decided to get artistic for about three minutes before going back to standard floodlights.
• There is a gentleman in the background of the café scene who looks like he’s waiting for a bus that’s never going to arrive. He never moves. It’s mesmerizing.
• The pacing is weird. It’s fast, then it’s glacially slow, then it ends so abruptly you’ll wonder if the projector operator fell asleep.

The whole thing feels a bit imperfect. You can almost see the seams where they stitched the scenes together. Some of the actors look like they’re waiting for a cue that never came, leading to these long, awkward pauses that feel less like 'dramatic tension' and more like 'did someone forget their lines?'

Still, there’s a certain genuine energy to it. It’s not trying to be the next A Daughter of Two Worlds. It’s just trying to be a pleasant distraction. And honestly? Sometimes that’s enough. It’s a movie that doesn't demand you think too hard about the 'human condition' or whatever. It just wants you to watch Lucie navigate her mess of a love life. 🥂

If you're looking for something heavy, look elsewhere. If you want a bit of old-school European fluff that hasn't been scrubbed clean by modern sensibilities, give it a go. Just don't expect it to change your life.