Ein Lied klagt an: A strange, heavy relic from the past

Is this for you?

Honestly, only watch this if you’re a completionist for early 30s German cinema or if you have a weird fascination with how films used to handle 'serious' social issues. If you’re looking for something light or even remotely fast-paced, you’re going to hate every single minute of this. It’s slow, it’s dramatic, and it has that specific kind of weight that feels like it’s trying to lecture you for two hours.

The whole thing feels like a stage play that someone accidentally filmed. Everything is so contained and deliberate. You can almost see the actors bracing themselves before they deliver a line.

The vibe

There’s a scene where the music swells, and I swear, the camera just decides to take a nap for a solid ten seconds. It’s not atmospheric. It’s just... there. It’s like the movie forgot it had an audience and started looking at its own shoes.

The cast is huge. Too huge. You get lost trying to figure out who is supposed to be carrying the emotional load, and by the time you realize it’s actually Else Lüders, you’ve already checked your watch three times. She does her best, but the script is doing her no favors.

• The lighting is incredibly moody. Maybe too moody?
• Some of the side characters feel like they wandered in from Die Schmiede just to fill space.
• The dialogue is stiff. Like, 'we practiced this in front of a mirror' stiff.

It reminds me a bit of the awkward pacing you find in Le maître de forges. It’s that same feeling of a story that wants to be grand and sweeping but gets stuck in the mud of its own dialogue. It’s not quite a total disaster, but it definitely isn't a masterpiece either.

Also, what is with the ending? It just kind of stops. No real resolution, just a fade-out that feels like someone pulled the plug on the projector early. 🎞️

It’s a relic. It’s interesting if you like seeing how people thought about 'art' and 'suffering' back then, but it’s definitely not a fun Friday night watch. I think I’ll stick to rewatching Pardon Us next time I need something with a bit more life in it.