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4.6/10
Archivist John
Senior Editor
A definitive 4.6/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. English as She Is Not Spoken remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Okay, look, English as She Is Not Spoken isn't for everyone. If you're a film student, or just someone fascinated by how movies *learned* to talk, then yeah, absolutely give this one a shot. But if you're expecting modern comedy or anything resembling a smooth narrative, you'll probably bounce off it pretty quick. 😬
This little gem, or maybe 'curio' is a better word, drops us right into the world of the Stanton Brothers. They're a duo known for their rapid-fire patter and puns, which, in 1929, must have been quite the thing. The plot is thin, really just a vehicle for their schtick.
From the jump, the sound quality is… something. There's this constant, low hiss that you just kinda get used to after a few minutes, almost like background noise in an old radio show. It's a reminder of how much of a struggle it was to get clear audio onto film back then. 🔊
The Stanton Brothers, bless 'em, really give it their all. Their delivery is incredibly fast, sometimes *too* fast, making some of the wordplay hard to catch. I found myself rewinding a couple of times just to figure out what joke they were trying to land.
And those jokes! Oh boy. They're packed with puns, the kind that probably slayed in a vaudeville hall but now mostly land with a gentle *thud*. There's a whole bit about a misplaced hat and a series of rhyming couplets that just stretches on. It feels less like a comedic song and more like a test of endurance. One reaction shot from an off-screen character lingers so long, it almost becomes funny in itself.
The camera work is exactly what you'd expect from an early talkie. Mostly static, wide shots. It's clear they were more worried about capturing the sound than moving the camera around. The actors often seem glued to specific spots, probably where the microphones were best. You can almost feel them trying to avoid making too much noise.
There's this one moment where one of the brothers trips over his own feet, and it feels so genuinely clumsy. Almost like they kept it in because retakes were just too much hassle, or maybe it just added to the charm. It's a tiny thing, but it sticks with you. Like, *real* people making a movie.
It’s hard to shake the feeling that you’re watching a stage play, awkwardly shoved into a movie format. The energy is there, but it doesn't quite translate. You keep wishing for a live audience to give them that missing feedback, that laughter that would make the puns feel less… solitary. 🤔
The film gets noticeably better when it leans into the absurdity of its own structure. There's a brief sequence where they just start singing about totally random things, and for a second, it feels truly spontaneous. Almost modern, in a weird, anachronistic way.
Ultimately, English as She Is Not Spoken is a fascinating peek into a specific moment in cinema history. It’s not a masterpiece, not by a long shot. But it’s an *honest* film. It shows the growing pains, the ambition, and the sheer effort involved in making movies talk. It’s a loud, giggling ghost from 1929, and if you’re into that sort of thing, it’s worth a watch. Don't go in expecting Othello, though. This is a very different beast. And yeah, the title is pretty accurate. 😉
IMDb —
1918
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