Checking out that 1930 German drama with the long name

If you are looking for a fast-paced thriller, please keep walking. This is one of those movies where people stand around in rooms and talk about their feelings while holding very still.

It is definitely worth a watch if you have a soft spot for early German sound films or if you just want to see Lil Dagover look incredibly sad for 90 minutes. You will probably hate it if you can't stand that constant hissing sound that old 1930s audio tracks always have.

The title is a mouthful: Es gibt eine Frau, die dich niemals vergißt. It translates to 'There is a woman who will never forget you,' which is about as dramatic as the movie gets.

The Silent Ghost

Watching this feels a bit like watching a ghost. Lil Dagover was a massive star in the silent days, and you can tell she is still figured out how to act with her voice.

She has these eyes that just take up the whole screen. Sometimes the camera stays on her face for so long that I started checking my phone, but then she’d do this tiny little flinch and I was back in.

The movie is stuck between two worlds. It wants to be a modern 'talkie,' but it still has the DNA of something like Queen Kelly where the visuals do all the heavy lifting.

There is a scene near the beginning where a character is reading a letter. We wait. And wait.

The silence isn't even 'artistic' silence. It just feels like the director forgot to tell them to keep moving.

I noticed that the actors move very carefully, probably because the microphones back then were hidden in flower pots and they were terrified of moving out of range. It gives everyone a very stiff, upright posture that makes them look like they all have back problems.

Small Moments

Felix Bressart pops up, and he is basically the only person who feels like a real human being. He has this messy, nervous energy that cuts through all the heavy melodrama.

I loved a tiny moment where a character fumbles with their gloves. It wasn't planned, I bet.

It made me think of One Week, not because it's funny, but because it reminds you how much more physical movies used to be before everyone started talking so much.

• The hats in this movie are incredible.
• Everyone smokes like it’s their last day on Earth.
• The sound of a door closing sounds like a gunshot because of the primitive mic tech.

There is a lot of Ivan Petrovich looking handsome and slightly bored. He plays the kind of guy who probably breaks hearts just by walking into a bakery.

I found myself wondering about the extras in the background of the cafe scene. They look so staged, like they were told not to breathe too loud.

It’s weirdly empty in some shots. Like they couldn't afford enough people to fill a Berlin street, so it just looks like a very clean stage play.

Does it hold up?

Not really, but that’s okay. It’s a piece of history.

If you’ve seen The Street of Illusion, you know how these early transition films can be a bit of a slog. But there is a charm to the clunkiness.

The ending is... well, it’s exactly what you think it’s going to be. No big twists here.

I think I liked the idea of the movie more than the actual experience of sitting through it. It’s like looking at an old photograph that’s faded so much you have to squint to see the faces.

One reaction shot of Ellen Frank lasts so long it actually becomes funny. I think I counted ten seconds of her just... blinking.

Anyway, if you like dusty European history and people sighing in beautiful apartments, give it a go. Just bring some coffee to stay awake during the second act. ☕

It’s a solid choice for a rainy Sunday when you feel like being a bit pretentious but not too much.