Glückspilze Review: A weirdly charming school movie from 1935

So, is Glückspilze worth your time today? If you like those old-fashioned school stories where everyone wears wool suits and acts very formal, then **yes**.

But if you cannot stand movies where people sing hymns in a hallway for three minutes, you will probably hate this.

The movie starts with everyone coming back to Schiller high school after their break. It has that very specific 'first day of school' energy that feels the same in 1935 as it does now.

Director Bartmann stands there looking like he hasn't smiled since the previous century. He reads this deed of gift from a guy named Manfred Werner who lives in Bahia, Brazil.

I kept thinking about how far away Brazil must have felt to people in Baldenburg back then. It might as well have been the moon.

The students all stand around and sing this chorale called 'My Heart.' It goes on for a long time.

Actually, it goes on so long that I started looking at the background actors to see if any of them were bored. One guy in the third row definitely looks like he'd rather be anywhere else.

Bernhard Minetti is in this, and he has a very intense face. He doesn't really fit the 'light comedy' vibe, but he makes every scene he's in feel a bit more important.

The way the school is filmed is actually pretty nice. The light coming through the tall windows looks real, not like a dusty studio set.

I noticed that the desks look incredibly uncomfortable. Like, how did anyone learn anything while sitting on a piece of wood that looks like a torture device?

The plot moves along at a very relaxed pace. It’s not exactly a thrill ride like Queen of the Jungle, that's for sure.

Some of the jokes are a bit flat now. You can tell where the audience was supposed to laugh because the actors pause for a second too long.

It’s a bit like watching a filmed play, but with more close-ups of people looking surprised. The 'surprise' faces are very dramatic.

I liked the part where they talk about the gift from Brazil. Everyone has a different idea of what it is, and the rumors just fly around the school.

It reminded me a little bit of the energy in A Lucky Dog, where small things get blown out of proportion. People love to gossip, I guess.

The writing by Robert A. Stemmle is okay, but it feels very safe. There are no big risks taken here.

One scene with the deed being read is filmed in a way that makes it feel like a holy ritual. It’s just a piece of paper, but the movie wants you to think it's magic.

I did find myself wondering what happened to Manfred Werner in Brazil. The movie never really shows him, which is a bit of a letdown.

He’s just this ghost hanging over the whole story. I would have liked to see him at least once in a flashback or something.

The ending is exactly what you expect it to be. It wraps up with a very neat bow, which feels a bit fake but also kind of cozy.

It’s the kind of movie you put on when it’s raining outside and you want to feel like the world is simple. Even if it never really was that simple.

The students still look way too old to be in high school. Some of them look like they have mortgages and three kids at home.

Overall, it’s a fine way to spend ninety minutes if you don't mind the black and white fuzziness. Just don't expect it to change your life.