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Cult Review
Senior Film Conservator
Honestly, only if you have a weird fascination with 1930s slapstick and accordion music. If you want a tight, logical plot, keep walking. This is for the folks who like seeing people run in circles while shouting at each other for ninety minutes.
Holzapfel isn't trying to change the world. He's just a guy, unemployed and arguably annoying, who happens to be in the wrong place at the right time. The whole thing feels like a stage play that someone forgot to edit down.
There's this one moment where he's holding his concertina like it's a secret weapon. It’s almost funny, but it lingers for about five seconds too long. You can see the actor thinking, 'Is this the bit? Do I squeeze it now?'
The kidnapping plot is... well, it's just kind of there. It serves as a frame for people to fall over things and bump into walls. It reminded me a bit of the frantic energy in Meine Tante - deine Tante, though with way more noise.
The pacing is all over the place. One minute we're supposed to be worried about a ransom, the next we're watching a musical number that feels like it wandered in from a different movie entirely. It’s disjointed. It’s weird. It’s kind of charming if you don't take it seriously.
I found myself staring at the background extras more than the main cast. There’s a guy in the third row of the crowd scene who clearly forgot his lines and just keeps adjusting his hat. It’s the small things like that which kept me watching.
It’s not a masterpiece. It's barely a movie, really. It’s more like a series of loud ideas stitched together by someone who really liked the sound of a concertina. You won't remember the plot by tomorrow morning, but you'll remember that one guy with the hat.
Maybe skip it unless you're deep-diving into this era. Or don't. It doesn't really matter either way. 🎵