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Cult Review
Senior Film Conservator
Is it worth watching today? Only if you have a soft spot for early sound movies where everyone seems to be shouting because they don't trust the microphones yet.
If you like fast-talking German comedies or seeing a very young S.Z. Sakall before he became the cute old man in Hollywood, you'll dig this. People who want a plot that actually makes sense should probably stay away.
The whole thing feels like a stage play where someone forgot to close the curtains between scenes. It’s based on an Avery Hopwood play, and you can really tell because people are constantly running in and out of doors for no reason.
Lotte Lorring plays the lead, and she has this energy that is just... exhausting to look at. She’s great, don't get me wrong, but she moves like she's had six cups of coffee right before the camera started rolling.
There is this one scene in a living room where the lighting is so flat it looks like they filmed it in a grocery store. I kept looking at the shadows on the wall instead of the actors because they were moving in these weird, jerky patterns.
I forgot what the main conflict was about twenty minutes in. It’s something about a marriage contract and a lot of pride, but honestly, I was just focused on the hats.
The hats in this movie are incredible. One of them looks like a small architectural accident perched on a woman's head.
It reminds me a bit of the frantic pacing you see in Half Way to Heaven, where the transition from silent to sound still feels a bit bumpy and awkward. You can tell the actors are still trying to figure out how much they need to move their faces.
Miguel Ligero shows up and he’s doing a lot of heavy lifting with his eyes. He has this way of looking at the other characters like he’s mildly annoyed to be in the same room as them.
The music is loud. Like, really loud. There’s a song early on that just keeps going and going until you start wondering if the film loop got stuck.
It isn't as polished as something like The Girl from the Marsh Croft, which has a bit more of a soul to it. This is strictly a 'let's get everyone in a room and yell' kind of movie.
I noticed a moment where a character picks up a telephone and you can clearly see him waiting for a cue. He just stares at the phone for two seconds too long before he starts talking.
It’s those little imperfections that make these old films fun for me. It feels human, unlike the stuff we get now that’s been edited to death by a computer.
There’s a scene with a dinner table where the clinking of the forks is louder than the dialogue. I think the sound guy was having a bad day or maybe he just really liked the sound of silverware.
The script is full of these fast-fire jokes that I’m sure were hilarious in 1931 Berlin. Today, they mostly just sound like people being unnecessarily rude to each other in a rhythmic way.
It’s not a masterpiece, and it’s definitely not a 'profound exploration' of anything. It’s just a bunch of people in fancy clothes being silly for an hour and a half.
If you find a copy of this, don't expect to be changed by it. Just enjoy the weirdness and the fact that people used to think these plot twists were shocking.
Anyway, I’m glad I watched it even if I didn't understand why the husband was so angry half the time. He just seemed like he needed a nap.
It’s a decent way to spend an afternoon if you’ve already seen everything else from that era. Just keep your hand on the volume button for the singing parts.
IMDb —
1921
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