Cult Review
Senior Film Conservator
I sat through this one last night and honestly my eyes are still a bit tired from the grainy footage. It is a 1927 silent film that translates to something like 'Yes, yes, women are my weak side.'
If you like early German comedy, this is totally fine to watch. If you hate sitting in silence for an hour while people overact, you will definitely hate this.
The movie stars Hans Albers before he became the massive icon everyone knows later on. He plays this guy who just cannot stop himself from flirting with every lady he meets.
He has this specific way of raising one eyebrow that is actually pretty funny. The whole thing feels a bit like a stage play that someone decided to film outdoors for some reason.
There is a scene in a garden where everyone is running around in circles. It reminded me a bit of Playin' Hookey but with more grown-ups acting like toddlers.
The plot is really just a series of excuses for him to get caught in awkward spots. One lady has a hat that is so big it keeps hitting people in the face when she turns around.
I think they spent more money on the hats than the actual script writers. It is not quite as clever as Get Your Man, but it has some okay moments.
The film gets a little repetitive around the halfway mark. You kind of wish he would just stay home and read a book instead of chasing after every skirt in the city.
There is a weirdly long shot of a dog just sitting there near a fountain. I don't know why it was in the movie for so long, but the dog was probably the best actor in that scene. 🐶
The ending is exactly what you think it will be. It doesn't try to be smart or deep, and I really appreciate that about it.
If you're bored and want to see what 1920s German humor looked like, give it a go. Just don't expect it to change your life or anything because it won't.
It is much better than Love's Sweet Piffle, at least. Albers has that natural charm that makes you not hate the character for being a total dummy.
