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Cult Review
Archivist John
Senior Editor
If you have a spare hour and don't mind watching people argue over literal dirt, this might be worth your time. It is definitely for people who enjoy crusty old dramas where a single property line is treated like a life-or-death situation. If you want fast cuts or anyone actually smiling, you will probably hate this movie. 🎬
It’s based off a play and you can really tell. Everyone stands in these weirdly straight lines like they're waiting for a bus that never comes.
Baron von Werner is the main guy and he spends most of the runtime looking like he just smelled something sour. He has this feud with Gunnar Jansson over some archival property rights that feels like it could have been fixed with one honest conversation. But no, they have to be stubborn.
The daughter, Inga, comes home from France and she’s the only person in the whole film who seems to have a personality. She wears these giant hats that I’m pretty sure blocked the view of every other actor on set. I found myself wondering how she got those through customs.
She starts getting interested in Jansson, who is her dad’s biggest rival. The Baron looks like his head is actually going to pop off when he finds out. His facial expressions are just... a lot. It’s that 1920s style where every blink is a major plot point.
There is a scene where they are looking at maps and old papers that goes on for way too long. I actually checked my phone twice. It reminded me a bit of the slow bits in The Secret Garden but without the cool plants.
I kept waiting for someone to eat the actual dish, Jansson’s Temptation. You know, the potato thing? Nobody eats it. 🥔 It's a bit of a letdown if you came here for the food history.
Edvin Adolphson is in this and he is doing some very intense work with his eyebrows. I think he’s supposed to be the hero, but he mostly just looks confused about why everyone is yelling about fences. He has this way of standing that makes him look like he’s made of wood.
The camera just sits there most of the time. It doesn't move much, it just watches them be mad. It feels a bit like watching a very high-quality security camera from the year 1928.
I noticed a dog in the background of one of the outdoor shots. It looked way more interested in the scenery than the lead actors were. Honestly, I was with the dog on that one.
The transition between the house scenes and the outdoor stuff is a bit clunky. It’s like they forgot to finish building the set or ran out of money for the lighting. It reminds me of the rougher parts of The Stealers where things just sort of happen.
One reaction shot of the Baron lingers so long it actually becomes funny. He just stares. And stares. You think the film has frozen, but then he finally blinks.
It’s not as polished as something like Tartuffe, but it has this weird charm. It’s a movie about people being proud and annoying, which I guess is pretty realistic even today.
The property dispute plot is kind of similar to The Sheriff, but with more Swedish frowning and fewer horses. The writers, Henning Ohlson and Sigurd Wallén, clearly liked the drama of the stage, but they didn't quite figure out how to make a map look exciting on screen.
The ending happens so fast you might miss it if you sneeze. One minute everyone is furious, and the next, everything is just fine. It felt like the actors had a train to catch and just decided to stop filming.
It’s an okay movie for a rainy Sunday when you’ve run out of other things to watch. Just don’t expect it to change your life or explain anything about potatoes.
IMDb 4.5
1928
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