La vacanza del diavolo: A dusty relic with strange charm

Is it worth your time?

Honestly, unless you are a die-hard fan of 1930s European cinema or just have a weird obsession with early sound design, you might find this a slog. If you like watching people in fancy clothes have very quiet, polite arguments, you're in the right place. Everyone else? You’ll probably be bored to tears within twenty minutes. 🙄

There is this moment where characters just sit around a table and the pacing completely dies. It feels like the director forgot to yell 'action' for about thirty seconds. It’s not profound, it’s just awkward.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of La vacanza del diavolo (1931) through its definitive frames.

The whole vibe reminds me a bit of the stuffy, overly careful energy in The Marble Heart, though with way more crackling audio. The movie tries to be sophisticated, but it often lands on 'stiff' instead.

Odd bits and pieces

• The lighting in the garden scenes is strangely flat. It looks like it was filmed in a basement.
• Marcello Spada has this habit of staring into the middle distance that feels like he’s trying to remember his grocery list.
• The dialogue is so fast-paced it makes my head spin, then it hits a brick wall of silence.
• There’s a hat in the third act that is just… way too big. It takes up half the frame.

I couldn't help but think about how much clearer the stakes felt in something like Chicago After Midnight. Here, the drama feels like it’s being held behind a velvet rope. You want to reach in and shake the characters to get them to just say what they mean.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of La vacanza del diavolo (1931) through its definitive frames.

It gets better when they finally stop trying to be clever. When the film leans into the messy, human stuff, it actually has a pulse. Too bad that doesn't happen until the very end.

Don't expect a masterpiece. Expect a museum piece that has some dust on it. It’s an interesting look at a different era, but it sure isn't winning any awards for excitement today. 🎞️