Le baron tzigane: A dusty bit of Strauss charm

Is it worth the watch?

Look, if you are looking for a tight, modern thriller, keep walking. Le baron tzigane is a dusty, creaky affair that feels exactly like it was filmed back when movies were still trying to figure out how to be operas. It is worth watching if you have a soft spot for the 1930s style of storytelling—lots of stagey hand gestures and big, booming musical sensibilities. If you hate anything that feels theatrical or slightly stiff, you’ll probably be bored out of your mind within ten minutes.

Anton Walbrook is doing a lot of the heavy lifting here. You can see he is trying to bring some actual grace to the screen while everyone else is busy playing to the back row. He has this way of looking at a scene like he is the only one who knows where the camera is actually pointed.

Odd bits and pieces

• The pig merchant character is so comically clumsy he almost feels like he wandered in from a silent slapstick short.
• The gypsy camp scenes look like they were built on a set where the paint was still slightly tacky.
• The costume department clearly spent their entire budget on the hats.

There is a weird energy to this movie. It feels like a stage play that someone decided to film because they had a camera lying around and a decent supply of electricity. Some of the cuts are so sharp they feel jarring, almost like the editor was in a massive hurry to get home for dinner.

It’s not quite on the level of something like The Student of Prague, which really knew how to use shadows to hide its own seams. This one just puts everything out in the light. Sometimes that works, but mostly it just shows you the frayed edges of the costumes.

I found myself zoning out during the long musical interludes, only to snap back when someone started shouting about property rights again. It’s an uneven watch. Sometimes it sparkles, and sometimes it just drags its feet. But hey, it has a certain earnest quality that is hard to totally dislike. It isn't trying to be deep. It just wants to tell you a story about a guy who wants his house back. And really, who can't relate to that? 🎻

Don't expect it to change your life. Just take it for what it is: a bit of old-fashioned noise captured on film.