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6.4/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.4/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Marionettes remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you are looking for something to put on in the background while you fold laundry, this is not it. Marionettes is way too loud and chaotic for that.
You should watch this if you enjoy seeing how people in the 1930s made fun of each other. It is basically a live-action cartoon for adults who care about politics.
If you hate movies where every single actor is overacting at 110%, you will probably turn this off after ten minutes. It is a very specific vibe.
The movie takes place in a fake country called Bufferiya. It is supposed to be one of those 'buffer' states between Europe and the Soviet Union.
The sets are actually kind of interesting because they look like a weird mix of a high-end hotel and a cardboard box. You can tell the director, Yakov Protazanov, wanted everything to feel fake.
There is this group of rich guys—the 'capitalists'—and they are all panicking. They look like the guys from the Monopoly game but with meaner eyes.
They decide they need a king to distract the common people from wanting a revolution. So they find this guy who is a complete loser and dress him up.
It reminded me a bit of the silly energy in Alf's Button, but instead of a magic button, they have a magic crown. Or a crown that they hope works like magic.
The main reason to watch this is Sergey Martinson. He plays the puppet king.
His face is made of rubber. I am convinced of it.
He does these expressions that don’t even look human. He is constantly bugging his eyes out or twisting his mouth.
It’s funny for a while, but then it becomes a little bit exhausting. You want to reach into the screen and tell him to just blink once.
There is a scene where he is trying to learn how to walk like a king. He keeps tripping over his own cape.
It goes on for way too long. But it’s one of those things where it stays funny, then gets boring, then becomes funny again because of how long it lasts.
This movie has way more energy than other films from 1934. I recently saw Jealousy and that felt like a slow walk through a library compared to this.
Marionettes feels like a circus. People are always running or shouting or pointing.
There is a lot of military imagery too. The soldiers wear these uniforms that look incredibly itchy.
I noticed one guy in the back of a crowd scene who was wearing a helmet that was clearly too big for him. He kept having to tilt his head back so he could see.
It’s those little details that make these old movies feel real, even when the plot is totally ridiculous.
There is a scene with a bunch of maps and globes. It feels very serious for about two seconds, and then someone falls over.
I think the movie is trying to say that these powerful men are actually just children playing with toys. It isn't subtle.
At one point, there is a shot of a crowd that looks like it was filmed in a completely different city. The lighting doesn't match at all.
It’s a bit like Tumbleweeds in that it feels like a relic of a time when movie-making rules weren't really finished yet.
I don't think I would watch this twice. Once was enough to get the idea.
It’s a political pamphlet that someone turned into a comedy. It’s loud and it’s messy.
But it’s also kind of fascinating to see what made people laugh back then. Or what the government wanted them to laugh at.
The ending feels very abrupt. It just sort of stops once the point has been made.
Anyway, if you want a 1930s movie that feels like a punch in the face, this is the one.
IMDb —
1930
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