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5.6/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 5.6/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Mariutch remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Okay, so Mariutch is definitely not for everyone today. If you’re looking for a coherent story or anything remotely resembling modern cinema, you’ll probably hate it. But for history buffs, or just folks curious about how movies used to be, it’s a peculiar little peek into the past. 🤔
The whole thing feels like something you'd see at a nickelodeon show, not really a “movie” in our sense. It’s more an experience, you know?
The main ‘drama’ here is an Italian immigrant finding out his wife, Mariutch, is a hootchy-kootchy dancer. It’s played for laughs, I guess, but it felt a bit strange watching it now. The husband’s reaction shots are pretty classic, big eyes and a lot of hand-waving. It’s simple, almost cartoonish.
There’s no real depth to any of it. Just this setup, a little bit of discovery. You don't get much from Billy Murray, honestly, beyond being the reaction guy.
And then, out of nowhere, the film completely shifts gears. Suddenly, you get this ‘follow the bouncing ball’ segment for a sing-along. It’s for a song called “Mariutch Down at Coney Island.” 🎤
It’s wild to see that in a film. You spend a few minutes with this character, and then it’s like, “Okay, time to sing!” I kept wondering if audiences back then actually sang along, or just watched awkwardly. The print I watched had some fuzzy spots, made the lyrics a bit hard to follow at times.
The song itself is catchy in a old-timey way. Very much of its era. It really pulls you out of the ‘story’ part and into this interactive novelty act. It’s less a film, more a Vaudeville number captured on celluloid.
I guess it’s a testament to how creative filmmakers had to be before sound, before narrative was king. They were just trying anything to entertain people. And this, well, this certainly is something.
It’s a tiny time capsule. Worth a quick look if you're into that sort of thing. Don't expect to be moved, just amused by its sheer oddness. There is no other film quite like it, I think.