Item: Miss Evelyne, die Badefee
Rating: 7
Author: Archivist John

So, is this worth your time today? If you're the kind of person who gets a kick out of seeing how people lived—and swam—a hundred years ago, then yeah. It’s a total trip. But if you're looking for a tight plot or something that makes sense, you're probably gonna hate it. It’s definitely for the silent film nerds. 🏖️ I sat down with Miss Evelyne, die Badefee thinking it would be a standard rom-com. It kind of is, but it's also just... messy? In a way that feels human. Karl Peukert is the lead here. He has this face that always looks like he just remembered he left the stove on. He spends a lot of time reacting to things. Sometimes he reacts so hard his whole body shakes. It’s that specific silent movie acting where you have to show the people in the back row exactly what you're thinking. I kept thinking about Überfall while watching this. Not because they are the same genre, but because both movies have this jerky, nervous energy that you only get from this era of film. The 'plot' involves a bathing fairy. Which is exactly what it sounds like. There is a lot of splashing. And I mean a lot. I honestly spent most of the movie staring at the costumes. Those striped bathing suits are incredible. They look like they would weigh about fifty pounds once they get wet. I don't know how anyone actually stayed afloat in those things without drowning immediately. It reminded me of the weird visual choices in Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend: Bug Vaudeville. Just that sense of 'let's try this and see if it looks cool on camera.' Bobby Todd shows up too. He’s got such a great comedic face. He doesn't even have to do much. He just stands there and you kind of want to giggle at him. There’s this one scene where a group of them are running toward the water. The film is grainy and a bit damaged, so they look like ghosts chasing a wave. It’s a bit eerie if you think about it too long. Everyone in this movie is long gone, but here they are, forever jumping into the ocean. The writing by Norman Dix is... well, it’s thin. But you don't really watch a 'Bathing Fairy' movie for the deep dialogue intertitles. You watch it to see people fall over and get into trouble. There’s a moment where a character trips over a sand dune. It looks like a real accident. Like, the actor actually ate sand. But they just kept the cameras rolling because film was expensive and they weren't going to waste a take. I love those little mistakes. It makes the movie feel less like a product and more like a bunch of friends making something on a weekend. It’s definitely not as polished as Black Friday. But it has more heart in its little finger than some of the bigger productions. One thing that bugged me was the pacing. It feels like it should be twenty minutes, but it drags in the middle. They spend way too long on a scene involving a picnic. We get it. They are eating. Move on! 🥪 Also, the camera work is pretty static. It just sits there and watches. But maybe that’s okay. It’s like looking through a window into 1921. I noticed some of the background extras looking directly at the camera. You can tell they weren't used to being in a movie. One guy in the back just stops and stares for like five seconds. It’s hilarious. If you’ve seen Screen Follies No. 2, you know how these old variety-style films can be. This one is a bit more focused than that, but not by much. The ending doesn't really wrap things up. It just sort of fades out while everyone is still smiling. It’s a very 'whatever' kind of ending. I didn't mind it. Overall, it's a weird little piece of history. It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s fun if you’re in the right mood. Just don't expect it to change your life. It’s just a day at the beach from a century ago.