Peer Gynt (1934): When a Heartthrob Met Ibsen

Is it worth your time?

If you enjoy cinematic curiosities that feel like a fever dream from a very specific, very strange period in history, sure. Watch this. But if you’re looking for a faithful take on Ibsen, you might want to look away. This is really just a showcase for Hans Albers to be his usual charismatic self, which feels wildly out of place next to the original text.

It’s a bizarre mix. You have these heavy, dramatic bones from the play, but the movie keeps trying to turn Peer into some kind of swashbuckling hero. It’s like watching The Beloved Rogue but with way more existential angst and way less sense.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Peer Gynt (1934) through its definitive frames.

The Albers Factor

Hans Albers is clearly the main event here. He’s got that wide grin and a swagger that says he’s just happy to be out of the office. Sometimes he’s genuinely magnetic. Other times, he feels like he wandered onto the wrong set and decided to just roll with it.

There’s a moment where he’s wandering around looking contemplative, and you can practically hear the director screaming for more 'heroic' energy. It doesn't quite land. The contrast between his 1930s heartthrob routine and the grim, snowy landscapes is just... a lot.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Peer Gynt (1934) through its definitive frames.

• The set design looks like it was borrowed from a high-budget play, which is fine, but it makes everything feel slightly staged.
• The supporting cast seems to be acting in a completely different movie.
• One scene in the mountains lasts way longer than it needs to. It’s almost hypnotic in its boredom.

It’s not quite as disjointed as Prince or Clown, but it shares that same weird energy where you aren't quite sure if you're laughing with the film or at it. You can tell they put a lot of money into this. It just feels like they spent it on the wrong things.

I found myself zoning out during the desert sequences. They’re meant to feel exotic, I guess? Instead, they just feel like a weird detour. It’s like the movie forgot it had a plot for about twenty minutes. 🏜️

Is it a masterpiece? Absolutely not. Is it a fascinating failure? Maybe. It’s one of those films where the ambition is so obvious it’s actually kind of sad. It’s trying so hard to be a big, sweeping adventure that it forgets to be human. It’s just... loud and shiny and a bit hollow.

Don’t go in expecting a life-changing experience. Go in because you want to see what happens when a studio decides to take a classic and force it into a mold that just doesn't fit. Sometimes that’s the most interesting part of movie history.