Pillars of Society (1935) is a weird, moody look at a man falling apart

Is it worth the time?

If you like old movies where secrets come back to haunt people, yeah, it’s worth it. It is especially cool if you want to see what Douglas Sirk was doing before he became the king of Hollywood melodramas.

People who like fast action or lots of jokes will probably hate this. It’s a lot of people in suits talking in rooms, but the rooms feel like they are closing in on them.

I honestly didn't expect to like it as much as I did. Usually, Ibsen plays on screen feel a bit stiff, like everyone is reading from a dusty book.

But Heinrich George, the guy playing Bernick, is such a massive presence. He doesn't just walk into a room; he sort of occupies it like a heavy piece of furniture.

He plays this guy who has built the town's hospital and basically owns everything. Everyone looks at him like he’s a god, which is always a sign that something is about to go wrong.

The American Problem

The whole plot kicks off when his sister-in-law, Lona, and her brother Johan come back from America. They are loud and they don't follow the rules of this tiny, stuffy town.

I loved how different they felt. They don't have that fake politeness that everyone else has.

Johan is the one who took the fall for Bernick years ago. Bernick basically let him take the blame for a scandal so he could keep his own reputation clean.

It’s one of those classic movie setups where you just know the lie is going to get too big to handle. The tension starts to build the second they step off the boat.

There is this one shot of the shipyard that looks incredible. The lighting is all harsh and moody. It reminded me a little of the atmosphere in He Who Gets Smacked, where everything feels a bit too dramatic but in a good way.

Bernick is trying to build a railway too, and he’s doing some shady stuff with the land. It’s funny how movie villains in the 30s were already obsessed with railways.

Small moments that stuck with me

I noticed this one scene where Bernick is sitting at his desk and he just looks tired. Not movie-tired, but actually exhausted by his own lies.

His wife is also really interesting, even though she doesn't get as much to do. She’s just living in this house of glass, trying not to break anything.

The movie does this thing where the weather seems to match Bernick’s mood. There’s a big storm coming, obviously.

The ships in the background of the shipyard scenes look like skeletons. I don't know if that was on purpose, but it felt very symbolic or whatever.

• The way the townspeople gossip is actually kind of scary.
• The costumes are very heavy-looking. Everyone looks like they are wearing ten pounds of wool.
• There is a ship called the "Indian Girl" that is basically a death trap.

It’s a bit weird seeing a German film from 1935 that is about Norwegian people, but you get used to it. The language is German, but the vibes are pure Ibsen.

Some of the dialogue is a bit much. Like, people don't really talk in long speeches about their honor anymore.

But when Johan threatens to tell the truth, you can see the sweat on Bernick's forehead. That part felt very real.

The ending (no spoilers)

The climax involves a ship and a storm, and it gets pretty intense for a movie this old. The special effects for the sea are obviously models, but they have this charm to them.

It’s way better than some of the other stuff from that era like Carnival Boat which felt a bit more generic. This has a real bite to it.

Bernick has to decide if he’s going to let his son go on this dangerous ship. It’s the first time he actually seems like a human being instead of a statue of a "Great Man."

I think the movie gets a little preachy at the very end. It stops being a character study and starts being a lesson.

Still, for a movie that is almost 90 years old, it kept me awake. I didn't even check my phone once while the big shipyard scenes were happening.

The lighting in the final scenes is just perfect. It’s all shadows and highlights, very expressionistic.

If you’re into the history of film, you can see the seeds of Douglas Sirk’s later style here. The way he uses the house to show how the characters are trapped.

Anyway, it's a solid watch if you're in the mood for something serious but not too long. Just don't expect a happy-go-lucky time. It's mostly about guilt and how it eats you up.

Actually, one more thing. The way the kids are used in the movie is a bit annoying. They are just there to be innocent and make the adults feel bad.

But that’s a small gripe. Heinrich George is the reason to watch this. He’s like a force of nature.

It’s definitely better than something like Vamping Venus which is just... well, it's something else entirely.

Overall, Pillars of Society is a good reminder that people have been lying about their success since forever. Nothing much has changed.