The Love Commandment (1928) - A weirdly sweet silent movie about a burglar

Is this worth watching today? Honestly, if you have a soft spot for silent films and you don't mind a plot that feels like it was written on a napkin during lunch, then yeah. It is a fun little time capsule. If you hate movies where rich people act like they know what's best for everyone else, you will probably want to throw something at your screen.

The whole thing kicks off in the dark. These two burglars are creeping around this fancy house, and for a second, it feels like a real thriller. Then the owner, this guy played by Werner Fuetterer, comes home early. He looks like he just stepped out of a very expensive bathtub.

One burglar jumps out a window, but the girl stays. That’s Lilian Harvey. She has these huge, expressive eyes that the camera just loves. She looks like a terrified rabbit caught in the headlights of a very posh car.

Instead of calling the cops, the owner decides he’s going to redeem her. It is such a weirdly arrogant move when you think about it. He just decides, on the spot, that he's going to change her whole life. It feels a bit like he's adopting a stray cat, but the cat is a person who was trying to steal his silver.

I found myself wondering if he was actually being kind or just incredibly bored. He’s a 'bon vivant,' which I guess is code for 'has way too much time and money.' He goes through this whole process of teaching her how to act. It reminded me a bit of the vibe in The Strong Man, where you have these very distinct, almost exaggerated character types.

There is this one moment where she tries to use the wrong fork or something, and he gives her this look. It’s not mean, but it’s so condescending. I kind of wanted her to just punch him and run away. But she doesn't, because this is a 1928 romance, I guess.

Then the movie takes this sharp turn into the sister's life. She has gambling debts. Like, a lot of them. This part of the movie feels like it belongs in a completely different film. It’s suddenly very serious and heavy. 🎲

The sister is played by Charlotte Susa, and she looks stressed out in every single frame. She takes money from some guy she shouldn't, and then she can't pay it back. It’s the classic 'web of lies' stuff. It slows the movie down quite a bit, to be honest.

I actually liked the parts with the burglars better. There’s a scene early on where they are whispering—well, 'silent whispering'—and you can really feel the tension. It’s much more interesting than the sister crying over her bank balance.

Lilian Harvey is the real reason to watch this, though. She has this energy that makes the rest of the cast look like they are standing still. Even when she’s just sitting there being 'redeemed,' she looks like she’s about to start a fire. She’s way more interesting than the guy who caught her.

The movie is a bit like It's the Old Army Game in how it balances comedy and drama, though it's not nearly as funny. It tries to be a bit of everything. A heist movie, a romance, a social drama, and a cautionary tale about gambling.

One reaction shot of the butler lingers for way too long. He’s just standing there with this tray, looking confused. I think the editor might have fallen asleep for a second. It made me laugh, but I don't think it was supposed to be funny.

The sets are really nice, though. The house looks like somewhere you’d actually want to break into. Lots of big curtains and shiny floors. It has that crisp look that some of these late silent films got right before sound came along and ruined the lighting for a few years.

I noticed that the guy’s 'lifestyle change' happens really fast. He goes from being this playboy to a serious mentor in about two scenes. It’s not very believable, but whatever. It moves the story along.

The whole conflict with the debt and the 'relation' who gives the sister money gets a bit muddled. I had to go back and check who was who. There are a lot of men in suits who look vaguely similar. Maybe it was just the print I was watching, but they all blended together after a while.

There’s a weird scene where they are all at a party, and the girl is trying to fit in. You can see her looking at her hands, making sure she’s holding her glass right. It’s a small detail, but it’s the best piece of acting in the whole movie. You really feel for her there. 🥂

Eventually, the two plots collide, and it gets a bit messy. The ending feels very rushed. Like, they had ten minutes of film left and three plot points to wrap up. Everything gets solved way too easily.

It’s not a deep movie. It’s not trying to say anything profound about the class system, even though it could have. It’s just a story about a girl, a guy, and some bad decisions. It’s fine. It’s totally fine.

If you've seen things like 13 Washington Square, you’ll recognize the rhythm here. It’s that comfortable, slightly predictable silent era pace. It’s like a warm blanket, even if the blanket has a few holes in it.

I think I liked it more than I expected to. Lilian Harvey just has that effect on people. You want her to win, even if the movie she’s in is a bit of a mess. 🌟

Don't expect a masterpiece. Just expect a decent way to spend an hour and a half. And maybe don't gamble if you're the sister of a rich guy who catches burglars. Seems like a bad idea.

Actually, the more I think about it, the more I wish the movie was just about the two burglars. Their chemistry in those first five minutes was better than the main romance. But I guess that wouldn't have been 'moral' enough for 1928.

Final thought: the mustache on Bruno Kastner is truly something to behold. It deserves its own billing in the credits. It’s very distracting in the best possible way.