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4.5/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 4.5/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. The Riders of German East Africa remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Honestly? Probably not, unless you’re a total history nut or you have a strange fascination with 1930s German cinema. If you like your movies fast and punchy, skip it. If you want to see a very specific, very heavy-handed version of duty, well, here you go. 🍿
The whole premise is that these guys in Africa realize the Fatherland is in trouble and decide to just light their farms on fire. Like, the scenes of them burning everything down are meant to look heroic, but I just kept thinking about the property insurance.
It’s slow. Like, watching-paint-dry slow. There’s a lot of staring off into the distance while horses stand around looking confused. You get the feeling the director really loved the desert landscape, but eventually, you just want them to start moving or stop talking.
Sometimes a scene will just end abruptly, like they ran out of film. It’s jarring, but honestly, it’s usually a relief. I found myself checking my watch every ten minutes, which is never a great sign.
If you're looking for something with a bit more grit, you’d be better off digging into something like The Bushranger. It’s got a totally different vibe, obviously, but it feels like it actually knows what kind of movie it’s trying to be.
It tries so hard to make these people seem like saints. But mostly, it’s just a bunch of guys in riding gear being very serious about things that happened a long time ago. It doesn't have the kinetic energy of something like The Secret Code, which at least keeps the gears turning.
It’s not a complete disaster, but it’s definitely not something I’d put on a 'must-watch' list. It feels like a relic. And sometimes, relics are better off left on the shelf. 🤷♂️
