Trenck: A heavy dose of Prussian drama

Is this for you?

If you have a thing for historical period pieces that feel like they were filmed in a theater from a century ago, you’ll probably find something to chew on here. If you’re looking for a brisk pace or something that doesn't treat 18th-century politics like a holy relic, you’re going to be bored out of your mind within twenty minutes. It’s very stately.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Trenck - Der Roman einer großen Liebe (1932) through its definitive frames.

Honestly, watching this felt like opening a trunk in an attic that hasn't been touched since my grandfather’s time. There’s a thick layer of dust on everything, including the acting.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Trenck - Der Roman einer großen Liebe (1932) through its definitive frames.

The Prussian Vibe

The film is obsessed with Frederick the Great. It wants you to know he was the boss. There’s a lot of posturing. Every time a character enters a room, they do it like they’re waiting for an applause that never comes. It reminded me a bit of the stuffy tension in The Eyes of the World, though much less interested in anything modern.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Trenck - Der Roman einer großen Liebe (1932) through its definitive frames.

The sets feel like painted cardboard. You can almost see the stagehand’s shadow in the corner if you squint hard enough. I kept waiting for someone to trip over a prop candle.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Trenck - Der Roman einer großen Liebe (1932) through its definitive frames.

Oddly Specific Notes

• The uniforms are absurdly pristine. Nobody in this war ever gets mud on their boots.
• I think one of the background actors was literally just standing there counting his breaths.
• The dialogue is so formal it sounds like they’re reading from a manual on how to be polite while plotting a betrayal.
• There’s a scene involving a letter that lasts about three years. Maybe five. It was long.

The whole thing is built around this "Great Love" premise, but honestly, the chemistry feels about as warm as a brick wall in January. It’s all about duty and duty and more duty. Maybe that was the point? I don't know.

It’s not trying to be The Thief of Bagdad, which is probably for the best. It’s a very grounded, very dry, very German sort of epic. It’s not necessarily bad, just incredibly distant.

Sometimes the camera just stays on a face for way too long. Just a guy looking sad near a window. Then he turns, walks out, and you’re left staring at the wall. It’s weirdly hypnotic in its emptiness. 🕰️

If you need something to fall asleep to, this is your winner. If you want to feel like a history professor who has lost his mind, you’ll love it.