stefan_willa

Getting Gertie's Garter of 1927 is a typical comedy of errors. The plot is not surprising at all and mostly predictable. However it can get chaotic at times, especially when all three couples of the movie are appearing at the same time. The leading actors of the movie are Marie Prevost and Charles Ray who are acting quite well. However the character of Algie, played by Franklin Pangborn, is a bit weak compared to the others. As in all Pangborn movies, he is not really masculine, which does not quite fit his role in Getting Gertie's Garter. Overall, the movie is not a classic but it provides enough funny scenes to keep the audience entertained for an hour.

After watching a few films of her, I have to say Mary Pickford is not at her best in this movie. Mainly, this is because of the weak plot, which doesn't always seem to be coherent, especially the triangle love story, when you think about it. Furthermore, the film tries to be moralistic and funny at the same time, which doesn't seem to work really well either. However there are one or two funny scenes, whenever the washer family's mother is depicted. However, even there, it is just about exploiting stereotypes to get a few cheap laughs, or so it seems. In my opinion, one major problem are the monotone settings of the scenes, which do not vary enough to make the whole movie more interesting. All in all, it does only take an hour to watch it, but I think there are better films from 1918 than this one.

"Die Geschichte vom Brandner Kaspar" is another film adaption of a traditional Bavarian story rooted in the 19th century. It deals with very serious matters, such as intrigues, envy, murder, and loss of beloved family members. On the other hand it also includes love, forgiveness, and the knowledge that the little problems on earth do not really matter in the end. This is where the movie shows has its strength too. Bully Herbig achieves to impersonate death as belonging to human life, and therefore being very human. By the comic relief of his acting the movie connects depth and entertainment in a very palatable combination.

In my opinion this is one of the better German movies of the last ten years, and definitely worth watching. Even more so as it is set in a beautiful panoramic landscape: in the Bavarian mountains.