"Der Schatz" or "The Treasure" is a German black-and-white silent film from 1923, so not that long anymore until the movie has its 100th anniversary. The film runs for roughly 80 minutes, so looking at the era itself, it is not one of the longest or shortest German films from that time. And there were really many. The only reason why this one here is still somewhat known today, almost a century later is writer and director Georg Wilhelm Pabst, one of the most respected German filmmakers from the 1920s and you can probably even cut the "German". Pretty much all the cast members have respectable bodies of work and appeared in a handful other classics too. The one that is most known to me is Werner Krauss for sure, even if he is far from first-billed here. But looking at the cast, I must say this was a missed opportunity. I was never really interested in the treasure this film is about or in any of the main characters. I would not blame the actors, but mostly the script. It was not an engaging watch and I never felt as if I cared what happened to any of the protagonists. That's why I give it a thumbs-down and only recommend ti to the most die-hard fans of German silent film.
Review of The Treasure
