A Cashier in a bank in a small German town is alerted to the power of money by the visit of a rich Italian lady. He embezzles 60,000 Marks and leaves for the capital city, where he attempts to find satisfaction in politics, sport, love and religion.
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[The protagonist is] after “passion” but doesn’t seem to know how or where to find it—or even what it means. MIDNIGHT hinges on its design elements (setting, props, makeup); their strangeness grounds the film and provides its main interest. Otherwise, it’s quite static and stage-bound in its style.
3.1 stars. Neither as bewitched as 'Caligari' nor as atmospheric or haunting as 'Nosferatu', 'From Morning to Midnight' does however provide the starkest expression of post-WWI German spiritual dissolution. The ramshackle sets are almost punk in their aggressive crudity. Ernst Deutsch reminded me of Mark Heap at his most abject! Interestingly, 'The Forbidden Zone' & 'Vileness Fats' look more like this than other GE.