“Schweik, having heard of the assassination of the Archduke chatters about Ferdinand and is arrested. He admits his crime but after a medical examination he is classified as an idiot. Called to arms, he is found to suffer from meningitis and is cured thanks to the intervention of the Baroness von Botzenheim. Discovered stealing a dog for the officer whose attendant he is, he is arrested and then taken for a Russian spy. Between one mishap and another Schweik finds a way to demonstrate his patriotism, for which he is then decorated. Three or four silent films on Schweik have been made, but this version by Lamac, based on the novel by Hasek (while the others are apocryphal) is the best: the atmosphere, setting and characters are perfect, they seem to rise out of the pages of the book. The dialogues are humorous, caustic and irresistibly satirical”.

(Vittorio Martinelli)