by Hal Erickson
synopsis
This slow-moving German comedy was adapted from The Man Who Keeps Silent, a play by Fritz Friedmann-Frederich (who also directed the film version). Popular farceur Max Adelbert stars as the titular finance director, who finds that the future of his livelihood hinges upon his silence. The problem, of course, is that Adelbert loves to hear the sound of his own voice. But he also loves money, and thereby hangs a tale. Reviewers in 1931 carped that Der Herr Finanzdirektor looked more like a photographed stage play than a film, but this criticism could have been levelled against 75 percent of all films released that year.
