A funny and fairy-tale early film from the time when the great Ernst Lubitsch was still a young and unknown film-maker. The story is derived from a tale by E.T.A. Hoffman and is about the clumsy Lancelot who doesn’t want to marry despite the insistence of his rich and noble uncle. The uncle offers him the prospect of a large dowry, but Lancelot flees to a monastery. The avaricious monks persuade Lancelot to marry a doll so they can claim the dowry and Lancelot can really remain a bachelor. The assistant of the master puppeteer messes up Lancelot’s mechanical bride at the last minute, so the daughter of the puppeteer takes her place. The viewer is expected not to see the difference between doll and person and this film stands close to its enchanting predecessors in film history.
