"Ghosts Before Breakfast" or "Vormittagsspuk" is a German short film that runs slightly over 6 minutes. As this one was made almost 90 years ago, it is still silent and black-and-white. Sound films and color were still fairly rare back at this point. It is a solid experimental movie. I may be a bit biased as I am not that big on the genre of experimentalism in movies, but some of the visual effects and camera tricks (relapse, acceleration) made for a decent watch. Still, I must say it is basically the same what Méliès has done 30 years earlier already, only with better material and advanced technology, but not really with innovative idea except maybe 2 or 3 scenes. All in all, a fairly mediocre watch and I can't recommend it.

With having enjoyed director Hans Richter's Filmstudie,I started searching round for other work by Richter,and found a movie which had almost been lost.The plot:Four bowler hats fly in the sky as a man puts on a tie,and a gunshot causes a man's head to fly in the air.View on the film:Barely surviving an attempt by the Nazis to completely destroy the film, (who destroyed the original soundtrack) director Hans Richter gives the title a surprisingly light comedic touch,thanks to Ritcher showing a real joy in making everything from hats to human heads act in the opposite manner they are supposed to.Putting everything up in the air,Ritcher casts a delightfully off-beat atmosphere,thanks to stylishly overlapping photos with snappy stop-motion images to reveal all the ghosts before breakfast.

Hans Richter, noted for his abstract shorts, has everyday objects rebelling against their daily routine.This film was apparently destroyed by the Nazis, with only some copies escaping without sound. And what a strange film it is. Maybe not the sensually decadent picture the Nazis thought it was, but weird. I can see Dali or Lynch finding a compatriot in Richter.Is there a message here? I do not know. Looks more like just a man having fun with his actors and a camera, but what do I know? I do know one thing: I have to look more into the films of Hans Richter, because they are just my style.

Ghosts Before Breakfast is a light-hearted and playful Dada film. Its imaginative images come at you in a nice steady rhythm. Those visuals incorporate a fair amount of trick photography and effects, and they are all done really well. The most indelible image in the film is the flying hats but there are many other repeat motives, such as revolvers and beard stroking intellectuals. Like Dada in general, there is a definite sense of humour. At times it's almost in slapstick territory. I suppose if Charlie Chaplin was to have made a Dada film then it might have looked something like this. Overall, this is a good example of a 1920's art-film with a comic touch. And like so many of its peers it easy to see its influence on modern Pop Art. Interesting to also note that the Nazi Party tried to destroy all copies of this film when the got into power in Germany not long after this was made. They considered it decadent - this should be taken as a recommendation.