Murnau's follow-up to Nosferatu, Phantom stands as very peculiar film. A somewhat melodramatic tale of obsession, the Vertigo comparisons are quite apt, the film is filled with Murnau's usual entrancing imagery whether it be naturalistic or surrealistic. While I personally was fairly interested in the story, the pacing, the runtime, and Thea von Harbou's walls of text make this film a bit of a slog to get through. Alfred Abel, who plays the lead Lorenz, is a bizarre choice for this role as he clearly is a lot older than the young man the character is supposed to be. The performance is also quite enigmatic, but not in an interesting way, making the character far more of a cipher than an actual character. Despite the shortcomings, I'm still oddly fascinated and allured by this even lesser Murnau entry into his filmography.
Murnau's follow-up to Nosferatu, Phantom stands as very peculiar film. A somewhat melodramatic tale of obsession, the Vertigo comparisons are quite apt, the film is filled with Murnau's usual entrancing imagery whether it be naturalistic or surrealistic. While I personally was fairly interested in the story, the pacing, the runtime, and Thea von Harbou's walls of text make this film a bit of a slog to get through. Alfred Abel, who plays the lead Lorenz, is a bizarre choice for this role as he clearly is a lot older than the young man the character is supposed to be. The performance is also quite enigmatic, but not in an interesting way, making the character far more of a cipher than an actual character. Despite the shortcomings, I'm still oddly fascinated and allured by this even lesser Murnau entry into his filmography.
