A peculiar mash-up of German Expressionist influence and Lon Chaney-style melodrama. Fejos' is such an interesting filmmaker I'm surprised he's not mentioned more often between this and especially Lonesome. Many of the visuals bring to mind a lot of Murnau's work. Conrad Veidt is mesmeric as always, occasionally bringing to mind Dr. Mabuse of all things. The plot seems very much in the same style as most of Lon Chaney's MGM output, particularly The Unknown, Laugh Clown Laugh, and a bit of The Unholy Three. I wouldn't be surprised if this was a vehicle for Chaney to be lured back to Universal, but Veidt was very much their Chaney replacement after The Man Who Laughs. Peculiar film, both worth seeking out. And it's only an hour!
A peculiar mash-up of German Expressionist influence and Lon Chaney-style melodrama. Fejos' is such an interesting filmmaker I'm surprised he's not mentioned more often between this and especially Lonesome. Many of the visuals bring to mind a lot of Murnau's work. Conrad Veidt is mesmeric as always, occasionally bringing to mind Dr. Mabuse of all things. The plot seems very much in the same style as most of Lon Chaney's MGM output, particularly The Unknown, Laugh Clown Laugh, and a bit of The Unholy Three. I wouldn't be surprised if this was a vehicle for Chaney to be lured back to Universal, but Veidt was very much their Chaney replacement after The Man Who Laughs. Peculiar film, both worth seeking out. And it's only an hour!
