The Student of Prague (1913)
"Der Student von Prag" (original title)

A poor student rescues a beautiful countess and soon becomes obsessed with her. A sorcerer makes a deal with the young man to give him fabulous wealth and anything he wants, if he will sign... See full summary »

Directors:

Stellan Rye, Paul Wegener

Writers:

Hanns Heinz Ewers, Edgar Allan Poe (story),

Stars:

Paul Wegener, John Gottowt, Grete Berger

Cast

Credited cast:
Paul Wegener	...	Balduin
John Gottowt	...	Scapinelli
Grete Berger	...	Komtesse Margit
Lyda Salmonova	...	Lyduschka
Lothar Körner	...	Graf von Schwarzenberg
Fritz Weidemann	...	Baron Waldis-Schwarzenberg
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Hanns Heinz Ewers	...	Himself
Alexander Moissi

Storyline

A poor student rescues a beautiful countess and soon becomes obsessed with her. A sorcerer makes a deal with the young man to give him fabulous wealth and anything he wants, if he will sign his name to a contract. The student hurriedly signs the contract, but doesn't know what he's in for.

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Plot Keywords:

art horror | reference to satan | doppelganger | occult | haunting | 

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Genres:

Drama | Horror

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Details

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Release Date:

September 1913 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Bargain with Satan

Filming Locations:

Prague, Czech Republic

Company Credits

Production Co:

Deutsche Bioscop GmbH

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min 41 min (Alpha Video) 83 min (restored)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is sometimes considered to be the first horror film ever made.

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Connections

Version of E O Craque Marcou (1997)

User Reviews

Given that it was made in 1913, this is an exceptional film

A stupid young man becomes obsessed with a woman--so obsessed that he loses perspective and common sense. An evil magician approaches him and informs him he can give him great wealth that he can use to win the lady's heart IF he agrees to give him anything he wants that's within their room. The dumb guy agrees and the magician steals the man's reflection out of the mirror--and bad things naturally occur as a result.

If this film had been made just a decade later, I am sure I wouldn't have been so charitable in reviewing and scoring this film. After all, the film's plot is a bit vague in spots and the acting is, at times, a bit stilted. However, when you consider that in 1913 "full-length" films were rare--and often only 20 to 30 minutes long! Plus, the whole idea of a complex story like you get in this film is very unusual--as stories were very short and broadly acted. So, given the limitations of the time, this film is pretty good and is one of the earlier horror films known.