Das Wachsfigurenkabinett (1924)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Directors:

Leo Birinsky
Paul Leni

Writer:

Henrik Galeen (writer)

Release Date:

February 1929 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Horror

Plot:

The owner of a Waxmuseum needs for three of his models stories to be told to the audience. For that reason he has hired a writer...

Plot Keywords:

Jack The Ripper | Killer | Wax Museum | Anthology | Villain

Cast

Emil Jannings	...	Harun al Raschid
Conrad Veidt	...	Ivan the Terrible
Werner Krauss	...	Jack the Ripper / Spring-Heeled Jack
William Dieterle	...	The Poet / Assad the Baker / A Russian Prince (as Wilhelm Dieterle)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Olga Belajeff	...	Eva-Maimune-Eine Bojarin
John Gottowt	...	Inhaber der Panoptikums
Georg John
Ernst Legal

Also Known As:

The Three Wax Works
Three Wax Men
Waxworks

Runtime:

65 min | USA:83 min (restored version)

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Filming Locations:

May-Atelier, Weißensee, Berlin, Germany

Company:

Neptune-Film A.G.

Trivia:

Originally there were four episodes planed, but for the fourth, "Rinaldo Rinaldini," there wasn't any money left.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Kingdom of Shadows (1998) (V)

Child of Caligari

'Waxworks' is an early example in film history of a movie that's clearly in homage to another film--in this case, 'The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari' (1920). The expressionistic stylization in the film is obviously influenced by 'Caligari,' and a few references to that film reinforces that, beginning with the title. The literal translation of 'Das Wachsfigurenkabinett' is 'The Wax Figures Cabinet'--the keyword being "cabinet." Additionally, the frame narrative is purposefully set at a carnival, although a more dimensional one than the stage setting in 'Caligari.'

The narrative structure is closer to Fritz Lang's 'Destiny' (1921), with the framing of three odd stories. 'Waxworks' has the clever device of a writer of the inner stories in the framing story. And, the three biggest stars of Weimer Germany (Emil Jannings, Conrad Veidt and Werner Krauss) play the historical villains and waxworks come alive in the inner stories. For the three inner stories, a different expressionistic technique dominates, each relating to and enhancing their respective themes. In the Harus al Raschid narrative featuring Jannings, it's the sets--Paul Leni's foray--with oddly shaped architecture more akin to 'Caligari' than Baghdad. Especially nice is the staircase set. Rather than the horrific, surreal abstraction of 'Caligari,' however, the sets are delightfully peculiar, as is Jannings and the silly story. Low-key lighting dominates the Ivan the Terrible episode featuring a darkly paranoid Veidt, and the multiple exposure kaleidoscope imagery places Krauss' stalking serial killer everywhere.

A clever film, and Leni and the other filmmakers seem to have had fun with it, which crosses over to viewers, but beyond that it's rather lackluster, not emotionally engaging as 'Destiny,' nor stunningly fresh as 'Caligari.'