The Man Who Cheated Life (1926)
"Der Student von Prag" (original title)

For Balduin, going out to beer parties with his fellow students and fighting out disputes at the tip of the sword have lost their charms. He wants to find love; but how would he, a ... See full summary »

Director:

Henrik Galeen

Writers:

Hanns Heinz Ewers (novel), Henrik Galeen (book)

Stars:

Conrad Veidt, Elizza La Porta, Fritz Alberti

Cast

Cast overview:
Conrad Veidt	...	Balduin, ein Student
Elizza La Porta	...	Liduschka, Blumenmädchen (as Elizza la Porta)
Fritz Alberti	...	Graf Schwarzenberg
Agnes Esterhazy	...	Comtesse Margit, seine Tochter
Ferdinand von Alten	...	Baron Waldis-Schwarzenberg, Margits Vetter und Verlobter
Werner Krauss	...	Scapinelli, Wucherer
Erich Kober	...	Student
Max Maximilian	...	Student

Storyline

For Balduin, going out to beer parties with his fellow students and fighting out disputes at the tip of the sword have lost their charms. He wants to find love; but how would he, a penniless student, ever dare looking up to any woman worth of loving? Absorbed in his dreary thoughts and indifferent to the advances of Lyduschka, Balduin is unexpectedly offered a fortune by the mysterious money-lender Scapinelli - but on a strange condition...

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Plot Keywords:

remake | based on novel

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Genres:

Drama | Horror

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Details

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Release Date:

20 March 1927 (Finland)

Also Known As:

The Man Who Cheated Life

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sokal-Film GmbH

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min 91 min (DVD) 110 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Edited into Histoire(s) du cinéma: Le contrôle de l'univers (1998)

User Reviews

The Student Of Prague (1926) ***

This is a more elaborate, lavish and altogether satisfactory version of the above, with Conrad Veidt perfectly cast in the lead and with Werner Krauss also making for a menacing Scapinelli. The expressionistic elements are well in evidence here (director Henrik Galeen had written Murnau's NOSFERATU [1922] and, stylistically, the film does bear some resemblance to it): while not quite reaching the heights of, say, THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI (1919) and NOSFERATU itself, it's very much deserving of the reputation it enjoys in the horror film genre and, despite the shoddy print quality of the Alpha DVD, replete with missing frames (where are Kino when you need them?), I'm truly glad I was given an opportunity to watch this elusive classic from the Silent era after having read so much about it since childhood! Let's hope now that another highly-regarded (and much-filmed) Conrad Veidt vehicle, THE HANDS OF ORLAC (1925), also gets a DVD release soon...