Waxworks (1924) User Reviews

Paul Leni's Seldom-Seen Anthology Homage to Caligari

[gftbiloxi · 8/10 · 9 April 2005]

In the wake of World War I, German film was sharply influenced by expressionism, an arts movement which is less concerned with imitating reality than in using design to reflect psychology and emotion. THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI brought the style to the screen in 1919, and throughout the 1920s many directors would create projects under its influence.

German director Paul Leni (1885-1929) was one such--and although he is best recalled for his later Hollywood films, most notably the stylish THE CAT AND THE CANARY, the 1924 German WAXWORKS shows him very near the peak of gifts. It is also very clearly an homage of sorts to THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI; not only would Leni cast two of that film's actors in major roles, he drew from the film's style for both sets and cinematography.

WAXWORKS is an "anthology" film, a collection of stories bound together by a running thread. A young writer (William Dieterle) is employed by a carnival sideshow wax museum to write stories about several of their figures: a Baghdad Caliph, Ivan the Terrible, and Spring Heeled Jack. As he writes, the film segues into the story the writer invents.

The longest of the three stories concerns Harun al Raschid, a Caliph of Baghdad who falls in love with a baker's wife--and then seeks to take her for his own. Featuring the celebrated Emil Jannings as the Caliph, the episode is a mixture of light comedy and Arabian Nights fantasy, particularly noted for the greatly stylized sets that recall the earlier CALIGARI and THE GOLEM to somewhat softer effect. It also offers the very rare opportunity to see Jannings, famed for his dramatic roles, in comic mode, and he proves equally adept with this bit of fluff as with his more "serious" work.

The second episode is a fantasy suggested by Russian ruler Ivan the Terrible, who delights in poisoning prisoners but finds himself fearful of his highly gifted poison-mixer. Ivan is played by Conrad Veidt, who appeared as the murderous Cesare in CALIGARI; one of Germany's most popular actors of the silent screen, Veidt was also noted for his gift at playing insanity, and his Ivan is the very incarnation of madness. As in the earlier episode, the sets are also fantastic, although perhaps not so obviously so.

Fine though the first two sequences are, it is really the last that is most famous, and justly so. Here Leni sets the story against the carnival itself and presents it in grotesque, dreamlike images that very deliberately recall CALIGARI; moreover, he casts actor William Dieterle, who played Caligari himself, as a menacing killer who slowly stalks his terrified victims. The killer is referred to as both Spring Heeled Jack and Jack the Ripper; clearly, however, he is more akin to the latter. The cinematography in this sequence is particularly fine, using multiple exposures in a way that foreshadows Leni's stylish THE CAT AND THE CANARY.

In an overall sense, WAXWORKS is quite fine, and were it not for the fact the final sequence is so short I would easily give it a full five stars. The Kino DVD also offers a very good transfer, complete with original tinting; unfortunately, however, it offers no bonus material except a Leni short--an unexpected but mildly interesting "filmed crossword puzzle." Although some may find the anthology nature of the film a bit off-putting, silent fans will likely love WAXWORKS from start to finish.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

"Can you write startling tales about these wax figures?"

[ackstasis · 8/10 · 9 August 2008]

It's only when you begin to delve deeper into works of German Expressionism that you can appreciate how important and influential a film was 'The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920).' It demonstrated to filmmakers and audiences that cinema is an inherently artificial medium, and so, rather than striving for realism, films should emphasise the fake and fantastic elements of their story. Though Frenchman Georges Méliès had first struck on this idea at the turn of the twentieth century, it was Robert Wiene's creative horror film that established German Expressionism as the defining artistic style of the 1920s, securing post-War Germany as cinema's most prominent innovator and paving the way for directors F.W. Murnau, Fritz Lang and Paul Leni {each of whom were later coaxed to Hollywood to share their expertise}. The hand of 'Caligari' is evident throughout 'Das Wachsfigurenkabinett / Waxworks (1924),' a fantasy/horror that is framed around a young writer's attempt to concoct thrilling tales to accompany three carnival waxwork characters - Harun al Raschid, Ivan the Terrible and Jack the Ripper.

Three names come to mind more readily than most when one considers silent German actors: Conrad Veidt {'The Man Who Laughs (1928)'}, Werner Krauss {'Herr Tartüff (1925)'} and, of course, Emil Jannings {'Faust (1926)'}. It's no surprise that both Veidt and Krauss had achieved their stardom with 'The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari' four years earlier, and the parallels between that film and 'Waxworks' stretch much further than the mere casting decisions. The film, co-directed by Paul Leni and Leo Birinsky, employs grossly-exaggerated art direction {the sets designed by Leni himself} and Helmar Lerski's imaginatively-warped cinematography to highlight the fantasy in each story, even though there are very few elements that would ordinarily be considered fantastic. Emil Jannings plays the rotund Harun al Raschid, the fifth Abbasid Caliph, with a loathsome repugnance that gradually gives way to a certain likability. When his intentions towards the beautiful Maimune (Olga Belajeff) are shown to be friendly rather than sexual, he becomes an affable and cartoonish oaf.

This segment is followed by the story of Ivan the Terrible (Conrad Veidt), who is driven to madness by the trickle of sand through an hour-glass, every falling grain bringing him closer to demise. Veidt plays the cruel Grand Prince of Moscow with a wide-eyed craziness that calls to mind the intense acting style of fellow-German Klaus Kinski. One of the earliest portrayals of Ivan the Terrible, this segment no doubt influenced Sergei Eisenstein when he directed 'Ivan the Terrible: Part I and II (1944).' The final story, definitely the scariest of the three, concerns Jack the Ripper – also referred to as the mythical Spring-Heeled Jack for some reason, perhaps due to a translation error. Though it barely runs for five minutes, I found my heart genuinely thumping as Jack (Werner Krauss) stalked through the dream-like haze of Luna Park, as the young writer (William Dieterle) and his girl (Olga Belajeff) flee from his multiple eerie shadows, every step leading them ever-so-closer to the cold glint of his knife.

The framing device around which 'Waxworks' revolves unavoidably leads to a distracting unevenness of tone, the atmosphere fluctuating between light-hearted comedy and gruelling horror. Also rather frustrating is the fact that Jannings' segment, while certainly entertaining at a satisfactory level, is afforded so much screen-time, and yet Krauss' Jack the Ripper killing-spree is wrapped up in a matter of minutes. Since a fourth character tale, about Rinaldo Rinaldini, was scrapped due to budget constraints, I suspect that funding also played a role in reducing the third act. However much of an oddity it might be, 'Waxworks' is nevertheless a visual marvel, and no shortage of imagination has been expended on the strange and exciting set and costume designs. The film certainly impressed studios in Hollywood, for director Paul Leni was subsequently lured to the United States to continue his career, after which he notably directed 'The Cat and the Canary (1927)' and 'The Man Who Laughs (1928),' before his premature death in 1929.

nice silent movie!

[pioner-3 · 7/10 · 27 August 1999]

I really enjoyed that film. It's not a masterpiece, like "Caligari" or "Nosferatu", but a good fun film anyway. Veidt and Jannings are wonderful. The first part, about Haroun al Rashid (played by Emil Jannings), is very humorous (and funny as well), with well written plot. The second part, about Ivan the Terrible (played by Conrad Veidt), is, in contrast, very dark and depressing. In my humble opinion, it is much better than Eisenstein's movie (which also steals shamelessly from it); for sure, Veidt is better than Cherkasov. The third story is something really weird: it starts and suddenly ends, like the crew ran out of money.

So, a lot of humour in the first part, a lot of "Russian gothic" ;-) in the second part, good acting, good plot, great sets -- if you like silent movies (especially expressionist silent movies), don't miss this one!

P.S. If you like silent movies and still haven't seen "Cabinet of Doctor Kaligari" and "Nosferatu, symphony of horror", see them first -- they are better than "Waxworks"!

Interesting & Generally Creative

[Snow Leopard · 20 October 2004]

This interesting and generally creative silent horror movie is really not all that tense or suspenseful, but it has some interesting stories and characters, and the distinctive expressionistic settings add considerably to the atmosphere. The three stories told about the "Waxworks" all have their own strengths.

It's rather interesting to see Emil Jannings as the Caliph in the first sequence. It's hard not to associate Jannings with the serious characters he played in "The Blue Angel" and "The Last Laugh", yet here he quite successfully portrays the Caliph as something of a buffoon. This story is the lightest of the three, yet it works well due to some creative touches.

The Ivan the Terrible sequence features an interesting, if rather far-fetched, story and a pretty good performance by Conrad Veidt as Ivan. The last sequence, with Spring-Heeled Jack, comes the closest to producing real fear, and it's just unfortunate that it was not more fully developed.

The biggest strength of "Waxworks" is its settings, which establish the right atmosphere and lend an aura of the bizarre that helps the stories to be more convincing. Overall, while not in the class of the finest silent horror classics, this works quite well as lighter entertainment.

Child of Caligari

[Cineanalyst · 7/10 · 6 November 2005]

"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 Weimar cinema (Emil Jannings, Conrad Veidt and Werner Krauss) play the historical villains and waxworks come alive in the inner stories. For the three 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 sphere) with oddly shaped architecture more akin to "Caligari' than Baghdad. Especially nice is the staircase set. Rather than the horrific, dreamlike 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's 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".

The great-, great-, great-, great-grandfather of horror anthology films

[Coventry · 6/10 · 26 August 2020]

I don't want to be harsh or negative on movies from the silent era because, after all, they were the true pioneers, but some of them are really an ordeal to struggle through. "Waxworks", for instance, is much more fascinating from a 'historical value' point of view than from an 'entertainment' angle. The concept of the film is brilliant, and the names of the people involved are downright amazing! It seems as if everyone who was even remotely important during the German expressionism era was partaking in this film. Director Paul Leni! Cast members Werner Krauss, Emil Jannings, William Dieterle, Conrad Veidt! What a cast! And the plot is so unique I even daresay "Waxworks" was the one and only forefather of the horror omnibus/anthology concept. The genius "Dead of Night" (1945) might have been a much better film, but "Waxworks" must have been the first. The wraparound story is great, too. The resident wax-sculptor of a traveling carnival places an ad in the paper, looking for a writer to fantasize imaginative stories for his creations. The charming young man who presents himself doesn't only invent stories about the statues, but also processes himself and the sculptor's beautiful daughter in them.

So far, so good. I truly wished I could say that the three individual segments were little masterpieces, but alas. They actually are rather dull, incomprehensible and - in case of the first two - unnecessarily overlong. The first tale stars the Emil Jannings as the Caliph of Bagdad, and he's trying to woo the lovely wife of a simple baker. The baker, crazy jealous, wants to prove his manhood by breaking into to the palace and steal the Caliph's wishing ring. The premise is interesting enough, but the story lasts far too long. The second tale stars my favorite actor from the silent era, Conrad Veidt, as the Russian Czar Ivan the Terrible. As much as I admire Veidt's charismatic looks and his facial expressions of pure madness, I honestly can't guess what the point of the tale was. It seems like the Czar is just abusing his power at a wedding party, terrorizing all the other guest, but eventually he believes he was poisoned and spends the rest of his days tipping over a (zandloper). Then, you notice there's less than five minutes of running time left, but there supposedly still comes a segment with Werner Krauss as Jack the Ripper. This is, however, merely an insignificant epilogue and I was quite disappointed by that.

"Waxworks" features beautiful color schemes and imaginative decors, typical of German expressionism, but the pacing is too slow, and the stories are sadly unmemorable. Personally, I wouldn't recommend this film to people who aren't yet acquainted with silent cinema, especially since there are numerous of other genuine masterpieces to discover ("The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari", "Faust", "Der Golem", ...)

WAXWORKS (Paul Leni, 1924) ***

[Bunuel1976 · 7/10 · 29 October 2006]

As it happens, this is yet another faux horror film from director Paul Leni - but, then, it's mentioned in every book on the genre I have, so this common misconception has probably more to do with the authors than with the films themselves having been sold back in the day as such! Anyway, this factor had certainly marked my initial viewing of the film - which, again, I had found rather disappointing; a second look reaps rewards in that it can be taken for what it is - and not for what it's been played up to be over the years! That said, the film started cinema's macabre interest in wax museums which, by and large, endures to this day...

The premise itself is undeniably interesting: a young writer is asked to concoct blood-curdling tales about famous historical figures (we're not told what they are for, but I'd assume that the fairground owner would relate these tales on a stage to draw the crowds in). Initially it was intended to be a four-part film with the characters being Caliph Haroun-al-Raschid, Czar Ivan "The Terrible", Jack The Ripper (dubbed "Spring-Heeled Jack"!; is that how the notorious serial killer was known in the U.S.?) and highwayman Rinaldo Rinaldini; eventually, the whole section relating to the latter was dropped (but I'm curious to know who had been cast in this role - his wax figure is still visible in the linking narrative, but I couldn't discern the 'actor' whom it was supposed to look like!).

The Haroun-al-Raschid episode is the first, longest and least 'horrific': in fact, it's outright comedy for the most part, with Emil Jannings' obese and perennially grimacing Caliph flirting with the beautiful wife (Olga Belaieff) of poor but jealous baker Wilhelm Dieterle; the latter, meanwhile, is scolded by the girl for their poverty and colorless lifestyle - so he contrives to break into the Caliph's palace and steal his "wishing ring". What he doesn't know is that the figure in the Caliph's bed is made of wax: he cuts the hand and takes it to his wife (who is concealing the real Caliph inside her husband's oven!), pursued by the palace guards; the wife, then, pulls a magic trick by 'summoning' the Caliph intact - but asks the latter to reward her husband by making him his personal baker! The sets (designed by Leni himself) for this episode are spectacular, and they're made even more arresting by being filtered through the director's Expressionist sensibilities - so that everything appears distorted and generally exaggerated. This entire Arabian Nights set-up apparently inspired Douglas Fairbanks to make THE THIEF OF BAGDAD (1924), and Kino provides a brief clip from that film for the sake of comparison.

The second episode - dealing with Czarist Russia at the time of Ivan "The Terrible" (embodied as a neurotic by Conrad Veidt, in a performance that anticipates the intense acting style that Klaus Kinski would come to be known for!) - is the best, despite its extremely slow pace. Interestingly, the stylized look of this section of the film also foreshadows Sergei Eisenstein's awesome two-part version made some 20 years later (which even adopts the ruse of having Ivan change places with a subordinate in order to dodge an assassination attempt). The romantic leads of the first story (who are actually those of the linking narrative - Dieterle being the young writer and Belaieff the daughter of fairground owner John Gottowt) return here as a couple whose wedding is disrupted by Veidt, who takes a liking to the girl and has her abducted to his lair. The plot is resolved when Ivan's poison-mixer (this is how the Czar dispatches his enemies) is imprisoned by his own increasingly paranoid ruler, but the former takes his revenge by inscribing Ivan's name on a sandglass - the marker that a new victim has been poisoned and has an hour to live - after which the Czar, driven insane, keeps turning the hour-glass upside down in a desperate attempt to buy himself a little more time...! Again, apart from Veidt himself, the sets are the main thing here; the generally grim tone of this episode makes it borderline horror, which is only really achieved by the third - and, regrettably, shortest - segment.

The Jack The Ripper story (if so it can be called) actually ties in with the linking narrative, as the writer is stalked in the fairground tent itself by the knife-wielding maniac (incarnated by the resident villain of the German Expressionist movement, Werner Krauss); I say incarnated because the character isn't developed in any way, given that the episode lasts for barely 5 minutes (surely the horror fan's biggest bone of contention with this entertaining super-production) - still, the vision of his menacing shadowy figure superimposed, magnified and replicated all over the place is extremely effective and one of the undeniable highlights of the entire film.

The restored print of WAXWORKS presented here includes several tinted sequences which, though nicely done, draw too much attention to themselves and, worse, tend to obscure some of the details in the image!

Waxworks kinda works. It was semi entertaining watch.

[ironhorse_iv · 7/10 · 8 February 2020]

Clocking in at 83 minutes, this silent film directed by Paul Leni & Leo Birinsky might be quite possibly the first feature-length anthology type movie. It's not considered much as a horror movie like later other wax figures films were made out to be. The story is certainly not like 1933's 'Mystery of the Wax Museum', 1953 'House of Wax' nor the 1988 film with the same name where people disappear and end up as wax-coated corpses. Instead the film written by Henrik Galeen tells the story a young nameless poet (William Dieterle) hired to write a series of stories about the waxworks exhibits of the Caliph of Baghdad Harun al-Rashid (Emil Jannings), Ivan the Terrible (Conrad Veidt) and Jack the Ripper (Werner Krauss) in order to boost business at a carnival sideshow wax museum. As he writes, the film segues into the stories the young man has dreamt up with. The first being a comedic fantasy about a young baker Assad also played by William Dieterle having to steal the Caliph's ring, in order to get out of poverty. This 40 mins tale is told mediocre at best. Not only was the story pacing dragging in some areas. It was also uneven with its tone. The color tinting doesn't match the visuals that much. While I do know green means adventurous, it also makes the set look like it's shot in the jungle. I got Flintstone vibes because of that. I felt that yellow or orange would better fit the desert location rather than the opening inside of the wax museum carnival moments. That should had been black and white. Also, I don't know if I should be laughing at people wanting to murder each other by cutting limps while attempted adultery is going on. I felt more to giggle at the outlandish silly costumes that everybody was wearing; especially Jannings. The ending was a huge cop out with semi unfaithful nagging wife Maimune (Olga Belajeff) getting her wish. I kinda wanted a climax where they found other means to get out of poverty than having to steal and murder and the Caliph being oddly being alright with both. I felt that the story could had use the baking premise more to gain the leader trust through his stomach. It could make more sense that this ending. After all, he still could kill the theft and take his wife. Despite that, Janning seems to be having the time of his life with this role. However, it doesn't save the sequence from becoming a silly pantomime even if the German expressionist rounded bee hive clay houses sets are quite beautiful. Regardless a lot of people have said that this segment of the picture was the inspiration for the Douglas Fairbanks' film, 1924 'Thief of Bagdad'. However, that is impossible since Fairbanks movie premiered in February while 'Waxworks' did not receive its German release until November of the same year. It wasn't even released in America until 1926. It's more likely that Leni's film was influenced by 1921 Rudolph Valentino 'The Sheik'. Better yet, from Robert Wiene's 1920 film 'The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'. You see mostly in the second part. If the backgrounds for the first sequence rounded felt open and dreamlike. The Russian set is shape and cram. Near nightmarish. The wildly nonrealistic, geometrically absurd angles, along with designs painted on walls and floors to represent lights, shadows and objects match the mood of madness, insanity & betrayal as Ivan try to control his fate forever turning the hour glass after surviving an assassination attempt at a wedding. Conrad Veidt gives a harrowing, anemic performance here. This by far is the best moments of the film both in acting and visuals even if it went a little too long with 37 minutes. No wonder why Russian director Sergei Eisenstein would later use Veidt's model for his own historical drama rendition of the Czar in 1946. As for the Jack the Ripper sequence, the mind-bending array of distorted lens, shadow lighting effects and double exposures were all cool to see here. Yet I was disappointing that the sequence of him coming to live to haunted the poet didn't get that much screen time. 5 minutes in fact. The film's script by Henrik Galeen was even more shortened by Leni as it also drops the fourth tale in the anthology about a fictional robber Rinaldo Rinaldini who was to be played also by William Dieterle. I get why, it wouldn't match the semi historical fantasy figures tone of the movie. However, why did Leni leave that character in the beginning of the film and then turn the last character into Spring Heeled Jack if they weren't going for that. After all, Krauss's appearance doesn't even match the descriptions of the devilish folklore entity despite looking scary. I think there was a loss of cultures translations here between the German and English filmmakers. The anthology film is not so coherent. Overall: Once described as a lost movie, 'Waxworks' is now available on the internet for free. Some of them are rather beat up with grain, but still quite accepted. Nevertheless, if you really want a satisfactory print of the movie. Try the Kino version. It has the corrected original color tinted and speed. As for soundtracks. That DVD has an absolutely delightful piano score from Jon C. Mirsalis that captures the mood of the film exceedingly well. While vocalist Mike Patton of Faith No More fame had a very trippy weird live score for the silent film in other copies. I will stick to Mirsalis. In the end, this dark and intriguing stylistic exercise is still one of the most interesting films to come out of Germany's silent film industry. It also marks Leni's last film made in Europe before he fled from the Nazis to the United States before dying of blood poisoning in 1929. It's watchable, but not quite essential viewing.

3 movies for the price of 1.

[Boba_Fett1138 · 8/10 · 19 April 2008]

This is a movie that features 3 kind of different stories, when the owner of a wax museum hires a writer to write 3 stories for 3 of his models; Harun al Raschid, Ivan the Terrible and Jack the Ripper. It provides the movie with 3 different stories, set at different times and each with a new different main character, played by the finest 3 German actors of their time period. It's a very creative and interesting concept, also of course really when considering that this movie got made in 1924.

In order to keep all of the stories still somewhat connected and make the movie more coherent as a whole, all of the stories feature the two actors William Dieterle and Olga Belajeff, each time in different roles. But when you have 2 stories of about halve an hour and then another one of just 5 minutes, can you still really call this movie a coherent one? It can be presumed that budgeting reasons was the reason why the last story of the movie is so much shorter. It was originally even planned to shoot a fourth story about Rinaldo Rinaldini. The character can still be seen at the start of movie, standing between the other waxed characters. Even though all stories are different and set in completely different time periods, they still have the same overall style over it, which still is a reason why this movie still feels like a whole one.

All the episodes are good looking but the stories for it aren't always that interesting. Basically since it at times it kind of dragging and despite some early action and adventure elements, the movie still is sort of a lackluster. Well lack-lusting perhaps isn't the right way to describe it. It's more that it's not really engaging enough at all times.

But of course the looks and style of the movie compensate a lot. This is a real expressionistic German movie, with some fantastic distinctive expressionistic sets. That alone already makes this movie for the lovers of German expressionistic style an absolute must-see.

It's absolutely a great fact that this movie features Emil Jannings, Conrad Veidt and Werner Krauss, who were really the biggest, best known and best German actors of their time. The movie also features William Dieterle, who later gained more fame as a director of movies such as "The Life of Emile Zola" and the 1939 version of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame", with Charles Laughton.

It's basically a fun entertaining movie from the early '20's, that is truly worth watching for plenty of reasons.

8/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Herr Paul Leni's Most Well-Known Film During His German Period

[FerdinandVonGalitzien · 7/10 · 23 December 2011]

"Das Wachsfigurenkabinett" (1924) is Herr Paul Leni's most well-known film during his German period. Its probably the most representative of his artistic virtues, an oeuvre composed of three episodes ( although Herr Leni planned a fourth episode that never was done ) in where an imaginative writer ( Herr Wilhelm Dieterle ) applied for publicity work in a waxworks exhibition in which he is commanded to write startling tales about three different wax figures: Ivan the Terrible, Czar of all the Russias ( Herr Conrad Veidt ), Haroun Al Raschid, Caliph of Bagdad ( Herr Emil Jannings ) und the murderer Spring Heeled Jack ( Herr Werner Krauss ). The young writer and the showman's daughter ( Frau Olga Belejeff ) link the three different episodes.

The three episodes are stylistically and technically very different from each other and certainly Herr Leni explored his most imaginative resources and fond subjects ( oneiric décors connected with fantastic subjects ) using them appropriately to fit the characteristics of the story depicted in the episode in question.

The first one, which relates the story of the satyr and easy-going Caliph of Bagdad, features the beautiful and evocative décors that apprehend the necessary mood for an episode in which humour and parody over the iconic Western view of an idealized Arab atmosphere. The classic adventures that inspired them, is in the air, benefiting the episode with such exaggerated tastes which are absolutely charming; Herr Jannings certainly enjoys a lot such parody role.

The second episode depicts Ivan the terrible as a merciless monarch who ruled the Russian empire with an iron fist by subjecting the citizens to severe cruelty. This time Herr Leni combine drama with fantastic elements, achieving a bizarre and disturbing atmosphere. Again a superb actor, as it happened in the preceding episode steals the picture thanks to his magnetic and fascinating presence.

Once again, the décors are outstanding although this time Herr Leni uses these in a "conventional" way. That is to say, in order to illustrate in a careful and more realistic way, the characteristics of the Russian empire of the time, the German director leaves the most fantastic aspects of the story for the torture chamber sequences and its terrible ending.

The third episode is Expressionism at its best, or maybe this Herr Graf should say that is a homage to Expressionism (on the other hand, the same that happens with the other two episodes in where the main subject are treated in a hyperbolic stylistic way ).

This time, the imaginative writer has a terrible nightmare in which he is chased by Spring Heeled Jack. Herr Leni takes advantage of such an oneiric atmosphere in an episode that technically is more complex than the other two. He uses double exposures and special effects in a continuous nightmarish sequence in which quintessential "Expressionism" is displayed in an effective and accomplished way.

"Das Wachsfigurenkabinett" is certainly a condensed version of Herr Leni's artistic achievements. It's an excellent example of his many skillful virtues and stylistic resources, stamped with his particular and fascinating own imaginary.

And now, if you'll allow me, I must temporarily take my leave because this German Count must remove in a Teutonic way the depilatory wax from the whole body of one of this Herr Graf's rich heiress.

You'd think this would be a lot better...

[planktonrules · 4/10 · 26 March 2011]

In the 1920s, the German film industry was one of the best producers of films in the world--making many films that were about as good as anything coming out of Hollywood. Because of this, I had relatively high expectations for this film. Sadly, however, despite this and a wonderful idea for a movie, "Waxworks" turned out to be, at best, a mediocre film--mostly because it was written so poorly and the stories all were so unsatisfying.

The idea behind "Waxworks" is that the owner of some wax figures wants a writer to come up with some great stories about each of his three figures in order to lure in the public. This anthology notion is pretty good...but the execution left so much to be desired.

The first story is about a Caliph in ancient times and this story is by far the longest of the three. It seems that this Caliph has fallen for the baker's wife and he sneaks in to make love to her. At the same time, the baker is sneaking in to the nearby palace to steal the Caliph's magic ring. Unable to get it off the hand easily, he chops off the Caliph's arm! Oddly, the Caliph just lays there--but at the same time he IS at the baker's house--what gives? This Middle Eastern set is interesting because some of the artistic style looks almost like a book by Dr. Seuss. Unfortunately, the story itself isn't particularly interesting even if it starred the world-famous Emil Jannings. Sadly, it's the best of the three.

The second story is about Ivan the Terrible. Oddly, the sets are VERY tiny--almost claustrophobic. And the story about Ivan, poison and madness just isn't interesting in the least.

The final about Spring Heeled Jack wasn't great but at least it was visually arresting. That's because, like "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari", it's a wonderful example of German Expressionism--with its crazy art style. It's all supposed to be a dream, so it makes sense that that they used this weird look.

Overall, the film looks pretty cool but the stories just bored me to death. I sure expected better writing.

Three Romantic Adventures in the World of Fantasy

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 21 December 2005]

A poet is hired by the owner of a wax museum in a circus to write tales about Harun al Raschid, Ivan the Terrible and Jack the Ripper. While writing, the poet and the daughter of the owner, Eva, fantasize the fantastic stories and fall in love for each other.

"Das Wachsfigurenkabinett" is an impressive and very creative movie, changing the colors in accordance with the environment and with amazing scenarios and funny stories. The acrobatic performance of the character Assad the Baker, jumping from a tower of the palace in Baghdad to a tree, is incredible. I did not understand why the genres horror and even thriller are listed for these three romantic adventures in the world of fantasy. I liked very much the first story, indeed very funny and naive; the second one is darker; and the very short third one is weird and romantic. The locations and the atmosphere are another attraction of this great unknown silent movie. I saw an excellent restored version with 83 minutes running time. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "O Gabinete das Figuras de Cera" ("The Chamber of the Wax Figures")

Nothing too memorable, but plenty of interesting visuals

[funkyfry · 6/10 · 3 August 2003]

Three stories, perhaps loosely based on those of O'Henry, set within the clever framing device of a man trying to compose the tales of 3 waxwork figures. He imagines himself and the owner's daughter in the stories, one of which is an Arabian Nights-type story in which he is a baker who has angered the Sultan (Jannings). He goes out to steal the Sultan's ring while the Sultan sets out to steal his wife, leaving a waxen copy of himself behind as insurance. The second story, with Veidt as Ivan the Terrible of Russia caught up in his own murderous schemes, is one-dimensional and obvious compared to the relatively witty first story; the last story, which features the hero and his girl being stalked by Jack the Ripper (Krauss) seems like it's over before it's begun. Impressive film techniques, but to me this movie is pretty uninspired compared to the better films in the gothic tradition from the period. The producers were astute in their decision to cast the genre star trio, but they tried too hard to make this movie too much like other films in its class, never letting it breathe its own air.

An early wax figure movie

[Johan_Wondering_on_Waves · 5/10 · 27 April 2015]

This movie predates The Mystery of the Wax Museum by 9 years. Where the latter is obviously horror/mystery/thriller/crime this German movie I would rank more in the fantasy genre with some mild horror elements. So the wax statues of Harun al Raschid, Ivan the Terrible and Jack the Ripper do not come to life for real only in the stories which are written and told by William Dieterle to his employee Olga Belajeff. Both of them play various roles in the 3 stories. The best story I thought was the first about the baker in the Far East who thought he had chopped of the arm of the sultan. I thought it was clever and humorous. The second story is about Ivan the Terrible is a lot darker but not so well executed, seems rather rushed. Conrad Veidt though is perfectly cast in this role. I have seen him also in Orlacs Hände and Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, really fine actor. The last story is too short and silly to rate. Good idea but I had preferred if they stuck to 1 story and made it more horror.

Wax theater

[chaos-rampant · 2 October 2011]

Usually in these Wax horrors, it's the notion of a life entombed in the body that is meant to unsettle, a life extended even into death (or is it the opposite?). This is the first of these films as far as I know - later came the two Houses of Wax, another Waxwork in '88, the Italian Wax Mask from an Argento story - and so the notion is more outdated, more novelistic. Each life a separate story and world, with clear boundaries between them, and acted out by the same couple that writes the stories back in the level of reality.

In Baghdad we get a romantic adventure where the Caliph falls for the baker's girl. Eventually she restores balance by summoning the dead Caliph from beyond the grave for the eyes of his awe-struck vassals. It's a ploy by which the status quo of the Arabian nights is maintained.

In Czarist Russia, the cruel czar who thought he would defy even death is faced with his own mortality. Instead of accepting this common fate, thus coming to understand that a king is also a common man and in so doing be rendered free of his own despotic bonds, he goes mad. It's again a ploy, the poison-maker's vengeance from beyond the grave. But he was mad to begin with, so it doesn't quite matter.

The final story that blends back into the wrap-around and brings us full circle, is about a notorious killer who stalks a man and his girl. This is the segment that strikes some spark; the urbane setting diffused as dreamy, expressionist poem. It's again a ploy, this time a dream - or nightmare.

Both Emil Jannings and Conrad Veidt, stars of what was then a booming film industry, relish the opportunity of playing scheming tyrants. But it's all harmless stuff.

Waxworks review

[JoeytheBrit · 6/10 · 30 June 2020]

Paul Leni's expressionist horror movie looks great, but it never really takes off in the way you expect. Future Hollywood director William Dieterle not only plays a writer hired to provide backstories for the sinister figures in a fairground was museum, but he also stars as the hero of those stories opposite the comely Olga Belajeff. But Emil Jannings and Conrad Veidt are the big guns here - respectively playing a randy Caliph and psychotic Ivan the Terrible - and both seem to be having a whale of a time.

Waxworks

[BandSAboutMovies · 7/10 · 5 October 2021]

This silent German film is one of the first -- if not the first anthology films, as it tells multiple stories comprising fantasy adventure, history and horror. The connecting story is about a writer accepting a job from a waxworks proprietor to write a series of tales about the exhibits in his wax museum, which include Harun al-Rashid, Ivan the Terrible and Jack the Ripper.

As a love of portmanteau, it's a thrill to see this film, which influenced Dead of Night and Black Sabbath, two movies that are thought to be the start of the horror anthology genre. And in the words of someone who knows way more about movies than me -- Troy Howarth -- "Of all the later horror anthologies, it seems to have had the most direct effect on Amicus' Torture Garden, which reused the waxworks motif."

There's also a moment in the Ivan the Terrible story where the writer claims that the conquerer turned cities into cemeteries, which made me smile and say, "They will make cemeteries their cathedrals and the cities will be your tombs."

The film has a great cast with plenty of history, including:

Emil Jannings, the first -- and only German -- recipient of the Academy Award for Best Actor for his roles in The Last Command and The Way of All Flesh. A fictional version of him appears and dies in Inglourious Basterds, which is fitting as Jannings' career ending after appearing in Axis propaganda films. He plays Harun al-Rashid from the Arabian Nights.

Conrad Veidt, who plays Ivan the Terrible, is probably best known for playing somnambulist Cesare in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and as the villain in The Man Who Laughs, which inspired the Joker. He was also a powerful medium and occultist in real life who finally went to Hollywood where he appeared in Whistling in the Dark, All Through the NIght, Abobe Suspicion and Casablanca.

Werner Krauss, who is both Jack the Ripper and -- spoiler -- Spring Heel Jack, was called the man of a thousand faces, the greatest actor of all time and a demonic genius, which is probably the most fitting description, as he was an unapologetic antisemite who supported the Nazi Party.

William Dieterle, who plays the writer, would come to America and make The Life of Emile Zola, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture, as well as movies like the film noir films The Accused and Dark City.

John Gottowt, the waxworks owner, also played Professor Bulwer, the Van Helsing role in Nosferatu. As a Jewish man, he was kept from making movies when the Nazis took over. He was murdered in 1942 by an SS officer when his disguise as a Roman Catholic priest was discovered.

Speaking of Nosferantu, this movie has the same writer, Henrik Galeen.

Co-director Paul Leni would make it to Hollywood, where he'd direct the second Charlie Chan movie, The Chinese Parrot, as well as The Man Who Laughs. The other director, Leo Birinsky, would go on to write and direct Flirtation, a precode film about the romantic adventures of a burlesque dancer.

The version that played Fantastic Fest has the score interpreted by PRD Mais, "a collection of young and talented percussionists who combine the rich musical heritage of Brazil with an innovative mindset shaped by a limitless range of contemporary influences."

Fantastic Fest @ Home is featuring a series of silent films reimagined with the music of five artists from GroundUp music. Beyond this film, there's also Aelita: Queen of Mars with a score by Snarky Puppy's Chris Bullock, Sirintip rescoring The Lost World, PRD Mais taking on Waxworks, Bob Lanzetti covering Nosferantu and House of Waters playing music for Menilmontant, Le Voyage dans la Lune and Ballet Mecanique.

A slight disappointment, given the promise shown by the final story

[tomgillespie2002 · 6/10 · 25 October 2012]

When a young writer (William Dieterle) sees an advert in the paper requesting somebody with a big imagination, he takes the job and finds himself in a wax museum, where the owner asks him to write stories about his three finest works. His models are of Harun al-Rashid, Ivan the Terrible, and Spring-Heeled Jack, and when Harun's arm accidentally drops off, the writer's imagination starts to wander, and he sets about telling his fantastical tales.

Although in essence a horror film, Waxworks is more of an anthology film, juggling genres and tones to fit the mood of the individual piece. While this can be an inventive and successful approach (Creepshow (1982), for example), it can also damage a film's flow if not carefully constructed, risking leaving one story in another's shadow if they also vary in quality. Waxworks suffers for this unfortunately, mainly due to the unevenness in the stories' running times, and the sudden shifts in tone. The stories increase in quality as the film goes on, which is a good thing, but in the case of Waxworks, it leaves a disappointing taste in the mouth given the running time of the final piece is within the blink of an eye.

The first story has German silent screen legend Emil Jannings playing Harun al-Rashid, who is informed by his adviser that the most beautiful woman he has ever seen (played by Olga Belajeff) is married to a baker in the city. Rashid goes to win the love of the beauty, but she has set her husband (Dieterle) off to prove himself as a man by stealing the wishing ring from Rashid. Taking a fantasy approach, this story also has a sprinkling of comedy. Jannings if a colossal beast, as you would expect, and brings his dramatic chops to a rarely-seen comedic role. Yet this section drags, and the beautiful expressionist sets don't manage to save it from becoming a silly pantomime.

Another German silent icon, Conrad Veidt, plays Ivan the Terrible in the second section, which focuses on Ivan's insane obsession with his potion maker, who can seemingly strike death upon anyone he chooses. It has all the wide-eye operatic tones of Sergei Eisenstein's own Ivan adaptations, with Veidt proving the perfect candidate for Ivan's descent into complete madness. And the final story sees the writer fall asleep at his desk and begin a creepy dream about being stalked by a killer (Werner Krauss) in the streets. It is the final story that remains the most impressive, but sadly only lasts about four minutes.

Weimar Germany brought some of the greatest screen icons and most innovative directors in cinema history to the fore during the free- spirited expressionist movement, and although by 1924 the movement was fading away, Waxworks has some fine examples. The winding, claustrophobic staircases of the city streets in the first story evoke the most popular film of the movement, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), and in a way, Waxworks almost feels like a homage to Robert Wiene's masterpiece, employing Krauss (who played the titular character) and Veidt who both starred. There is certainly a lot to admire here from a visual standpoint, but even three silent screen giants can't save it from being a slight disappointment, given the promise shown in the final story.

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Less known than Caligari, but just as good! (and Fritz Lang might have been proud, too!)

[thedarkhorizon · 7/10 · 29 February 2020]

I saw the restored English version in a newly digitalized edition and new music at Berlinale 2020. The sets, props, imagination and detailed costumes are just a feast for the eyes, I could watch this again and again. Sadly (I think because of the English edit, a shortened version from the German edit) 15 Minutes or so from the last of 3 parts is missing... therefore the last part feels kind of 'short'. Also the editing skills used in the film are super creative and experimental (overlays, multiple exposures, image compositions, ...)

I loved especially the first part, a oriental set, because it is super detailed.

The actors are sublime, especially the three main "wax figures" (and 'antagonists' of the story) put on a very present, detailed, expressive and humorous act... it still delights, even after 100 years! That is truly fascinating. I was very happy to see the whole movie.

I think this movie deserves a lot more attention instead of standing in the shadow of 'Caligari'. Hope it gets more exposure in the future!

Not Exactly Horror, But a Decent Story

[gavin6942 · 8/10 · 16 October 2011]

A poet is hired by the owner of a wax museum in a circus to write tales about Harun al Raschid, Ivan the Terrible and Jack the Ripper. While writing, the poet and the daughter of the owner, Eva, fantasize the fantastic stories and fall in love with each other.

Director Paul Leni tells three stories, with the great German actors Emil Jannings ("Last Laugh"), Werner Krauss ("Cabinet of Dr. Caligari") and Conrad Veidt ("Caligari") playing their roles. With this cast and director, you should expect greatness. Personally, I did not find it as great as it could have been, but this may be because I was expecting a horror film and because the film's quality was not what it could be.

Kino deserves a lot of credit for releasing this film, especially considering that they had to mix two different sources. The unfortunate part is how pixelated the film is. Even on a medium-sized TV, the squares are evident. Maybe this is unavoidable, but it does make the transfer look cheap. (To be fair, the version I saw in the theater looked no better.)

I am tempted to complain about historical accuracy, but I will not. I hope people know that Ivan the Terrible did not get obsessed with an hour glass and that Jack the Ripper never killed men. But, heck, who knows? I will say this: if you watch the film in a theater (which is quite a treat), the only way to do this is with live organ accompaniment. Please watch it like that, otherwise just rent or buy it. The Kino version comes with a nice Paul Leni short.

And keep in mind how influential this film was. All wax museum films can be traced back to it, and it is widely believed that "Thief of Baghdad" took its inspiration from this film.

Worth watching just for the final segment, the first(?) depiction of Jack the Ripper

[Zbigniew_Krycsiwiki · 6/10 · 30 October 2016]

A writer is hired to compose fantastical background stories for a trio of wax figures in a carnival in Luna Park, in another early anthology from the Weimar Republic.

The first segment is the longest, weakest of the three. An odd mix of comedy, fantasy, and expressionism, it takes up the entire first half of the film. Its interesting visuals can only carry it so far. The set design looks good, but the costumes look silly and comical, and it goes on far too long.

Its second segment, Ivan the Terrible, is an improvement, but the third segment, Jack the Ripper, is the most interesting, and make this worth watching. Grotesque, nightmarish visuals, and double exposures make this feel like The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, its similar title, and carnival setting add to it.

I was neither scared nor entertained

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 11 March 2016]

"Das Wachsfigurenkabinett" or "Waxworks" is a German silent film from 1924, so over 90 years old by now. Apparently, several versions exist as the runtime is sometimes stated slightly over 60 minutes while the version I watched had a little bit more then 80 minutes. In retrospective, I have to say I'd have preferred the 60-minute version. Birinsky, Leni and especially writer Galeen have worked on some pretty famous films from that era, but their collaboration here did not result in anything memorable. I thought the production values looked pretty weak here for the most part and this already destroyed every chance at a good horror movie because it is so essential for the genre, especially as they could not make up for it via great dialogue for example. The copy I watched was not of great quality, but I guess that's not the filmmakers' fault. At least, I have seen stuff from decades earlier that was more refined. So despite the inclusion of some pretty big names, this one here was a disappointment. I do not recommend watching it.

Restored version is spectacularly gorgeous! Still, the film overall is dull, though beautifully acted, directed, photographed; sets are the star.

[mmipyle · 8/10 · 9 June 2021]

I watched the recent (2019) release in the Eureka Masters of Cinema series, "Waxworks" (1924) (originally titled "Wachsfigurenkabinett"), directed by Paul Leni, with William Dieterle, Olga Belajeff, Emil Jannings, Conrad Veidt, Werner Krauss, Georg John, Ernst Legal, and John Gottowt. An original German release print no longer exists, so this was put together from several other prints, especially the British release, the intertitles of which were the basis for the reconstructed English titles here. Unfortunately, the original was probably at least 20-25 minutes longer, but only the final part of the three part story is truncated in any major way. What's unfortunate about that, however, is the fact that the final segment is by far the most creative and interesting.

The restoration is spectacular, with gorgeous tinting and very sharp and clear photography of magnificent expressionistic sets definitely derivative and showily imitative of "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" (1920). The plot begins in a carnival where a waxwork display needs stories to tell about the characters represented, the Caliph of Bagdad, Harun al Raschid (Emil Jannings), Ivan the Terrible, Czar (Conrad Veidt), and Spring-Heeled Jack, aka Jack the Ripper (Werner Krauss). William Dieterle plays the writer/poet hired to come up with stories which can be told about the characters in wax to glorify them with horror enough to open the eyes of the patron viewers. Dieterle also plays a baker to the Caliph, a Russian Prince during the Ivan the Terrible segment, and the dreamer of the dream during the Ripper segment. During all these segments Olga Belajeff is the female foil.

The show is so very derivative of "The Cabinet of Caligari" as to be slightly dull to those who might have seen its inspiring film. The first segment is too long and too slow. The second is slow, too, though Veidt is without question captivating with his magnetic eyes. The last segment is unbelievably imaginative for 1923/4, but, as mentioned, is now only surviving in a truncated version. Its use of multiple exposure is dream-like as it represents exactly that, a dream. The photography overall is the driving force for watching the film. Beautifully done by cinematographer Helmar Lerski, it perfectly imitates "Caligari", and even more so captures the bizarre rapture of the sets.

Though perfectly acted, aptly directed, photographed to perfection, the overall complex of the film is still dull. It's not stultifying in any sense, but, were it not considered in the framework of 1924 and silent film, this would only be a 5/6 out of 10. As it is, I'd rate it 8 stars out of 10. Jannings is always so good in his films, but here he just gets to be a fat Caliph who acts the fat Caliph with intents that are obvious, movements that are clichéd, and a story that's told as if to children, but heard before by the adults accompanying them. Veidt is marvelous, but we wonder what the point of the story is. The last story - well, it's told quickly because it's truncated. Who knows? It's still the best.

Avoid the version that has the commentary

[thedivinewoman · 6/10 · 22 June 2021]

I was given a copy of this movie as I love German Expressionism, but, unfortunately this version came with some bloke wittering on throughout the entire movie, or should I say, droning on as he just seemed to like the sound of his own voice and added nothing to the movie, in fact he was so distracting that I turned the sound off and watched this in silence.

It opens with a young man answering an ad for a writer at a waxworks attraction and after being introduced two three waxworks of real historical figures he is asked to write stories about them. The first, about Harun al Rachid is delightful, especially the conclusion. It is followed by a tale of Ivan the Terrible, his despicable deeds and his final descent into madness. Both the first and second tales are of decent length and entertaining and Emil Jannings and Conrad Veidt are their usual fantastic selves. However, the final part is strange, about a real person, but, partly mythical in his deeds, Spring Heeled Jack, it turned into a brief dream, or rather, nightmare sequence involving the poet and the girl who works at the Waxworks, it was incredibly brief and didn't give Werner Krause much to do, such a shame, and then it was all over. I know that over 20 minutes is missing from this version and that was probably from the final vignette, it might have been a good idea to give some explanation of the missing pieces to make sense of the final part, but, never mind.

Not the finest movie of the genre, but, helped by great performances and design. I would love to see a version with a decent score in place of the commentary though.

A lesser experience

[Leofwine_draca · 5/10 · 31 May 2022]

WAXWORKS (1924, original title Das Wachsfigurenkabinett) is another slice of German Expressionism, directed by Paul Leni, who made THE MAN WHO LAUGHS. It has a cast of horror superstars including Werner Krauss (THE CABINET OF DR CALIGARI), Emil Jannings (FAUST) and Conrad Veidt (THE HANDS OF ORLAC), and it's an anthology set in a spooky old wax museum to boot. Despite all these attributes, I found it a lesser experience than most silent horrors from this period.

For starters, this one leans towards fantasy rather than horror. The wraparound is about a writer who views the exhibits and imagines himself in them. The first story is of ancient Arabia, and an evil sultan pursuing pretty young girls. Fairly light and comedic, it goes on for half the running time. The second is better, with Veidt playing Ivan the Terrible, given over to torture and cruelty until fate steps in. This one's a bit better. The last and most explicitly horrific is about Jack the Ripper hunting down a new victim, but criminally this only lasts a few minutes, so only serves to whet the appetite. I hear a fourth story was planned but cancelled, so I think monetary constraints were at play here. A shame, as the visuals of this period are typically superior.