This film of G. W. Pabst although far from being one of his best, lays claim to being the first attempt to bring together Expressionism and the psychological theories being expounded at the time by Siegmund Freud and his contemporaries. Producer Hans Neumann much admired Freud's seminal 'Interpretations of Dreams' but faced with Freud's reluctance to become involved he recruited two of his assistants as 'technical advisors'.
Suffice to say it is the dream sequence, filmed in the style of the French avant-garde, that is the source of the film's notoriety, not to mention its menacing images of razors and knives. These elements were to prove influential, not least in the extraordinary 'knife' scene from Hitchcock's 'Blackmail' and perhaps in Salvador Dali's contribution to the same director's 'Spellbound'.
The central figure here is played by the brilliant but controversial Werner Krauss who was never able to shake off the stigma of his collaboration with the Nazis and who, despite the admiration of his fellow actors, was to die in obscurity.
The weakness here lies in the discrepancy in his age and that of his gorgeous young wife played by Ruth Weyher, especially as they are referred to in the script as having been childhood sweethearts!
As the film had a documentary purpose it was marketed by UFA's 'Kulturfilm' department and despite its visual attractions and technical expertise the psychoanalytical aspect is somewhat simplistic and it is hardly surprising that the eminent Dr. Freud distanced himself from it.
