Waxworks (1924) 7/9

Directed by: Paul Leni & Leo Birinski

Emil Jannings - Harun al-Rashid, Caliph of Baghdad
Conrad Veidt - Ivan the Terrible
Werner Krauss - Jack the Ripper/Spring-heeled Jack
William Dieterle - The Poet

The owner of a waxworks ask a young writer to create a back story for three of the museums most popular attractions: the wax figures of an exuberant late 8th century Persian caliph, Harun al-Rashid, the tyrannical Russian Tzar Ivan the Terrible, and Victorian legend, Spring-heeled Jack (also referred to, confusingly, as Jack the Ripper in the film, although the two are not one and the same).

An intriguing example of German Expressionism.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• silent
• film
• movie
• waxworks
• emil
• janning
• conrad
• veidt
• paul
• leni

[laclumn13]

Ivan the Terrible: The wedding crasher from hell.

[bluegrasslass]

Silentfilmdemocracy you forgot to mention that the actress playing the poet's girlfriend and all the other lead female roles is Olga Belajeff

[sangreal2999]

If the dancing scene weren't terribly sad and somewhat scary due to Conrad's unnerving character portrayal, the scene would be laughably awkward; yes, the serious wedding crasher from hell, laclumn13!!

[fjdmusicman]

I love the way Olga plays some of her roles with a sense of humour and a big pretty smile , the only way for me to not see this film as dated is with a sense of humour..

[kumasie01]

Is that her name?  Olga Belajeff? Wow she was very seductive as the baker's wife...and quite wise too. Great German cinema!