Finally got around to watching "Warning Shadows" (1923) (original title: "Schatten: Eine Nächtliche Halluzination). This was my first time around with this one. It certainly is no "Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" or "The Golem", but this German Expressionistic film has all of the character of that genre, and maybe then some. It is considered a masterpiece and rates with the best of the Expressionism films, but I must admit I'd only give five out of ten stars or two out of four, depending on which system is used. I found a great deal of it plainly boring, and a lot of it pretentious. Starring some of the top German stars of the day, Fritz Kortner plays Man, Ruth Weyher plays Woman, Gustav von Wangenheim plays Youth, then Fritz Rasp plays Servant #1 and Alexander Granach plays The Traveling Entertainer (the shadow man!).
All of the actors do a superb job of playing their parts. The plot takes place in what looks like 18th century Germany where Kortner is having a dinner party for three guests, and there is a young (the Youth of the cast) person, half the age of The Woman (Kortner's wife) there, too. There are also two servants, three musicians, and a lady house helper. All the men, from the Youth and the three gentlemen guests, and the two servants, lust for The Woman. She obviously enjoys the entire entourage lusting after her. The husband, jealous to the breaking point, obviously does not like the situation. In comes an entertainer who puts on a shadow show. The show is clever, but it is also long, long, long. It shows the possible consequences if the lusting is allowed to continue. Is the show real? Does it really occur? How much of this psychological razzmatazz is genuine. How much is possible hypnosis, etc.?
One thing became very obvious to me. Orson Welles had to have seen this and appreciated it at some time or other. For one thing, Fritz Kortner at moments LOOKS so much like Welles in his most muggy moments that it's uncanny! And then the mirror scenes... "The Lady from Shanghai" was definitely in the making 25 years before it was made!
I've avoided saying anything about the use of shadows, yet I must say something. They are beautifully used! It is the only part of the film I enjoyed 100%. I also wondered at certain sections of the film if some of the shadows were - yes, missing? There were sections where I thought the camera was supposed to be showing a shadow of the physical action, but it wasn't there. Anyway, the photography was everything one expects of Expressionism in the early 20s in Germany. Beautiful cinematography for the most part, but the idea was a three reeler, not a five or six reeler.
Sorry to those who love this iconographic piece of Expressionism. I liked it up to a point, but I did not love it. Enough said.
All of the actors do a superb job of playing their parts. The plot takes place in what looks like 18th century Germany where Kortner is having a dinner party for three guests, and there is a young (the Youth of the cast) person, half the age of The Woman (Kortner's wife) there, too. There are also two servants, three musicians, and a lady house helper. All the men, from the Youth and the three gentlemen guests, and the two servants, lust for The Woman. She obviously enjoys the entire entourage lusting after her. The husband, jealous to the breaking point, obviously does not like the situation. In comes an entertainer who puts on a shadow show. The show is clever, but it is also long, long, long. It shows the possible consequences if the lusting is allowed to continue. Is the show real? Does it really occur? How much of this psychological razzmatazz is genuine. How much is possible hypnosis, etc.?
One thing became very obvious to me. Orson Welles had to have seen this and appreciated it at some time or other. For one thing, Fritz Kortner at moments LOOKS so much like Welles in his most muggy moments that it's uncanny! And then the mirror scenes... "The Lady from Shanghai" was definitely in the making 25 years before it was made!
I've avoided saying anything about the use of shadows, yet I must say something. They are beautifully used! It is the only part of the film I enjoyed 100%. I also wondered at certain sections of the film if some of the shadows were - yes, missing? There were sections where I thought the camera was supposed to be showing a shadow of the physical action, but it wasn't there. Anyway, the photography was everything one expects of Expressionism in the early 20s in Germany. Beautiful cinematography for the most part, but the idea was a three reeler, not a five or six reeler.
Sorry to those who love this iconographic piece of Expressionism. I liked it up to a point, but I did not love it. Enough said.