{"id":26120,"date":"2012-06-07T11:20:00","date_gmt":"2012-06-07T18:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=26120"},"modified":"2021-04-15T22:57:51","modified_gmt":"2021-04-16T05:57:51","slug":"waxworks-1924","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=26120","title":{"rendered":"Waxworks (1924)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;Your lack of clothes does not disturb me in the least!&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Waxworks-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Waxworks-Poster-300x210.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"210\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-26122\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Waxworks-Poster-300x210.jpg 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Waxworks-Poster-128x89.jpg 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Waxworks-Poster.jpg 545w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nThe owner of a waxworks show (John Gottowt) commissions a poet (William Dieterle) to write stories about three historical wax figures: Haroun the Caliph (Emil Jannings), Ivan the Terrible (Conrad Veidt), and Jack the Ripper (Werner Krauss).\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Conrad Veidt Films<\/li>\n<li>Episodic Films<\/li>\n<li>Fantasy<\/li>\n<li>German Films<\/li>\n<li>Silent Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nThe career of German-born set designer and director <a href=\"http:\/\/www.classichorror.free-online.co.uk\/leni.htm\">Paul Leni<\/a> was cut tragically short when he died of blood poisoning in 1929 at the age of 44, shortly after arriving in Hollywood and directing a highly regarded silent adaptation of <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=4796\"><em>The Cat and the Canary<\/em> (1927)<\/a>. He&#8217;s perhaps best known for designing and directing this early Expressionist film, which unfortunately hasn&#8217;t held up nearly as well as the film upon which it was thematically and stylistically patterned (Robert Wiene&#8217;s cult favorite <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=4897\"><em>The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari<\/em>)<\/a>. While Leni&#8217;s art direction is consistently innovative, the script leaves much to be desired, shifting unevenly between three different storylines and never fully engaging us. The first episode &#8212; a semi-comedic fantasy tale set in Arabia, in which Dieterle plays a baker whose wife (Olga Belajeff) is seduced by a portly caliph (Emil Jannings) &#8212; is marginally involving, but one assumes even more will be forthcoming in future episodes. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Waxworks-Seduce2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Waxworks-Seduce2-1024x756.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"473\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-61796\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Waxworks-Seduce2-1024x756.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Waxworks-Seduce2-300x222.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Waxworks-Seduce2-128x95.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Waxworks-Seduce2-768x567.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Waxworks-Seduce2-365x270.png 365w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Waxworks-Seduce2.png 1263w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>However, the second vignette &#8212; starring Conrad Veidt in a solid performance as a sadistic Ivan the Terrible &#8212; offers even less satisfaction:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Waxworks-Veidt2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Waxworks-Veidt2-1024x763.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"477\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-61799\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Waxworks-Veidt2-1024x763.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Waxworks-Veidt2-300x223.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Waxworks-Veidt2-128x95.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Waxworks-Veidt2-768x572.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Waxworks-Veidt2-362x270.png 362w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Waxworks-Veidt2.png 1247w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>and the third story (presumably about Jack the Ripper, though his character is incongruously referred to via intertitles as <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Spring-heeled_Jack\">&#8220;Spring-Heeled Jack&#8221;<\/a>) is little more than a dream sequence lasting just a few minutes long. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Waxworks-Spring-Heeled.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Waxworks-Spring-Heeled-1024x771.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"482\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-61798\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Waxworks-Spring-Heeled-1024x771.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Waxworks-Spring-Heeled-300x226.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Waxworks-Spring-Heeled-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Waxworks-Spring-Heeled-768x578.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Waxworks-Spring-Heeled-359x270.png 359w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Waxworks-Spring-Heeled.png 1245w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Waxworks<\/em> remains worth a look for Leni&#8217;s creative vision, but is otherwise only must-see for silent film completists.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Fantastical Expressionist sets<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Waxworks-Sets.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Waxworks-Sets.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-26123\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Waxworks-Sets.png 720w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Waxworks-Sets-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Waxworks-Sets-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo; this one is only must-see for silent film enthusiasts. Listed as a film with Historical Importance and a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary&#8217;s book. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0014586\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.digitallyobsessed.com\/displaylegacy.php?\">Digitally Obsessed Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/moria.co.nz\/horror\/waxworks-1924-wachsfigurenkabinett.htm\">Moria Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s620kino.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/fantasticmoviemusings.com\/2014\/11\/02\/waxworks-1923\/\">SciFilm Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.timeout.com\/film\/reviews\/64293\/waxworks.html\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Your lack of clothes does not disturb me in the least!&#8221; Synopsis: The owner of a waxworks show (John Gottowt) commissions a poet (William Dieterle) to write stories about three historical wax figures: Haroun the Caliph (Emil Jannings), Ivan the Terrible (Conrad Veidt), and Jack the Ripper (Werner Krauss). Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Conrad Veidt Films Episodic Films Fantasy German Films Silent Films Review: The career of German-born set designer and director Paul Leni was cut tragically short when&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=26120\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26120","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=26120"}],"version-history":[{"count":27,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26120\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":71471,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26120\/revisions\/71471"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=26120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=26120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=26120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}