Dir - Arthur Robison
Overall: MEH
Meandering at times yet still adequately done, The Student of Prague, (Der Student von Prag), was the third German production of the story in as many decades, this one starring Anton Walbrook in the lead who would soon flea the Nazi occupation in his home country the following year. This also serves as the final directorial effort from Arthur Robison who, (along with cinematographer Bruno Mondi), makes excellent use of atmospheric shadows and whatnot. Sadly though, the pacing is lacking at times, with the first act being weighed down by various musical sequences and the final act being one elongated chase scene between Walbrook's doomed Balduin character and his silent, imposing doppelgänger. The love triangle drama at the center of things is not that interesting either in such a context and the plot quickly gets stuck in the mud with repetitive moments. More problems arise with the musical score, not just in that it plays throughout almost every scene, (as is all too common once talkies adapted incidental soundtracks in the first place), but also inappropriate in its mood setting at regular intervals. The least memorable out of the three versions by default, but it still has some style and decent performances.
(1936)
Dir - Miguel Zacarías
Overall: WOOF
Notable for establishing some later used mad scientist motifs while adhering to already established ones, The Macabre Trunk, (El baúl macabro), is still in the running for one of the most sluggishly paced genre films in any era. Things are interesting for only about the first five minutes where we see a man in a trench coat and hat break into a hospital to steal a body, at which point it is revealed that said man is a surgeon with an unfortunate looking, may-as-well-be-hunchback assistant who is trying to cure his terminally ill wife with blood transfusions. The "fun" stops cold there though as the rest of the movie is tortuously dull, merely consisting of one scene after the other where room fulls of people stand around talking about things that barely move the plot needle forward, if they do so at all. As far as any ghastly imagery befitting to a horror movie, there is a shot of a severed limb and the aforementioned Fritz stand-in gets really uncomfortably close to the camera once, but that is about it. Oddly, the stock music plays incessantly through several random scenes while being thankfully absent in others, including the inevitable, final fight where the doctor gets caught at a crucial time in his experiment, as one naturally does.
(1937)
Dir - Michał Waszyński
Overall: GOODA significant work in both Polish and Yiddish-language cinema, The Dybbuk, (Der Dibuk, Dybuk), is an expanded upon adaptation of S. Ansky's famous play of the same name which was based upon heavily researched Hassidic Jewish folklore. Indeed, the deeply rooted traditions inherent in such religious and cultural practices is quite prominent here, made even more impactful by the fact that the film was shot on location in both Kazimierz Dolny and Warsaw, Poland; a region whose Jewish community would be horrifically upheaved by the second World War only a short time later. Even with the weight of such real life atrocities removed, the movie is strikingly photographed with a deeply spiritual tone. Director Michał Waszyński and cinematographer Albert Wywerka make evocative use out of primitive sets, plus the costume design is lovely in its authenticity. The supernatural elements are highly underplayed, with the mysterious and somber messenger figure fading in and out of particular scenes and the ghostly voice of the title spirit either speaking in a slow, deep voice via his would-be bride or off camera once his doomed soul has been successfully excommunicated by the Hassidic congregation. Pacing wise, it is too leisurely for modern viewers to maintain interest in its over two-hour running time, but it still an impressive work in every other respect.
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