Here comes another outstanding silent film release from the folks at Flicker Alley. First there was THE GARDEN OF EDEN a very obscure film from director Lewis Milestone with Corrine Griffith. Next came JUDEX a celebrated serial from Louis Feuillade which was unavailable for decades and now there is F.W. Murnau’s PHANTOM which was made after NOSFERATU in 1922. Despite the title there is nothing supernatural about PHANTOM. It is based on a novel by Gerhard Hauptmann as adapted by Thea von Harbou and deals with the principal character’s obssession with a woman whose visage “haunts” him to the exclusion of everything else. It is also the study of a family in crisis brought about by the changing times and morals of Germany after the First World War.
Obssession and familial crisis are themes that von Harbou would return to again and again in her films for Fritz Lang. While it is not top drawer Murnau it is certainly more than worthwhile and paves the way for his masterpieces THE LAST LAUGH in 1924 and SUNRISE in 1927. The film has been lovingly restored with beautiful tints and a wonderful score from Robert Israel. It also comes with a booklet on the restoration. This is how all silent films should be treated allowing the viewer of today to get some idea of the viewing experience audiences had when silent films first played in theatres. With this and the other releases mentioned earlier Flicker Alley has shown themselves to be the Criterion Collection of silent films on DVD and I can’t wait for their next offering whatever it may be.
The Capsule Critic 