The Haunted Castle

Pretty hokey melodrama. Mehnert was quite scary indeed, but Tschechowa was filled with silent-movie histrionics (as though appearing to have an upset stomach=acting). Reminds me of the Elton John line: "Between forcing smiles...with the knives in their eyes..." And how in the heck did the dreams of Kitchen Boy work their way into the mix? I have no idea.

Decent enough silent drama with only a tinge of horror, but seems to rely heavily on the tension and mystery that are central to the narrative, but which aren't nearly as interesting as the film thinks. From Murnau I'd expect a lot more in the atmosphere department, but while it's well shot it's there's nothing really spectacular or memorable in the imagery. It's a fine little story, but disappointing.

While Olga makes for a slinky goth chick, the rest of the film is plodding and rather predictable. What little creeps and crawls in this film really has nothing to do with the plot. And while the premise is decent enough there's not enough here to really get it going.

A dull, unsatisfying thriller that failed to thrill or entertain.

Attractive but dull Murnau captures him in early career showing obvious compositional flair that is utterly wasted on a humdrum story. That Nosferatu followed this the very next year is astounding given the striking difference in quality on all fronts.

A dull little mystery with some visual style. If you've watched or read many pulp stories from about this year, you will see the resolution coming from miles away, and it's not much when it comes around, anyway. I'm pretty sure every time someone uses a clip of this, it's from that one sequence that makes you wish you were watching one of Murnau's later features--you'll know the one.

51.000

An interesting premise that ends up being pretty insignificant due to some bland execution. There are far too many intertitles breaking up the action, which is unfortunate for someone as skilled in visual language as Murnau. Here, though, there is nothing special apart from a few interesting compositions. Oetsch is the only interesting characterization, and the acting is pretty spotty. It finishes on a predictable note that comes about through a somewhat ridiculous twist.

O Castelo Vogelöd estreava há 100 anos na Alemanha. Para quem tá acostumado a só ver obras-primas do Murnau, esse exemplar anterior a sua coroação como grande mestre do cinema é meio que decepcionante, algumas cenas aqui e alí já demonstram o brilhantismo do diretor, mas de modo geral é apenas um bom filme. Box Obras-primas do Cinema Expressionismo Alemão Volume 1.