Phantom (1922)
Directed by F.W. Murnau

Film Review

The great German cineaste F.W. Murnau followed his landmark expressionist horror film Nosferatu (1922) with this inspired adaptation of a novel by the Nobel Prize winning author Gerhart Hauptmann.  The film's production was beset by all manner of problems - Murnau fell ill during the shoot and financing was a nightmare thanks to rampant hyper-inflation.  It was a miracle the film was ever completed, and it's also a miracle that the film is available to be seen today.  Until quite recently, it was believed that all copies of the film had been lost, and it was only restored in 2002/3 from various sets of damaged prints.

In contrast to the highly stylised expressionism of Nosferatu , Murnau adopts a far more naturalistic approach for Phantom - similar to the harsh social realism of his later film Der Letzte Mann (1924).  There are some stunning expressionistic touches in the film, but these are used sparingly and with a specific purpose.  The restrained cinematographic style of Phantom allows Murnau to focus more on plot and characterisation.   The film may have less visually impact than, say, Nosferatu or Faust (1926), but it has much greater psychological depth than many films of this era.  Each of the characters is well-drawn and portrayed convincingly - even the minor characters such as Lorenz's younger brother and the amiable bookbinder Starke.  The cast includes some of the most notable German actors of the time.

Phantom is unusual for a German film of this period in that it knits together two very distinct styles - realism and expressionism.  Murnau limits the use of expressionistic technique to those sequences where Lorenz experiences his great emotional upheavals - his falling in love and subsequent bouts of panic and mental derangement.  We see both the world in which Lorenz lives - one of unremitting hardship and duplicity - and the world as he experiences it - one of emotional excess, irrational optimism followed by crushing despair.  The expressionist sequences are brief but extraordinarily effective - the most memorable being the scene in which a street of houses apparently comes to life and menaces Lorenz like some Gothic horror monstrosity.

The genius of Murnau is evidenced by the skill with which he brings these two perspectives (the actual and the experiential, the objective and subjective) together in a coherent narrative which thoroughly engages the spectator's attention.  Watching a Murnau film is never a passive experience - there's something about the director's technique which draws us into his eerie twilight dreamscape and makes us feel as though we were active participants in the drama we are seeing.  This is why Nosferatu is regarded as one of the greatest of horror films and why Sunrise is equally considered to be one of the finest of cinematic love poems.   Phantom is almost as impressive as these great works - a compelling study in obsession and human frailty, realised with great sensitivity, intelligence and an almost unrivalled appreciation of the potential of cinematic art.

Film Synopsis

Haunted by his past, Lorenz Lubota agrees to his wife's suggestion to write the tragic story of his life.  Some years before, he was a humble clerk, earning barely enough to keep himself and his elderly mother.   His sister Melanie had left home in disgrace, having chosen to put comfort before virtue.  In his spare time, Lorenz occupies himself by writing poems.  His neighbour, the bookbinder Starke, is impressed by Lorenz's poetry and is sure he can find a publisher.  One day, Lorenz is knocked down by a horse and cart.  Unharmed, he is spellbound when he sees the beautiful young woman in the cart - she is the wealthy heiress Veronika Harlan.  From that instant, Lorenz is possessed by the strongest and most dangerous of emotions - love.  A short time later, he meets Mellitta, who is the exact image of Veronika, but she is in desperate want of money.   Convinced by Starke that he is about to become a famous poet, Lorenz persuades his Aunt Schwabe to give him money, which he foolishly squanders on Mellitta.  When she realises she has been duped, Schwabe threatens to prosecute Lorenz unless he returns the money...