Phantom

Maybe my expectations were too high for this film, but after catching it on tape from TCM's Silent Sunday feature, I felt let down. I expected the same genius from Murnau as Nosferatu and Sunrise. All of the cinematic elements are there, but it just felt incomplete.

The story revolves around a man obsessed with an unattainable woman, and his attempts to substitute for his unfulfilled desires.

My biggest issue with the film was with Alfred Abel as Lorenz in the lead. He was great in Metropolis in a totally different role, but here he looked too old for the part and out of place, not quite finding the firm ground to build the character. Other players were good especially Aud Egede Nissen as Lorenz's sister Melanie.

Worth a look for Murnau's style, but a let down overall.

A much underestimated movie. I've seen several of Murnau's flicks, and while I am the generally a big fan of his work, this one is actually one of my favorites. In a dreamlike manner it tells a story of main character's obsession with a manipulative and cruel woman. His love and desire makes him lose his senses - to a point where object of his passion becomes like a haunting spectre, a phantom. In some way Phantom is a forecast of another german picture, the famous Blaue Engel. Although the plot in one way or another has become a Hollywood cliche over the years, the movie is dark, strange and compelling. Murnau's depiction of insanity, especially in the final scenes is by itself a milestone of cinema.

Hot off his formidable achievement with "Nosferatu", F.W. Murnau made another expressionistic film, "Phantom". This one depicts Lorenz (Alfred Abel), a clerk who becomes obsessed with a woman (Lya De Putti) who accidentally struck him with a carriage. The movie contains some neat effects to highlight Lorenz's descent into madness. There are of course the buildings, but even more impressive is the ghostly carriage that emerges from a black void. A short documentary about the production makes note of how Murnau accomplished these interesting tricks.

One might call "Phantom" a precursor to "The Blue Angel" and "Lolita", but I wouldn't call that totally accurate. The latter two are more straightforward about their subject matter, while this one is deliberately surreal and dreamlike. But no matter how you interpret "Phantom", you can't deny that it is a very good representation of inter-war German cinema. The movie is a little slow at times, but definitely worth seeing.

FW Murnau was a fantastic director, all his films being extremely well made, rich in atmosphere and thematically intriguing and even daring in a way that is still quite unique and ground-breaking. It is not hard to see why his films influenced a lot of major directors, why he was one of the best and most influential directors in his day and it is sad that he didn't make more films and that he died too young. Even his lesser work is still worth seeing if mainly for historical interest.

Lost for a long time but rediscovered and available in a not too bad print, 'Phantom' is one of Murnau's minor films. It is nowhere near on the same level as 'Nosferatu', 'Faust', 'The Last Laugh' and 'Sunrise', people will say that it is unfair to compare and that it should stand on his own. Which is fair enough, but it is hard not to when his best work is as brilliant as it is and when some other films are still worth watching but a little bland at the same time.

'Phantom' is one of those cases. As said with a few others, the acting even for a silent film tends to be too theatrical and overdone. Was expecting more from Alfred Abel, good in other things but a bit miscast here. Not just in age but for my tastes he is too wild and comes over as borderline neurotic.

The story for 'Phantom' is somewhat too slight for the running time, feeling like an over-stretched short film. Less intertitles and ones that didn't slow the film down too much and it being less flashback heavy would have helped a bit. Lorenz's descent felt too rushed and out of nowhere, needing a lot more time to progress, that way it would have been easier to root for him.

Having said all of that, 'Phantom' is not a bad film despite how all of that sounds. It is beautifully directed by Murnau and as expected wonderfully made. Some very atmospheric and imaginative photography and quite transfixing imagery that allows one to provoke thought. Luckily doing so without being too heavy on it.

Appreciated too its use of themes not explored a lot in films those days and would be considered quite bold to portray. Some of the acting comes over well, with a great performance from Grete Berger that genuinely unsettles.

Summing up, worth uncovering but far from a Murnau essential. 6/10

The story of a man Lorenz Lubota (played by Alfred Abel) who chases a woman Pfandleiherin Schwabe (Grete Berger) who keeps escaping him and is, virtually, like a phantom. This drama is not as potent as Murnau's other attempts at heart wrenching dramatic cinema (such as TABU and SUNRISE). Much like SUNRISE this film suffers from a running time that could, easily, be cut in half. There are not as many interesting elements in this story as, say, THE HAUNTED CASTLE or FAUST. But still it is worth a look for any of Murnau's dedicated fans. It includes Murnau's usually study of human suffering and torment, and his supernatural imagery (a ghostly horse carriage, and a leaning city- much like Weine's CAL