Der Tunnel

This German silent is the first pass at the Kellerman novel which will be be filmed again two and a half times in the thirties.

It is basic and peopled with stiff representations of the characters. Technical standards are good for the the WW1 period and there is a hint of futurist fiction - notably the train.

Herman Warm's is the only familiar name on the credits, five years years before he designed CALIGARI, and the visuals occasionally register.

As in the later versions it is in the disaster material that the always unconvincing narrative comes to life, here with a hint of METROPOLIS, as the half naked workers stagger out of the smoke and confusion in panic.

Not compelling, but a hopeful minded story with a look at the 'futurism' of the day. While I found it simply not compelling, I did not find it boring either. If you are interested enough to watch this, it does not run too long to sit through. The play that the film was based on was likely much more interesting.