The great German Paul Leni, tragically and prematurely disappeared at the height of his film production, formed a group of illustrious filmmakers, egregious representatives of immortal german expressionism, one of the most relevant movements in the world of cinema. Many place this great director at the height of the huge titans of the same artistic movement, be it the great Fritz Lang or Friedrich Wilhelm Plumpe, Murnau, and the truth is that in this feature he paints many of the reasons why he has such high consideration. For the present film, the filmmaker is based on a successful play by John Willard, in which adapted the work Robert F. Hill, it is the dark but at the same time hilarious story of a wealthy individual, that when dying, he must leave in his inheritance his numerous goods, and when disappearing, leaves in his testament that his will must be read up to 20 years after his death; after that time, the beneficiary is an innocent girl, but it is stipulated that her mental health must be proven, so that the other relatives, ambitious, will torment her with various situations that haunt something disturbingly paranormal. An immortal film, a cinematographic treatise in which the use of lights and shadows, the use of the camera, and more resources, make it an inescapable film.
On a hill, is the mansion of an eccentric millionaire, seriously ill; without hope, he leaves his will, to open two decades after he died. Time passes, in the residence now only Mammy Pleasant lives (Martha Mattox), the nurse, Roger Crosby (Tully Marshall) goes to read the will, the relatives are very greedy, Harry Blythe (Arthur Edmund Carewe) arrives first, then his cousin Charles Wilder (Forrest Stanley), also Paul Jones (Creighton Hale). At last Annabelle West arrives (Laura La Plante), niece of the deceased, who is declared heiress, on condition her mental health is proven; despite the unique condition, everyone is suspicious. Then a guard appears, he claims to be looking for a demented fugitive murderer. To the group the aunt Susan (Flora Finch) and Cecily (Gertrude Astor) are added, and when Crosby is going to announce to the alternative heir to Annaballe, he disappears mysteriously, without leaving a trace; she is suspected of it. Everyone is anguished by the belief, old, that the house is inhabited by ghosts, a strange presence snatches a necklace from the neck of Annaballe, all seek Crosby. In the house there is much terror by the apparent presence of ghosts, Pleasant remains impassive, but finally they identify the source of the torments, the martyrdom ends, Annaballe and Paul stay together.
It is a referential film for the genre, the cinema of terror began to define its edges, many european filmmakers, of german descent on many occasions, they would take their talent to American lands, their aesthetics, their themes, their audiovisual stamps, would be exported that way to Yankee studios and industries. And this is immediately evident in the film, because the director does not expect anything to show the versatility of resources that his film keeps to us, with those superpositions of frames -still new resources then, in the years in which this feature was filmed-, and thus we see the numerous superimposed figures, numerous cats and bottles, surrounding the human prey of physical tribulations, and the note written on paper; all these images merge into a single dynamic frame, forming a sequence that was an indivisible part of the expressionist language, and that would become indispensable in the cinema since then. There will be more than one superposition of shots by the way, and always, although it is obvious to point out, without words, it is silent cinema, it is the intrigue and terror of the old school, it is generated in the style of the old school. Adding to that same line, another old resource, very valid and always desired by different filmmakers, is the nightmarish resource, of dreamlike dementia, the deformation of the frames to represent that tense madness, for example we have the moments of the reading of the testament, it is fascinating to see the first uses of audiovisual resources that would later be the basis of modern cinematic languages. The first part of the film, around the first half hour, which is posing the whole situation, is undoubtedly the most successful, splendid in its variety of resources exhibited, in the strength of its images, more versatile, and more daring in its proposal; is the epitome of this range of surprisingly large resources, which will then be repeated sporadically in the rest of the footage. Also always in that first half hour, the camera has its most remarkable performance, with more vigorous movements, some travellings that, evidencing being the cinema as art still in its formative years, make up a skill and a fast coordination according to the full force of the Expressionism in one of its greatest representatives; those instants are certainly the most expressionist of the film, the instants that bear more powerful and determinedly the imprints of the immortal germanic current.
One of the greatest watchwords of expressionism is manifested with vigor in the same way, the shadows, which are scattered, which begin to move almost by themselves, are almost one more character, and, at times, they are completely, they acquire independence; those shadows already become primordial expressive element, which could fill a frame, could star in a sequence, by themselves. The shadows, offshoots of darkness, become elements of a terror that reaches everything and everyone, Annabelle is terrorized as the path to the longed-for inheritance muddies, and little by little is plunged into the shadows, absolute for moments in some frames. In this film, one feels the basis of the expressionist current, the characteristic gloomy visual expression, with the presence of constant chiaroscuros, an eternal tool of the current, scattered light and shadow, the few illuminated spaces, many times they are, but mostly shaded with an oily yellow, worn, which in some way increases the morbidity of the scenarios portrayed. Manipulates in this way the director, not only the shadows, but also even the light, the lighting to generate certain perspectives of the characters, the beams of light will then be molded to those intentions. In that sense, and always in the first half hour, the most enriched, the camera and the light merge in a single resource, good resource by the way, both elements advance, the focus and tension increase, because darkness governs everything, except for that light that advances according to the protagonist. A unique chromaticism is used, there are different color tonalities with which different sequences of the film have been dyed, generating this circumstance that there are even versions, cuts of the film that differ in that illumination, in the different colors with which different sequences are set, having a version in which the original coloration of the film has been respected. In that version, the chromatic tones in the sequences seem well adapted to the respective moment, the sepia tones predominate, the blue or colder tones for sequences of exteriors and the sepia or tones somewhat more morbid for the interiors. Watch out, thus, with the different versions that circulate, because the altered version has absolutely black and white tones, there are no more colors, and with that reduction in the tones, from one version to another, the loss of color is undeniably a handicap.
The film is an expressionist jewel, many bases or audiovisual foundations of this current would sit, along with other jewels like
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) by Robert Wiene, or
Metropolis (1927) by Fritz Lang, reference films. Thus, with a very characteristic aesthetic, in the film, with those broad and lonely corridors, the shadows have a freeway, symmetrically spilled, a sinister and gloomy atmosphere, with the shade that manifests itself even in makeup, one of the pioneers is the film to lay foundations that would be characteristic for filmmakers and later horror films. But not only audiovisually, but at the level of characters, we have the figure that other masters would later use, the mysterious, lonely and shady housekeeper, which other directors would later adopt, as an example, Hitchcock with Judith Anderson as Mrs. Danvers in
Rebecca (1940), and most likely the reader can also think of a simile for example. There is also the figure of the terrifying hand, that great hand that persecutes the tormented victims, especially Annabelle, precedent of horror films of medium caliber -like
The beast with five fingers (1946) of Robert Florey, with the famous Peter Lorre-, something that would become a classic horror film that would later adopt other film industries, such as Hollywood, of course, one of those iconic images of cinema that over the years will have countless remakes, tributes, allegories, etc. History certainly has elements that make it a good example of theatrical art, that is, a single location, the gloomy residence -all in one environment, the tenebrous house is the universe-, few characters, however, we see it now adapted remarkably to the movies. The scenic treatment is therefore remarkable, differentiating itself from the original theater from which the story comes, the location of the camera in certain scenes outdoors, with a slight low-angle shot, will generate a warm suspense, tension, while endowing the scenes of that personality characteristic of expressionism, capturing not only the human being, but also its exteriors, always stylized those exteriors with the elements that feed this current, often gothic elements. The filmmaker demarcates off the theatricality in his treatment, there is dynamism in his editing, there are different perspectives of the characters, a change of sequences and rhythm that bring adaptation much closer to a cinematographic exercise, as well as a music that at times helps to that hilarious tonality that the film has, with a certain aura of comedy. In this way, there are slight details of comedy, slight comic nuances, light and not abundant, it is true, but present to give that final nature to the film; as an example of that humor, of warm eroticism, we have Paul, who sees the girls changing their clothes, from under the bed he covers his eyes with his hands, to open immediately the fingers and between seeing the show. Also, it became fashionable thanks to this film the traditional form of cinema, the thriller of terror, with fantastic dyes, which finally end up having rational explanation, ending with all paranormal or supernatural speculation. The film is a great compendium of expressionism, referential film of a filmmaker who unfortunately we could not get to appreciate how far his development or artistic evolution would have end, is the genius who left us prematurely for a blood disease, whose work is put by some specialists to the height of the greatest ones, Murnau or Lang. A necessary film, the legendary silent film was coming to its twilight, the sound was a novelty of imminent arrival, and this work is one of the most remarkable silent exercises of those late years.
The great German Paul Leni, tragically and prematurely disappeared at the height of his film production, formed a group of illustrious filmmakers, egregious representatives of immortal german expressionism, one of the most relevant movements in the world of cinema. Many place this great director at the height of the huge titans of the same artistic movement, be it the great Fritz Lang or Friedrich Wilhelm Plumpe, Murnau, and the truth is that in this feature he paints many of the reasons why he has such high consideration. For the present film, the filmmaker is based on a successful play by John Willard, in which adapted the work Robert F. Hill, it is the dark but at the same time hilarious story of a wealthy individual, that when dying, he must leave in his inheritance his numerous goods, and when disappearing, leaves in his testament that his will must be read up to 20 years after his death; after that time, the beneficiary is an innocent girl, but it is stipulated that her mental health must be proven, so that the other relatives, ambitious, will torment her with various situations that haunt something disturbingly paranormal. An immortal film, a cinematographic treatise in which the use of lights and shadows, the use of the camera, and more resources, make it an inescapable film.
It is a referential film for the genre, the cinema of terror began to define its edges, many european filmmakers, of german descent on many occasions, they would take their talent to American lands, their aesthetics, their themes, their audiovisual stamps, would be exported that way to Yankee studios and industries. And this is immediately evident in the film, because the director does not expect anything to show the versatility of resources that his film keeps to us, with those superpositions of frames -still new resources then, in the years in which this feature was filmed-, and thus we see the numerous superimposed figures, numerous cats and bottles, surrounding the human prey of physical tribulations, and the note written on paper; all these images merge into a single dynamic frame, forming a sequence that was an indivisible part of the expressionist language, and that would become indispensable in the cinema since then. There will be more than one superposition of shots by the way, and always, although it is obvious to point out, without words, it is silent cinema, it is the intrigue and terror of the old school, it is generated in the style of the old school. Adding to that same line, another old resource, very valid and always desired by different filmmakers, is the nightmarish resource, of dreamlike dementia, the deformation of the frames to represent that tense madness, for example we have the moments of the reading of the testament, it is fascinating to see the first uses of audiovisual resources that would later be the basis of modern cinematic languages. The first part of the film, around the first half hour, which is posing the whole situation, is undoubtedly the most successful, splendid in its variety of resources exhibited, in the strength of its images, more versatile, and more daring in its proposal; is the epitome of this range of surprisingly large resources, which will then be repeated sporadically in the rest of the footage. Also always in that first half hour, the camera has its most remarkable performance, with more vigorous movements, some travellings that, evidencing being the cinema as art still in its formative years, make up a skill and a fast coordination according to the full force of the Expressionism in one of its greatest representatives; those instants are certainly the most expressionist of the film, the instants that bear more powerful and determinedly the imprints of the immortal germanic current.
One of the greatest watchwords of expressionism is manifested with vigor in the same way, the shadows, which are scattered, which begin to move almost by themselves, are almost one more character, and, at times, they are completely, they acquire independence; those shadows already become primordial expressive element, which could fill a frame, could star in a sequence, by themselves. The shadows, offshoots of darkness, become elements of a terror that reaches everything and everyone, Annabelle is terrorized as the path to the longed-for inheritance muddies, and little by little is plunged into the shadows, absolute for moments in some frames. In this film, one feels the basis of the expressionist current, the characteristic gloomy visual expression, with the presence of constant chiaroscuros, an eternal tool of the current, scattered light and shadow, the few illuminated spaces, many times they are, but mostly shaded with an oily yellow, worn, which in some way increases the morbidity of the scenarios portrayed. Manipulates in this way the director, not only the shadows, but also even the light, the lighting to generate certain perspectives of the characters, the beams of light will then be molded to those intentions. In that sense, and always in the first half hour, the most enriched, the camera and the light merge in a single resource, good resource by the way, both elements advance, the focus and tension increase, because darkness governs everything, except for that light that advances according to the protagonist. A unique chromaticism is used, there are different color tonalities with which different sequences of the film have been dyed, generating this circumstance that there are even versions, cuts of the film that differ in that illumination, in the different colors with which different sequences are set, having a version in which the original coloration of the film has been respected. In that version, the chromatic tones in the sequences seem well adapted to the respective moment, the sepia tones predominate, the blue or colder tones for sequences of exteriors and the sepia or tones somewhat more morbid for the interiors. Watch out, thus, with the different versions that circulate, because the altered version has absolutely black and white tones, there are no more colors, and with that reduction in the tones, from one version to another, the loss of color is undeniably a handicap.
The film is an expressionist jewel, many bases or audiovisual foundations of this current would sit, along with other jewels like The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) by Robert Wiene, or Metropolis (1927) by Fritz Lang, reference films. Thus, with a very characteristic aesthetic, in the film, with those broad and lonely corridors, the shadows have a freeway, symmetrically spilled, a sinister and gloomy atmosphere, with the shade that manifests itself even in makeup, one of the pioneers is the film to lay foundations that would be characteristic for filmmakers and later horror films. But not only audiovisually, but at the level of characters, we have the figure that other masters would later use, the mysterious, lonely and shady housekeeper, which other directors would later adopt, as an example, Hitchcock with Judith Anderson as Mrs. Danvers in Rebecca (1940), and most likely the reader can also think of a simile for example. There is also the figure of the terrifying hand, that great hand that persecutes the tormented victims, especially Annabelle, precedent of horror films of medium caliber -like The beast with five fingers (1946) of Robert Florey, with the famous Peter Lorre-, something that would become a classic horror film that would later adopt other film industries, such as Hollywood, of course, one of those iconic images of cinema that over the years will have countless remakes, tributes, allegories, etc. History certainly has elements that make it a good example of theatrical art, that is, a single location, the gloomy residence -all in one environment, the tenebrous house is the universe-, few characters, however, we see it now adapted remarkably to the movies. The scenic treatment is therefore remarkable, differentiating itself from the original theater from which the story comes, the location of the camera in certain scenes outdoors, with a slight low-angle shot, will generate a warm suspense, tension, while endowing the scenes of that personality characteristic of expressionism, capturing not only the human being, but also its exteriors, always stylized those exteriors with the elements that feed this current, often gothic elements. The filmmaker demarcates off the theatricality in his treatment, there is dynamism in his editing, there are different perspectives of the characters, a change of sequences and rhythm that bring adaptation much closer to a cinematographic exercise, as well as a music that at times helps to that hilarious tonality that the film has, with a certain aura of comedy. In this way, there are slight details of comedy, slight comic nuances, light and not abundant, it is true, but present to give that final nature to the film; as an example of that humor, of warm eroticism, we have Paul, who sees the girls changing their clothes, from under the bed he covers his eyes with his hands, to open immediately the fingers and between seeing the show. Also, it became fashionable thanks to this film the traditional form of cinema, the thriller of terror, with fantastic dyes, which finally end up having rational explanation, ending with all paranormal or supernatural speculation. The film is a great compendium of expressionism, referential film of a filmmaker who unfortunately we could not get to appreciate how far his development or artistic evolution would have end, is the genius who left us prematurely for a blood disease, whose work is put by some specialists to the height of the greatest ones, Murnau or Lang. A necessary film, the legendary silent film was coming to its twilight, the sound was a novelty of imminent arrival, and this work is one of the most remarkable silent exercises of those late years.
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario