Waxworks main backdrop
Waxworks main poster

6.4/10 • 65

1924-11-131h 23m

FantasyHorror

A poet is hired by the owner of a wax museum in a circus to write tales about Harun al Raschid, Ivan the Terrible and Jack the Ripper. While writing, the poet and the daughter of the owner, Eva, fantasize the fantastic stories and fall in love for each other.

Directors
Leo Birinski, Paul Leni
Writters
Henrik Galeen
Editors
Leo Birinski

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Emil Jannings

    Emil Jannings

    Harun al Raschid

  2. Conrad Veidt

    Conrad Veidt

    Ivan the Terrible

  3. William Dieterle

    William Dieterle

    The Poet / Assad the Baker / Russian Prince

  4. Werner Krauss

    Werner Krauss

    Jack the Ripper / Spring-Heeled Jack

  5. Olga Belajeff

    Olga Belajeff

    Eva-Maimune-Eine Bojarin

  6. John Gottowt

    John Gottowt

    Owner of the Waxworks

  7. Georg John

    Georg John

    Owner of the Panoptikums

  8. Ernst Legal

    Ernst Legal

    Poison-Maker of the Czar

  9. Paul Biensfeldt

    Paul Biensfeldt

    Grand Vizier

Reviews1

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CinemaSerf Avatar

CinemaSerf

Jun 6, 2022

7/10

There is more than a little of the "Dr. Caligari" (1921) to this compendium of three stories. Visually very similar in style, with angular - seemingly disjointed and out of scale sets and wonderfully targeted use of lighting serves to augment these episodes. A waxworks provides that environment where William Dieterle works, charged with writing some texts to accompany the effigies of three historical figures. The first is a fun "Arabian Nights" tale with Emil Jannings as "Harun", the second sees Conrad Veitd portray the Russian Czar Ivan IV (the terrible), finally he embarks on a tale of "Jack the Ripper" - supplied by Werner Krauss. As he writes, he imagines that he - and the owner's daughter - Olga Beljeff - are actually part of his series. All three present them with comical and perilous escapades, the first sees Jannings unceremoniously stuffed into a baker's oven, having fallen in love with the wife of the baker; the second depicts Ivan as a megalomanic reduced to simpering dolt and the final story is left hanging intriguingly as the would be author finally succumbs to sleep. For what it's worth, my favourite is the second story - but the third one is probably the more accomplished piece of cinema. The techniques of overlaying the film to give us an haunting feeling as "Jack" stalks his victims is really quite effective - if all too brief. As three short stories, this works well and though I am certainly no expert on German cinema, this has to be one of the more enjoyable - with engaging characters and plots - "expressionism" efforts I have yet encountered.

Media

  • Waxworks poster
  • Waxworks poster
  • Waxworks poster
  • Waxworks poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
German
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
insanityjack the ripperanthologywax museumtorture chamberpsychotronicexpressionismgerman expressionism