For those who love silent films, the 1920 version of "The Golem" is hitting German Blu-ray next month: https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B0...da3-4e84e7c49e87&pf_rd_r=9TWJQTN397HWHSN96JG8 This is taken from the recent 4k restoration. Pics are available on that page and they look amazing!! I also hear that the 1914 version of "The Golem", which was thought to be lost, will be getting a home video release late 2019. Apparently some reels of the film have been discovered and whatever footage is available, will be assembled into a version of the movie (I suspect missing footage will have cards describing what is missing, as the case with other films that are of similar nature).
My German blu of "The Golem" arrived today. Absolutely BEAUTIFUL! It features the German version (4k remaster) along with the US version as a bonus feature (HD scan of a print from the George Eastman archive). No US subtitles on the German version, so you all may want to wait until the Eureka UK edition later out this year. 4 different audio options on the German version. Only other features are a side by side comparison of the remaster with the old remaster from the 90s. Blu ray also came with a booklet, all in German. Here are some screen shots I took:
Here's a one minute clip I posted onto youtube. Keep in mind there is youtube compression to the video, but it gives you an idea how clear this restoration is. I did leave off the audio for this clip.
Agreed! Seeing silents in these restored states really puts a new perspective on the films. I remember when I got the "Cabinet of Dr Caligari" blu-ray a few years ago and was floored on how amazing it looked. Haxan definitely needs a restoration, perhaps Criterion will do that one of these days since they released the DVD years ago.
I've tried to watch a few silent films and just can't get into them at all. That being said, I've wanted to check out Haxan for its creepy imagery.
I don’t know that Haxan is the one that will do it for you. The best silent I’ve seen is Sunrise, though not horror, it is a surprisingly emotionally engaging film for the time.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is probably the most accessible for a horror fan if you can catch it with Timothy Brock's score. I'm sure a lot of people would give the nod to Nosferatu, but I think Caligari works better for those unaccustomed to silent films. It's a proto slasher with scenes that have been copied and echoed thousands of times--so there's an element of familiarity that makes a slasher fan feel instantly at home. It's also one of the more nightmarish flicks you'll see, with disorienting Expressionist art direction and the same kind of fever-dream quality that classic Argento flicks approximate. Like all silent films, its effectiveness is extremely influenced by the chosen score. Stick with Brock if you want a classic horror feel. For my money, the blu-ray is a far less effective overall presentation despite the amazing video restoration. I believe the old Image DVD is the one that has the Brock score. Check it out if you can.
Nosferatu would probably be my second choice, I'd probably consider Faust before it. Even if by the tail end of the film the execution gets a little messy. Can't fault Caligari, though. Despite the definitely stage theater sets, its a remarkably "modern" performance. A comparison to Argento is indeed warranted, arguably the later owes a stylistic debt to the film.
Thanks for the suggestion. I'll have to track it down and see how it goes. Well I tried Nosferatu and couldn't finish it. I think one of my issues with these types of films is that they run feature length and have big blocks of text to read. I guess I want more of the story to be told through what I'm seeing, like what Charlie Chaplin seems to do from the little I've seen. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari has always been an interesting story I've actually never seen any version of so maybe that one's worth a try.
There is a version of Haxan that features narration. It was re-released in the 60s with that added. Silent films are hard to get into, but once you do, they are quite unlike any other era of films. I absolutely love them despite what genre the film is (I can watch drama and romantic silent films all day but not a modern film of the same genre).
DVDBeaver reviews the Eureka Der Golem Blu-ray: http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film4/blu-ray_reviews_62_/der_golem_blu-ray.htm
Kino's special features: • 4K restoration of German release version • Music by Stephen Horne • Music by Admir Shkurtai • Music by Lukasz “Wudec” Poleszak • Audio commentary by film historian Tim Lucas • U.S. release version, with music by Cordula Heth • Comparison of German and U.S. release versions I was leaning towards Eureka but Tim Lucas commentaries are my jam so both are worthy of consideration now.
DVDBeaver review updated with comparisons for the Kino release as well: http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film4/blu-ray_reviews_62_/der_golem_blu-ray.htm
