Undescribable Perfection

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

It's obvious the filmmakers had seen and loved the expressionist masterpiece The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920). The influence of the German movie can be seen all over The Bells (1926) with its oppressive ambiance and the way the feelings of the central character are projected into the environment. There's even a pre-stardom Boris Karloff running around in what is essentially a Dr. Caligari cosplay, playing a hypnotist who can see into people's hearts.For all the style the film has, the substance is lacking. The script is based off a Victorian stage melodrama about an innkeeper in debt whose conscience torments him after he murders and robs a wealthy merchant. Lionel Barrymore does great in the lead, making the innkeeper believable in his ambitions and desperation. The build-up of his growing insanity is amazing, but then the rushed ending kills it all. I didn't buy the innkeeper's "redemption" for one moment. This cop-out devolves the picture into mediocrity, worth viewing once or twice only.

Burgomaster is from the German word 'bergermeister'--a word that means 'mayor' in English. I mention this because the main player in this film, Mathias (Lionel Barrymore) plays an innkeeper who longs to become the town's next Burgomaster. To do so, he ingratiates himself to everyone--extending credit left and right to his patrons in an attempt to buy their votes. However, he simply cannot afford to do this and is deeply in debt--in debt to another man who wants this same job. Eventually, when all seems lost, Mathias comes upon a solution when he kills a traveler who he knows is loaded with gold. Unfortunately, while this does immediately solve things and Mathias wins the election, he cannot live with himself for such an evil deed.Later, the dead man's brother returns to town with a mesmerist (this term is now knows as a hypnotist and is played by Boris Karloff). This hypnotist supposedly has the power to read minds and make confess. At first you may not recognize Karloff in his garb, as he's dressed almost exactly like the evil mesmerist, Dr. Caligari, from the famous German film. As for Mathias, he's so convinced that the ghost of the dead man is haunting him that by the end of the film he's ready to do anything to make this stop--even if it means confessing. This follows a particularly vivid and crazy dream in which the mesmerist prosecutes him for murder.While this was an exceptional film, I did feel that perhaps the ending could have been done a bit better--as Barrymore's stumbling about as if in the throes of death took way too long and was clearly overdone and it all seemed a bit old fashioned and hokey. Still, an interesting silent film and one that fans of the genre will no doubt enjoy.

This is quite a decent silent horror film. The print I watched was quite rich. It is a story, not unlike "Crime and Punishment," where a man beset by debt through his own shortsightedness, kills a kind old Jew and lives it up on his money. He spends on his daughter's wedding, buying clothes for his wife, and playing the part of the Burgomaster. Unfortunately, the bells in the title are the sleigh bells of the shay that the old man was driving when he was murdered. One of the strangest things is the appearance of Boris Karloff as a mesmerist. This was years before his appearance in "Frankenstein." He has thick glasses and this hideous grin. He has the power to get people to talk about their worst actions. Everything plays out, but I'm still not sure about the conclusion. It is a very interesting film and it has Lionel Barrymore playing something other than a bent over old curmudgeon.

This silent film kept my interest from the very beginning to the end and this was the first time I was able to view this film with Boris Karloff playing the role as a Mesmerist who had great powers of elevating people and being able to read the minds of guilty men who commit crimes. This story mainly deals with Lionel Barrymore, (Mathias) playing the role as an innkeeper who wants to become the mayor of his small town and is always giving free drinks to most of his customers or loaning money to them. However, Mathias is deeply in debt to a man who threatens to take his inn away from him and force him and his family into the street. Boris Karloff did have a brief role in this film but his great talent along with Lionel Barrymore made this a great silent film classic. If you like good Silent films, this is one of the best. Enjoy