Memorable, crazy movie

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

"Das Wachsfigurenkabinett" or "Waxworks" is a German silent film from 1924, so over 90 years old by now. Apparently, several versions exist as the runtime is sometimes stated slightly over 60 minutes while the version I watched had a little bit more then 80 minutes. In retrospective, I have to say I'd have preferred the 60-minute version. Birinsky, Leni and especially writer Galeen have worked on some pretty famous films from that era, but their collaboration here did not result in anything memorable. I thought the production values looked pretty weak here for the most part and this already destroyed every chance at a good horror movie because it is so essential for the genre, especially as they could not make up for it via great dialogue for example. The copy I watched was not of great quality, but I guess that's not the filmmakers' fault. At least, I have seen stuff from decades earlier that was more refined. So despite the inclusion of some pretty big names, this one here was a disappointment. I do not recommend watching it.

This movie predates The Mystery of the Wax Museum by 9 years. Where the latter is obviously horror/mystery/thriller/crime this German movie I would rank more in the fantasy genre with some mild horror elements. So the wax statues of Harun al Raschid, Ivan the Terrible and Jack the Ripper do not come to life for real only in the stories which are written and told by William Dieterle to his employee Olga Belajeff. Both of them play various roles in the 3 stories. The best story I thought was the first about the baker in the Far East who thought he had chopped of the arm of the sultan. I thought it was clever and humorous. The second story is about Ivan the Terrible is a lot darker but not so well executed, seems rather rushed. Conrad Veidt though is perfectly cast in this role. I have seen him also in Orlacs Hände and Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, really fine actor. The last story is too short and silly to rate. Good idea but I had preferred if they stuck to 1 story and made it more horror.

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 with each other.Director Paul Leni tells three stories, with the great German actors Emil Jannings ("Last Laugh"), Werner Krauss ("Cabinet of Dr. Caligari") and Conrad Veidt ("Caligari") playing their roles. With this cast and director, you should expect greatness. Personally, I did not find it as great as it could have been, but this may be because I was expecting a horror film and because the film's quality was not what it could be.Kino deserves a lot of credit for releasing this film, especially considering that they had to mix two different sources. The unfortunate part is how pixelated the film is. Even on a medium-sized TV, the squares are evident. Maybe this is unavoidable, but it does make the transfer look cheap. (To be fair, the version I saw in the theater looked no better.)I am tempted to complain about historical accuracy, but I will not. I hope people know that Ivan the Terrible did not get obsessed with an hour glass and that Jack the Ripper never killed men. But, heck, who knows? I will say this: if you watch the film in a theater (which is quite a treat), the only way to do this is with live organ accompaniment. Please watch it like that, otherwise just rent or buy it. The Kino version comes with a nice Paul Leni short.And keep in mind how influential this film was. All wax museum films can be traced back to it, and it is widely believed that "Thief of Baghdad" took its inspiration from this film.

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."Das Wachsfigurenkabinett" is an impressive and very creative movie, changing the colors in accordance with the environment and with amazing scenarios and funny stories. The acrobatic performance of the character Assad the Baker, jumping from a tower of the palace in Baghdad to a tree, is incredible. I did not understand why the genres horror and even thriller are listed for these three romantic adventures in the world of fantasy. I liked very much the first story, indeed very funny and naive; the second one is darker; and the very short third one is weird and romantic. The locations and the atmosphere are another attraction of this great unknown silent movie. I saw an excellent restored version with 83 minutes running time. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "O Gabinete das Figuras de Cera" ("The Chamber of the Wax Figures")