Phantom (1922 film)
Encyclopedia
Phantom is a silent film
that was directed by F. W. Murnau
the same year Murnau directed Nosferatu. It is an example of German Expressionist film and has a surreal, dreamlike quality.
), is a clerk in a minor government office, an aspiring poet, and a member of a family headed by a worrisome mother who has a tense relationship with a daughter, Melanie, whom the mother believes works as a prostitute. While going to work one day, a woman (Lya De Putti
) driving two white horses hits Lorenz in the road. Physically, he is unharmed, but from that point forward, the woman in the carriage (named Veronika) consumes his every thought.
His obsession with Veronika costs him his job when he fails to show up for work and threatens his boss for accusing him of stalking
her. Believing that his poems are to be published, Lorenz asks his Aunt Schwabe (Grete Berger) — a cutthroat pawnbroker
— for money, which he then uses to buy a new suit. Schwab's assistant, Wigottschinski (Anton Edthofer), encourages Lorenz to celebrate and they reunite with Lorenz's sister, who becomes Wigottschinski's girlfriend. Unable to contact Veronika, who is wealthy and engaged to someone of her own class, Lorenz instead begins courting a golddigger who looks like Veronika (also played by Lya De Putti), lavishing her with expensive things, all the while reliving the day he was run over in his mind again and again. In the meantime Lorenz's mother's health begins to deteriorate due to her worries over her son's and her daughter's actions, and Lorenz's friend Marie (Lil Dagover
) and her father learn that Lorenz's poems will not be published after all.
Wigottschinski swindles more money out of Schwabe and gives Lorenz a sizable amount. However, Aunt Schwabe becomes suspicious and discovers that Lorenz will not be a published poet, and she angrily demands that he pay back the money after three days or else she will notify the police. Desperate, Lorenz agrees to Wigottschinski's plan to break into her house after she has gone to sleep and to steal enough money to pay back the loan. She wakes up and discovers them, running to the window to call for the police. A struggle ensues, and Wigottschinski kills her, while Melanie runs off and eventually briefly reunites with her mother before disappearing.
Lorenz is arrested and sent to prison. After his release, the film returns to the present, where Lorenz is finishing writing his life story down, in an attempt to purge his mind from the phantom woman who continually hits him in her carriage. Lorenz also now has a new life with Marie.
for many years, but was restored by German film archivists and re-released in the USA on September 12, 2006.
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
that was directed by F. W. Murnau
Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau
Friedrich Wilhelm "F. W." Murnau was one of the most influential German film directors of the silent era, and a prominent figure in the expressionist movement in German cinema during the 1920s...
the same year Murnau directed Nosferatu. It is an example of German Expressionist film and has a surreal, dreamlike quality.
Plot summary
The film is told in an extended flashback. Lorenz Lubota (Alfred AbelAlfred Abel
Alfred Abel was a German film actor, director, and producer. He appeared in over 140 silent and sound films between 1913 and 1938...
), is a clerk in a minor government office, an aspiring poet, and a member of a family headed by a worrisome mother who has a tense relationship with a daughter, Melanie, whom the mother believes works as a prostitute. While going to work one day, a woman (Lya De Putti
Lya De Putti
Lya De Putti was a Hungarian film actress of the silent era, noted for her portrayal of vamp characters.-Early life and career:...
) driving two white horses hits Lorenz in the road. Physically, he is unharmed, but from that point forward, the woman in the carriage (named Veronika) consumes his every thought.
His obsession with Veronika costs him his job when he fails to show up for work and threatens his boss for accusing him of stalking
Stalking
Stalking is a term commonly used to refer to unwanted and obsessive attention by an individual or group to another person. Stalking behaviors are related to harassment and intimidation and may include following the victim in person and/or monitoring them via the internet...
her. Believing that his poems are to be published, Lorenz asks his Aunt Schwabe (Grete Berger) — a cutthroat pawnbroker
Pawnbroker
A pawnbroker is an individual or business that offers secured loans to people, with items of personal property used as collateral...
— for money, which he then uses to buy a new suit. Schwab's assistant, Wigottschinski (Anton Edthofer), encourages Lorenz to celebrate and they reunite with Lorenz's sister, who becomes Wigottschinski's girlfriend. Unable to contact Veronika, who is wealthy and engaged to someone of her own class, Lorenz instead begins courting a golddigger who looks like Veronika (also played by Lya De Putti), lavishing her with expensive things, all the while reliving the day he was run over in his mind again and again. In the meantime Lorenz's mother's health begins to deteriorate due to her worries over her son's and her daughter's actions, and Lorenz's friend Marie (Lil Dagover
Lil Dagover
Lil Dagover was a German stage, film and television actress whose career spanned nearly six decades.-Early life:...
) and her father learn that Lorenz's poems will not be published after all.
Wigottschinski swindles more money out of Schwabe and gives Lorenz a sizable amount. However, Aunt Schwabe becomes suspicious and discovers that Lorenz will not be a published poet, and she angrily demands that he pay back the money after three days or else she will notify the police. Desperate, Lorenz agrees to Wigottschinski's plan to break into her house after she has gone to sleep and to steal enough money to pay back the loan. She wakes up and discovers them, running to the window to call for the police. A struggle ensues, and Wigottschinski kills her, while Melanie runs off and eventually briefly reunites with her mother before disappearing.
Lorenz is arrested and sent to prison. After his release, the film returns to the present, where Lorenz is finishing writing his life story down, in an attempt to purge his mind from the phantom woman who continually hits him in her carriage. Lorenz also now has a new life with Marie.
Cast
- Alfred AbelAlfred AbelAlfred Abel was a German film actor, director, and producer. He appeared in over 140 silent and sound films between 1913 and 1938...
- Lorenz Lubota - Grete Berger - Pfandleiherin Schwabe/Pawnbroker Schwabe
- Lil DagoverLil DagoverLil Dagover was a German stage, film and television actress whose career spanned nearly six decades.-Early life:...
- Marie Starke - Lya De PuttiLya De PuttiLya De Putti was a Hungarian film actress of the silent era, noted for her portrayal of vamp characters.-Early life and career:...
- Veronika Harlan/Mellitta - Anton Edthofer - Wigottschinski
- Aud Egede-NissenAud Egede-NissenAud Richter was a Norwegian actress, appearing in many early 20th century German films.- Biography :...
- Melanie Lubota - Olga EnglOlga EnglOlga Engl was an Austrian stage and motion picture actress who appeared nearly 200 films during her career in the film industry....
- Harlans Frau/Harlan's Wife - Karl EtlingerKarl EtlingerKarl Etlinger was a German film actor. He appeared in 117 films between 1914 and 1946.-Selected filmography:* Nosferatu * Phantom * Gräfin Donelli * One Does Not Play with Love...
- Buchbinder Starke/Bookbinder Starke - Ilka Grüning - Baronin/Baroness
- Adolf Klein - Harlan
- Frida Richard - Lubotas Mutter/Lubota's Mother
- Hans Heinrich von TwardowskiHans Heinrich von Twardowski-Biography:Twardowski was born in Stettin , Pomerania. He made his first film appearance in the 1920 Robert Wiene-directed horror movie Das Kabinett des Doktor Caligari which starred Conrad Veidt, Werner Krauss and Lil Dagover. He would go on to appear in over 20 movies in Weimar Germany during...
- Hugo Lubota
Preservation status
The film was thought to be a lost filmLost film
A lost film is a feature film or short film that is no longer known to exist in studio archives, private collections or public archives such as the Library of Congress, where at least one copy of all American films are deposited and catalogued for copyright reasons...
for many years, but was restored by German film archivists and re-released in the USA on September 12, 2006.