THE PHANTOM CHARIOT (1921)
(a.k.a. THE PHANTOM CARRIAGE/KORKARLEN)
Article #1030 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 1-9-2004
Posting Date: 6-7-2004
Directed by Victor Sjostrom
Featuring Victor Sjostrom, Hilda Borgstrom, Tore Svennberg

A man dies at midnight on New Year’s Eve, and consequently must take over the job of driving the chariot of the dead for the next year. In doing so he comes face to face with the consequences of his actions while he still lived.

I could sum up this story very simply by pointing out that this movie is essentially a variation on a very well-known story; however, to do so would give away the ending and I have no intention of doing that. Part of the reason is that the movie is singularly powerful; the main character handles his inner pain by drinking and becoming cruel and mean, and there’s something heartbreaking at seeing the petty nature of some of his cruel deeds; in particular, a sequence where he spends the night at a mission and discovers in the morning that one of the volunteers has sewn up the holes in his coat results in some truly stupid and mean behavior on his part. Another reason is that the movie stands so well on its own that it should be viewed on its own merits, and not as a variation on another story. The fantastic aspects are truly wonderful; the visions of the rickety transparent carriage driving through the streets, and Death sadly carrying the souls of the departed into the carriage are wonderful It’s one of those movies that does such a wonderful job of balancing the fantastic and the dramatic, and it remains another unknown silent classic of Fantastic cinema. This one is highly recommended.

PUNISHMENT PARK (1971)
Article #1024 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 1-3-2004
Posting Date: 6-1-2004
Directed by Peter Watkins
Featuring Jim Bohan, Paul Alelyanes, Carmen Argenziano

Several people are arrested on grounds of subversive activity and given the choice between going to prison and trying to escape their sentences by participating in a race against time in a desert known as Punishment Park.

This is social science fiction. It doesn’t specify whether it takes place in the near future or in an alternate universe (Nixon is still portrayed as being the president), but I suspect that it isn’t really supposed to matter. In fact, since the whole thing is very convincingly shot as a documentary, it may well be that the makers were hoping that it would mistaken for one. Ultimately, though I admire the craft of making this look convincing, it’s also obvious and predictable once you figure out that it’s fiction-with-a-message; knowing this type of movie, you should be able to figure out just how many of the participants in the race regain their freedom. And the endless arguments between the counterculturists/revolutionaries and the members of the establishment do get tiresome after a while. It’s powerful enough, but as always, one should consider the nature of film-making and remind themselves that it is a piece of fiction before they decide what lessons they wish to glean from it.

PETER IBBETSON (1935)
Article #1023 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 1-2-2004
Posting Date: 5-31-2004
Directed by Henry Hathaway
Featuring Gary Cooper, Ann Harding, John Halliday

Two childhood sweethearts are separated as youths, and then meet again many years later to discover they are still very much in love.

The fantastic aspect of this movie doesn’t manifest itself until the second half of the movie, and to tell you the events that lead up to it would be giving away huge chunks of the plot, so all I will say at this point is that the two main characters are able to share the same dreams by which they can be together through a forced separation. In short, this is romantic fantasy. It’s fairly good, with decent performances from all concerned, unexpected plot twists, and some interesting secondary characters. An earlier version of the Du Maurier story appeared in 1921, but I have been unable to find that one.

THE PEARL OF DEATH (1944)
Article #1022 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 1-1-2004
Posting Date: 5-30-2004
Directed by Roy William Neill
Featuring Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Dennis Hoey

When Sherlock Holmes inadvertently becomes responsible for the theft of a rare pearl, he matches wits with a man named Conover to recover the pearl.

This is another enjoyable entry in the Universal Sherlock Holmes series, and it may be one of the most horror-oriented of the series. A good deal of this has to do with the presence of Rondo Hatton as the back-breaking character known as the Creeper, who was so popular that two other movies (HOUSE OF HORRORS and THE BRUTE MAN) were made around the character. Here he is given no dialogue and remains in the shadows for most of the movie; in fact, the final confrontation marks one of the rare times I’ve ever seen Holmes to look really scared. In all respects, this is a solid entry in the series, with both Bruce and Hoey providing a fair amount of comic relief.

On a side note, some of these Sherlock Holmes movies were made during the war, so it’s not surprising when the wartime propaganda creeps in. However, in both this entry and THE SCARLET CLAW, I couldn’t help but admire the tasteful and dignified way that this was handled, with final speeches by Holmes that were both subtle and stirring, while avoiding overt preachiness. Though I am not fond of propaganda, I can admire how effective it can be when done well.

PHANTOM (1922)
Article #926 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 9-27-2003
Posting Date: 2-24-2004
Directed by F. W. Murnau
Featuring Alfred Abel, Grete Burger, Lil Dagover

A government clerk falls for a woman after being hit by her carriage in the street; this, along with the belief that he’s about to become rich as a poet, causes him to borrow money recklessly.

My print of this movie had German subtitles, but fortunately I had a printed translation of the subtitles. Unfortunately, they fall hopelessly out of sync towards the end, so I had to do a lot of guessing from that point onwards. It’s an entertaining enough drama, but those attracted to the movie by the supernatural title and the fact that Murnau also gave us NOSFERATU will be severely disappointed; the phantom is purely mental. It’s the image of the woman he loves but can never attain, and despite the fact that the metaphor is manifested physically in the movie (as a ghostly carriage that he chases), there is precious little here for lovers of the fantastic other than a stunning shot of the buildings of the city threatening to fall in upon our hero. The script is by Thea von Harbou, who would participate in many of Fritz Lang’s silent classics.

PANDORA’S BOX (1929)
(a.k.a. DIE BUCHSE DER PANDORA)
Article #921 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 9-22-2003
Posting date: 2-19-2004
Directed by G.W. Pabst
Featuring Louise Brooks, Fritz Kortner, Francis Lederer

A free-living woman brings tragedy to all who become involved with her.

I’ve covered a couple of movies by G. W. Pabst already; this one is considered his masterpiece, though I think this may be even more the result of Louise Brooks’ unforgettable performance as Lulu, a woman who never really considers the consequences of her actions until disaster occurs and the price must be paid. It’s not a horror movie, but a drama in which horror elements only come in to play near the end when Jack the Ripper becomes part of the action. It’s full of surprising touches, unexpected plot twists, and strong performances. Francis Lederer is also on hand; he would later appear in THE RETURN OF DRACULA and TERROR IS A MAN.