The author and Eva find themselves in a distinctly terrifying fairground sharing a tent with Jack the Ripper (Krauss) who chases them round. The third story is the shortest, but by far the wildest. But the poison-mixer’s elixir does the trick, and once again ensures a happy ending. He takes the bride and bridegroom to the cellars of the Kremlin, threatening to kill the husband if the bride does not consent to having sex with him. Assassins kill the old man, and Ivan arrives unhurt. Ivan and the bride’s father are travelling on a sledge, the old man is dressed in the Ivan own clothes. Meanwhile, the writer and his love Eine (Belajeff) are betrothed to be married, and the Czar is invited to the party. So Ivan does away with him, but the dying poison-mixer puts a curse on his final toxic potion: Ivan’s name on the poison bottle will kill the tyrant. Czar Ivan (a sinister Veidt), loves to poison his adversaries, real or imagined and employs a special poison-mixer to this effect, although he is warned that the man has too much power. The second episode is an exercise in sadism. But a happy ending is ensured courtesy of Maimune. When the baker suddenly returns all hell breaks lose, and the Sultan hides in the oven. The womanising Sultan meanwhile visits the bakery to have his wicked way with the wife. That night the baker argues with his wife about money and promise to improve things by stealing the ‘wishing ring’ from the Caliph at the dead of night. His Grand Vizier (Biensfeldt) is tasked with killing whoever is responsible but when he sets eyes on the baker’s wife Maimune (Belajeff) he fails to execute her husband the baker (Dieterle) instead returning to the palace with tales of her great beauty. The first tale sees Emil Jannings as the portly Sultan Haroun al Raschid wondering where the smoke is coming from below his palace. The writer has already fallen for the proprietor’s daughter Eva (Belajeff), and lets his imagination run wild making the lovers part of the fun in all three fairytales where they fight to stay together against all odds.
The fantasy drama Waxworks captured the comedy-horror craze (or ‘tyrant’ films) of the 1920s and was Leni’s final German outing before he set his sights on America.Ĭredited with inspiring The Wizard of Oz (1929) and House of Wax (1953) Waxworks ( Das Wachsfigurenkabinett) sees a young author (Dieterle) commissioned to add value to the most popular figures in a waxwork museum by crafting their backstories: they Sultan Haroun al Raschid, Ivan the Terrible and Jack the Ripper. His German features include Hintertreppe ( Back Staircase, 1917) and The Man who Laughs(1928), but he is probably best known for The Cat and the Canary (1927) made in Hollywood where he often worked as a director of photography. German born filmmaker Paul Leni (1885-1929) was one of the greatest talents of the silent era.
Dir.: Paul Leni Cast: Emil Jannings, Conrad Veidt, Werner Krauss, William Dieterle, Olga Belajeff Germany 1924, 107 min.
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