Product Details

• Actors: Heinrich Witte, Aud Egede Nissen, Adolf Klein, Alfred Abel, Wilhelm Diegelmann
• Directors: F.W. Murnau
• Format: Black & White, DVD, Silent, NTSC
• Language: German
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Flicker Alley, LLC
• DVD Release Date: September 12, 2006
• Run Time: 120 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000HC2LOY
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #55,958 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Phantom" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Flicker Alley, in partnership with the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Foundation is proud to present, Phantom, which marked a major turning point in the influential career and the groundbreaking style of cinema poet F.W. Murnau. In this beautifully reconstructed and restored edition from an amazingly detailed, original 1922 negative, Alfred Abel (Metropolis, Dr. Mabuse) plays Lorenz Lubota, a man obsessed with his own desires to achieve fame and wealth, who must confront the barriers of class keeping him from a woman (Lya de Putti)with whom he has had a fateful encounter.

Featuring a magnificent new orchestral score by Robert Israel, this powerfully expressive and surprisingly insightful film is a triumph of German Weimar cinema and a wonderful collaboration of many of its most skilled artisans and recognizable performers. Through dazzling visuals and memorable characters, Phantom paints a portrait of the corrupting influence of money, the conformity of societal norms, and the redemptive power of family.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Outstanding Flicker Alley Release., September 27, 2006

By	Chip Kaufmann (Asheville, N.C. United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

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Here comes another outstanding silent film release from the folks at Flicker Alley. First there was THE GARDEN OF EDEN a very obscure film from director Lewis Milestone with Corrine Griffith. Next came JUDEX a celebrated serial from Louis Feuillade which was unavailable for decades and now there is F.W. Murnau's PHANTOM which was made after NOSFERATU in 1922. Despite the title there is nothing supernatural about PHANTOM. It is based on a novel by Gerhard Hauptmann as adapted by Thea von Harbou and deals with the principal character's obssession with a woman whose visage "haunts" him to the exclusion of everything else. It is also the study of a family in crisis brought about by the changing times and morals of Germany after the First World War. Obssession and familial crisis are themes that von Harbou would return to again and again in her films for Fritz Lang. While it is not top drawer Murnau it is certainly more than worthwhile and paves the way for his masterpieces THE LAST LAUGH in 1924 and SUNRISE in 1927. The film has been lovingly restored with beautiful tints and a wonderful score from Robert Israel. It also comes with a booklet on the restoration. This is how all silent films should be treated allowing the viewer of today to get some idea of the viewing experience audiences had when silent films first played in theatres. With this and the other releases mentioned earlier Flicker Alley has shown themselves to be the Criterion Collection of silent films on DVD and I can't wait for their next offering whatever it may be.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent DVD, exceptionally good film, September 23, 2006

By	Barbara Burkowsky (Manly, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews

The Flicker Alley Collection has done a superb job with this fabulous restored edition of German director F.W. Murnau's "Phantom", adding many special bonus features and also a booklet to delight all serious film historians and silent film enthusiasts. F.W. Murnau was one of Germany's foremost directors, competing with the likes of Fritz Lang and G.W. Pabst, and his most famous films are no doubt the award-winning "Sunrise" from 1927, and the ever-popular horror classic, "Nosferatu", based on Bram Stoker's `Dracula'. Just after completing "Nosferatu" in 1922, Murnau embarked on this small-budget project, "Phantom", which was based on a novel by the respected and popular German author, Gerhart Hauptmann. Both novel and film were very popular at the time, and for today's audience this release of "Phantom" adds further dimension and range to Murnau's work. After directing "Nosferatu", it is clear to see Murnau's film directing quickly becoming more sophisticated, the editing smoother and more precise, and the depth of drama and sensitivity increasing, leading him to great cinematic works such as "Faust", "The Last Laugh" and no doubt the pinnacle of his success, "Sunrise".

In this sensitive and compassionate portrayal of an honest man's slide into mental illness and crime, the "Phantom" refers to images or hallucinations of a woman with whom the poor man has become obsessed, and which consequently lead him to more desperate acts. The story shows how a few unfortunate circumstances and association with two questionable characters (one of them being his own wayward sister) combined with his pathological obsession with a woman he hardly knows, quickly cause his life to spiral downward out of control. The focus is on Lorenz's good and honest character, and the equally good-hearted woman who loves him and believes in him despite everything. All characters are wonderfully portrayed by some of the finest European actors of the time, such as Alfred Abel as Lorenz, and Lil Dagover as his devoted Maria, whose love and faith restores his life to happiness in the end. Visually, this film is quite marvellous, with beautiful scenes and photography, some interesting effects and traces of classic German Expressionism, all enhanced by good restoration and careful colour-tinting, and the entire 130 minutes of this smooth-flowing story is a delight to watch. A masterful classical orchestral score by silent film composer, Robert Israel, lifts this film to even greater heights. For a very satisfying and fulfilling silent cinematic experience the film itself is already enough, but for more background information and better appreciation of the work involved and circumstances surrounding the filming, the short documentaries in the bonus features are also of a high standard, as are the biographies of everyone involved in the film, including Thea von Harbou who wrote the screenplay for "Phantom" - as she did for many other famous and classic films. Definitely a top-class production for its time and still a pleasure to watch today!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning !, January 16, 2007

By	Sevisan "Sevisan." (Madrid.) - See all my reviews

Perhaps not the best Murnau film, but surely the best edition of a
silent film I have ever seen. Wonderful!