Deaf Crocodile is thrilled to collaborate with the Filmmuseum München to release these two exceptionally rare German silent genre treasures from pioneering Jewish director/writer Henrik Galeen (1881-1949, who wrote & directed the original, recently reconstructed 1915 version of THE GOLEM starring Paul Wegener and scripted NOSFERATU (1922) and WAXWORKS (1924). Restored by the Filmmuseum München, ALRAUNE and THE STUDENT OF PRAGUE show Galeen’s flair for delirious, Expressionist horror / fantasy.

ALRAUNE (A WOMAN OF DESTINY), 1927, Filmmuseum München,131 min. Dir. Henrik Galeen. Deranged Weimar Era erotic sci-fi / horror starring Brigitte Helm (METROPOLIS) as the unholy offspring of a genetics experiment conducted by her scientist “father” Paul Wegener, who implants the semen of a hanged man in the womb of a prostitute. As an adult, the lithe, sinuous Helm drives men to suicide and madness – including her own pseudo-father Wegener who succumbs to incestuous obsession with her. Score by Sabrina Zimmermann and Mark Pogolski.

DER STUDENT VON PRAG (THE STUDENT OF PRAGUE), 1926, Filmmuseum München, 133 min. Dir. Henrik Galeen. Conrad Veidt (THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI, CASABLANCA) stars as a hellraising student who sells his soul to the Devil – but Veidt hasn’t bargained on meeting his own evil doppelgänger who literally steps out of a mirror, Cocteau-like, and starts to take over his life. Score by Stephen Horne.

For thoughts on Alraune + The Student of Prague, please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required:

Video Quality

Alraune and The Student of Prague arrive on Blu-Ray courtesy of restorations completed by the Filmmuseum München in Germany. According to the text preceding the film, the original German version of Alraune no longer exists, and this reconstruction is based on Danish and Russian distribution versions, which include shots that were originally cut by the German censors, although some shots are sadly lost to time. Most of the graphics have been reconstructed outside of a handful of original intertitles. The tints were taken from the Danish nitrate print. The Student of Prague is based on a reconstruction of a Spanish version from the Archive Sodre Montevideo through Cineteca di Bologna with the original German title cards added by the Munich Film Museum.

Each film has been allocated its own disc, which is smart considering each is over two hours plus the additional supplements, so there is no concern about compression artifacts or anything of that nature–especially with Fidelity in Motion handling the encoding. These two restorations eliminate so many issues that typically plague films of this era for a truly gorgeous viewing experience, which only comes up slightly short of perfection due to the elements.

Each film maintains its natural grain well with no extreme fluctuations in quality. You might be surprised by how much detail is present with nice textures on the clothing and within the setting thanks to the enhanced resolution. The contrast is admirably defined with not much in the way of flicker or egregious damage to the print. There are some stray vertical lines that make a quick appearance, but on the whole, things look pretty marvelous. Black levels present with some fine depth with no major occurrence of black crush or compression artifacts. Deaf Crocodile has done amazing work bringing these films to Blu-Ray.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray set presents these films with a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that revitalizes these efforts for a new audience. Alraune comes with a score from Sabrina Zimmermann and Mark Pogolski, and The Student of Prague has its score provided by Stephen Horne. Each presentation is lovely and suits the material well. The music is the only element to contend with in these tracks, and it comes through with perfect fidelity and no signs of damage or age-related anomalies. Silent film fans will appreciate the sound quality of the tracks, as these compositions feel like they are what was intended for these narratives while creating an immersive atmosphere. You could not ask for better!

Special Features

The Deluxe Edition Blu-Ray of Alraune + The Student of Prague arrives in a hard slipcase package that is a beauty in person. The release also includes an 80-page, bound book featuring writing by film historians Stefan Drössler, Walter Chaw, and Stephen R. Bissette. There are also newly translated essays by Hanns Heinz Ewers (1913), Henrik Galeen (1926), and Felix Panten (1926), along with reprinted essays by Michael Farin (1993), Erich Hellmund-Waldow (1928), and Oswell Blakestone (1929). All of this provides great insight into the film, the themes, the creatives, and the behind-the-scenes details in a thoughtfully written style. The on-disc special features are as follows:

Audio Commentaries: Film historian Jan-Christopher Horak, former director of the UCLA Film & TV Archive and the Filmmuseum München, provides a commentary track for each film which provides great context for German cinema of the time, the inspirations for the narrative, the production of the film, and much more. This is a well-rounded and informative listen for fans.

Interview with Stefan Drössler of the Filmmuseum München: Dennis Bartok of Deaf Crocodile conducts an epic interview with the film expert in which he delves into the incredible collection at the Filmmuseum along with the career of writer/director Henrik Galeen and the efforts to preserve these two films.

- Part 1 (40:12)

- Part 2 (56:23)

Dangerous Clues: A nearly 16-minute clip from a 1924 silent crime film with Henrik Galeen as an actor that reveals a side that many have never seen.

Final Thoughts

Alraune and The Student of Prague are two inventive and boundary-pushing silent-era films that show the astounding talent of Henrik Galeen. What the filmmaker was able to accomplish at this time is awe-inspiring at points, and the subject matter is dark and complex enough to still resonate with jaded modern audiences. The length of each of these films may be a bit of a hindrance for more impatient viewers, but these are both very accessible for those who are looking to explore silent-era cinema in earnest. Deaf Crocodile has released a Blu-Ray set which sports a respectable A/V presentation and a valuable assortment of special features. Fans of the label will not be disappointed with their first foray into these early decades. Recommended

Alraune + The Student of Prague are currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Deluxe Edition Slipcase exclusively through Deaf Crocodile and DiabolikDVD.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Deaf Crocodile has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.