The Head of Janus
- Conrad Veidt: Dr. Warren / Mr. O'Connor
- Magnus Stifter: Dr. Warren's friend
- Margarete Schlegel: Grace / Jane
- Willy Kaiser - Heyl
- Bela Lugosi: Dr. Warren's servant
- Margarete copper
- Gustav Botz
- Jaro Fürth
- Hans Lanser -Rudolf
- Marga Reuter
The Janus head, with the subtitle > tragedy on the edge of reality ', is a silent movie from 1920 in which FW Murnau directed. It is an adaptation of the novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. The film, which premiered on September 17, 1920, is considered to be lost.
The screenplay for this film was written by Hans Janowitz, who has worked already with Carl Mayer in the famous film production The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1919).
Content
Two opposite characters are hidden (played by Conrad Veidt ) in the person of inconspicuous London gentleman Dr. Warren. He falls at a late hour the delusion of a rabid animal. This is caused hypnotic transformation has not purchased through laboratory experiments as in Stevenson's original, but by a supernatural effect of Janus bust that Dr. Warren ( the Jekyll character) in the opening sequence for his lover Jane Lanyon ( Margarete Schlegel ) as a gift. The gruesome acts he commits in this delusional episodes, but not perceived as a result of schizophrenia from the wealthy and proper man who enters the daytime appearance. Most recently, he perishes at the hysterical, brutal and obsessive character O'Connor.
Reviews
" [ ... ] The whole Asked on Sensation action is gripping from beginning to end; which, if one may say so, occurring at an open stage transformations are a technical masterpiece of consummate effect. Here the film is superior to the theater. What is simply impossible on the stage, takes place on the white wall with amazing self-evident: The narrow, spiritualized face Conrad Veidt, who plays Dr. Warren with a glossy Control of the roll, turns almost imperceptibly into a vile, wild haired, stubbly visage, the shape of curves, is a completely different person. Something disturbing had only a few close-ups, where you could see clearly the mask. Conrad Veidt has brought it in the preparation of such bizarre characters on a brilliant virtuosity and surprises with new ways of expression. Next to him, Willy Kaiser - Heyl, Magnus Stifter, Margarete Schlegel and all other actors were quite on the level. Among the photographically very good and rich scenic images were designed especially some blue viragierte, nocturnal street scenes on studio recordings with pretty lighting effects. "
" To make it short: This 6 Akter " set up by the English, " by Hans Janowitz for the film, directed by Fred Murnau, published by the Decla - Bioscope has a future, is one of the strongest impressions of the last time. [ ... ]
Man apologizes improbabilities of the content of the body by the subtitle; here: " A tragedy on the brink of reality." So you have to accept the fantastic. It has the advantage here also fabulous ester voltage, and is not unlikely in itself. In addition, is played brilliantly, is the photograph excellent, the movie well cut, otherwise treated technically refined and apart from a duller fifth act with considerable taste.
Conrad Veidt is Dr. Warren - O'Connor, he only half himself, half- Werner Krauss, however, very much in the game. A film winning the young Margaret Schlegel, tentatively self-conscious still a trifle too much in the style stage. The friend gave Magnus Stifter unobtrusively elegant. Willi Kaiser- Heyl, Margarete copper, Danny Gürtler appeared far lifted above its own average performance.
All in all: Rare quality and still a success with the public. "
Special
The still preserved, writer and additional production materials suggest that in this work for the first time in film history, the " moving camera " was introduced and applied. In a scene in which the Doctor climbs the stairs to his lab, Janowitz writes in his screenplay following sentence: " The camera follows him along the stairs ."