Alraune is the German name for the mandrake, a human-shaped root that, as legend has it, grows underneath a hanged man when he ejaculates onto the ground as he dies (bet they didn't mention THAT in Harry Potter!). It is this root that inspires Professor Jakob ten Brinken (Albert Bassermann) to create a woman by impregnating a prostitute (called Alma Raune) with the semen from an executed criminal.
Seventeen years after the experiment, and Alraune (Brigitte Helm), as the girl is named, is living with her 'uncle' Jakob, unaware of her origins. Her beauty attracts attention from a variety of men, but to show interest in Alraune is to seal one's own fate: a chauffeur who takes her on a joy ride is killed in a crash; a young man who goes to pick lilies for the girl accidentally drowns; and naughty Professor ten Brinken, who can't resist showing his desire for his lovely 'niece', winds up committing suicide.
Eventually Alraune learns the truth about her creation and takes revenge on her guardian Frank Braun (Harald Paulsen), the man who helped ten Brinken carry out his experiment.
A sound remake of the 1928 silent movie Alraune, which also starred Helm in the title role, this film is delightfully perverse and also tragic, with a happy ending for absolutely no-one. Director Richard Oswald occasionally displays poor judgement, such as with the speeding car/crash scene, which is edited in such a rapid manner that even Michael Bay would consider it overkill, but for the most part the film is thoroughly engaging, largely thanks to the beguiling beauty of its star.
N. B., I watched a really poor-quality copy with English subs running at just over 80 minutes. Apparently, there's a 103-minute version somewhere -- it would be great to see the longer version, preferably remastered.
Seventeen years after the experiment, and Alraune (Brigitte Helm), as the girl is named, is living with her 'uncle' Jakob, unaware of her origins. Her beauty attracts attention from a variety of men, but to show interest in Alraune is to seal one's own fate: a chauffeur who takes her on a joy ride is killed in a crash; a young man who goes to pick lilies for the girl accidentally drowns; and naughty Professor ten Brinken, who can't resist showing his desire for his lovely 'niece', winds up committing suicide.
Eventually Alraune learns the truth about her creation and takes revenge on her guardian Frank Braun (Harald Paulsen), the man who helped ten Brinken carry out his experiment.
A sound remake of the 1928 silent movie Alraune, which also starred Helm in the title role, this film is delightfully perverse and also tragic, with a happy ending for absolutely no-one. Director Richard Oswald occasionally displays poor judgement, such as with the speeding car/crash scene, which is edited in such a rapid manner that even Michael Bay would consider it overkill, but for the most part the film is thoroughly engaging, largely thanks to the beguiling beauty of its star.
N. B., I watched a really poor-quality copy with English subs running at just over 80 minutes. Apparently, there's a 103-minute version somewhere -- it would be great to see the longer version, preferably remastered.