Waxworks Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Waxworks Blu-ray Movie Review

A silent-era classic from Paul Leni (The Man Who Laughs).

Waxworks is an important work of German filmmaking. Produced by Leo Birinsky and Alexander Kwartiroff, Waxworks is a story told in the style of classic German expressionism: a hybrid of styles at play. The film is significant as the final German film by director Paul Leni (The Man Who Laughs) before becoming a prominent Hollywood filmmaker with an alluring list of credits.

The Poet (William Dieterle) is given a job as a writer for a unique wax museum. The author is hired to create stories for some of the figures inside of the wax museum. The poet decides to create fantastical stories involving the Caliph Harun al Raschid (Emil Jannings), Ivan the Terrible (Conrad Veidt), and Jack the Ripper (Werner Krauss). With the poet's imagination gone wild, the stories come to life in magnificent ways. A tale of tales.

Without a doubt, Waxworks features noteworthy production merits. The art direction by Paul Leni (The Tragedy of Love, Lady Hamilton) is exquisite and one of the best elements of the production. The visual language of the filmmaking is stunning – and absorbing. The sets and designs are often far more creative and ambitious in scope than one would expect to find for an early silent-era film. The efforts were commendable.

One of the best elements of Waxworks is the visually striking cinematography crafted by Helmar Lerski (Tomorrow's a Wonderful Day, Hebrew Melody). There is something magnificent about the use of color-tinting throughout the film. There are nice hues of color throughout the entire film. These outstanding colors add an element of sophistication to the production.

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The costumes by Ernst Stern (Satanas, The Wildcat) are also impressive. Throughout the film, the costume designs provide the filmmaking with a sense of style that is pitch-perfect for the creative energy at play. The designs crafted for the mythical characters are spot-on – and provide the film dream-like qualities.

There are two music scores on the Flicker Alley presentation. The music score composed by Jan Kohl (Parental Control ), Olav Lervik (Whatever Comes Next), and Bernd Schultheis (Metropolis) comes from the 2019 instrumental score performed by Ensemble Musikfabrik. There is also a piano score provided. As a silent film fan, I tend to prefer piano scores, but sometimes the experimental ones become interesting experiences as well – it's nice that there are multiple options on the release.

The screenplay by Henrik Galeen (The Golem, Nosferatu) is one of the best elements. Waxworks is creative fun and fans of silent cinema will enjoy its peculiar styles. The stories in the film are full of imagination. There is always something wonderful to experience in that regard. The story is simple but effective – and fitting for the concept.

Director Paul Leni (The Man Who Laughs, The Last Warning) made a fantastic swan- song for his German filmmaking era (before he moved on to mega Hollywood hits). Leni was a fantastic film director with a unique stylistic approach which is perfect for the medium. While Waxworks isn't Leni's best film, it is certainly an example of the director's knack for storytelling in the language of cinema. A worthwhile silent classic that is worth checking out.

Waxworks Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Flicker Alley, Waxworks is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame. The original German version was lost and is no longer available. As such, the presentation comes from a variety of foreign prints of the film and an English version was used to complete the restoration.

The meticulous restoration for Waxworks was the result of the collaboration between Deutsche Kinemathek and Cineteca di Bologna, L'Immagine Ritrovata. The restoration effort was completed with special funding provided by the German Commission for Culture and Media. Every print used for the restoration was scanned in 4K. The restoration was completed in 2K with material from the British Film Institute (BFI).

Waxworks Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The silent-era production features a music-only audio presentation. The feature-film audio is available in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo or with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound presentation. The film has two score options: a piano score composed by Richard Siedhoff and an instrumental score performed by Ensemble Musikfabrik.

Optional subtitles are provided in German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic, and Chinese.

Waxworks Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The set comes as a Blu-ray + DVD combo pack edition. The release features reversible art-work (and fans can select their favorite cover).

The release includes a booklet featuring a selection of essays. Richard Combs provides an essay about the important historical significance of the production. Philip Kemp delves in to the career of director Paul Leni in his career spanning essay. The in-depth booklet also provides notes about the Waxworks restoration process (as detailed by Deutsche Kinemathek's Julia Wallmuller). A selection of rare and important Waxworks photographs and promotional images are also provided.

Audio Commentary featuring film critic and author Adrian Martin

In Search of the Original Version of Paul Leni's Das Wachsfigurenkabinett: Interview with Julia Wallmuller (Deutsche Kinemathek) (HD, 20:29) features a in-depth discussion about the film by the head of digitization for the German Film Heritage Deutsche Kinemathek – The Museum of Film and Television (Berlin).

Conversation with film critic and fiction writer Kim Newman (HD, 17:14) is an interview in which Newman, accomplished journalist and film critic, discusses the important historical significance of Waxworks.

Paul Leni's Rebus-Films Nr. 1 (HD, 15:24) are crossword puzzles created specifically for cinema and which are divided in to two unique segments: a clue and a answer. The cinema puzzles have been generously provided by Kino Lorber.

Waxworks Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Waxworks is a unique creation from director Paul Leni (The Man Who Laughs, The Last Warning). The filmmaking is visually stunning – and far more immersive than one would expect to find for the time-period. The style exuded by the team of filmmakers is astonishing to behold. The cinematography is outstanding (and so is the production design). The Blu-ray release features a strong restoration and plenty of bonus features. Recommended.