The Haunted Castle (1921)

Watching Silent Films

As a party of aristocrats gathers at the Vogelöd family manor house for a hunting weekend, the uninvited arrival of Count Oechst (Lothar Mehnert) interrupts their plans. While rumors persist that the urbane and disdainful Oechst may have murdered his own brother (Paul Hartmann), social discomfort increases further when the Baron (Paul Bildt) and Baroness (Olga Tschechowa) arrive, as she is the recently remarried widow of Oechst's brother. When the Baroness' confessor, Father Faramond (Victor Blütner), unaccountably disappears, the villa becomes the arena for separating truth from lies, via two dreams and two flashbacks, plus multiple deceptions, accusations and confrontations.

"The Haunted Castle" is one of the lesser known earliest accomplishments by the great visual artist/director F.W. Murnau. Schloß Vogelöd is a treat not only visually for the eye, but instills intrigue for the viewer in this new age of filmmaking.

Mentioned in this podcast:

Cinderella (1899)

https://youtu.be/Wv3Z_STlzpc

Adam's watchlist included: The Student of Prague (1913), and The Man Who Laughs (1928), starring Conrad Veidt and co-written by Victor Hugo.

Hosted by YiFeng, Lily and Adam.

Recorded on November 13, 2020.