Waxworks | Paul Leni’s 1924 anthology masterpiece gets a stunning restoration

Hot on the heels of Eureka Entertainment’s 4k Blu-ray release of Paul Leni’s The Man Who Laughs comes the German director’s seminal 1924 anthology, Waxworks, presented in a new 2K restoration print on Blu-ray as a part of The Masters of Cinema Series.

This was Leni’s final directorial effort in Germany before he moved to Hollywood where he would helm not only The Man Who Laughs​ in 1928 but also ​The Cat and the Canary, The Chinese Parrot and ​The Last Warning before his premature death, aged just 44, in 1929.

Waxworks is expressionism in its purest form, featuring highly-stylised sets (all designed by Leni), chiaroscuro lighting, and stunning, early performances from future legends: William Dieterle, Emil Jannings and Conrad Veidt.

Leni’s silent (Das Wachsfigurenkabinett) centres on a writer (Dieterle) who is hired by the owner of an amusement park wax museum (John Gottowt) to pen some backstories of his key exhibits: Caliph Harun al-Rashid (Jannings), Ivan the Terrible (Veidt), and Jack the Ripper/Spring Heeled Jack (Wener Krauss). Adventure, history and horror then unfold, with the writer and the museum owner’s daughter (Olga Belajeff) also becoming characters within each ‘startling’ tale.

As there is no surviving original negative of the German print of ​Waxworks​, this newly-restored presentation is composed of the 1926 British print from the BFI and additional film materials (all scanned in 4K and restored in 2K). It’s amazing how much effort has gone into this 2019 restoration, and the end result is truly stunning.

There are also two soundtrack options: a traditional silent movie piano score by composer Richard Siedhoff, or an avant-garde instrumental one by the Ensemble Musikfabrik (which is the one I prefer, check it out in the trailer below).

Amongst Eureka’s special features is Leni’s short films Rebus-Film Nr. 1 (1925-1926). These were animated crossword puzzles originally shown in German cinemas before the main feature. The one presented here comes with English translations, so you can try them out yourself.

BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES:

• 1080p presentation on Blu-ray from a new 2K restoration, with stereo and 5.1 surround sound options
• Audio commentary with film critic Adrian Martin (this scholarly presentation is a perfect primer for students studying Weimar cinema)
• Paul Leni’s Rebus-Film Nr. 1
• In search of the original version of Paul Leni’s ​‘Das Wachsfigurenkabinett’​ – An informative interview with Julia Wallmüller (Il Cinema Ritrovato, Bologna 2020), who looks at the film’s production and restoration
• Kim Newman on Waxworks: The film critic and fiction writer explores the legacy of Waxworks within cinema history
• Booklet featuring new essays, notes on the restoration process, production photographs and promotional material