Criticised at the time for simplifying the source novel by Gerhardt
Hauptman, Murnau's film certainly suffers from a plot marred by the
loose ends, generalisations and garbled motivations characteristic
of screenwriter Thea von Harbou (Metropolis). The direction,
however, transfigures it. Murnau's dazzling imagery transforms a
picturesque small town into a realm of disquiet and despair, and the web
of strange relationships helps to construct a thrillingly perverse
edifice of passion and obsession. Most extraordinary are the fantasy
sequences, where the camera effects brilliantly visualise the hero's
suffering.
