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Waxworks
(1924)

This creepy drama, directed by Leo Birinski and Paul Leni, features Emil Jannings, Conrad Veidt, Werner Krauss and Wilhelm Dieterle.

Flicker Alley
2020 Blu-ray Disc / DVD edition

Waxworks (1924), color-toned black & white, 81 minutes, not rated, with Rebus-Film No. 1 (1926), black & white, ? minutes, not rated.

Flicker Alley, FA0072, UPC 6-17311-68729-7.
One single-sided, dual-layered, Regions ABC Blu-ray Disc, 1.33:1 aspect ratio image in pillarboxed 16:9 (1920 x 1080 pixels) progressive scan AVC (MPEG-4) format, SDR (standard dynamic range), ? Mbps average video bit rate, ? Kbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 48 kHz 8-bit 2.0 stereo sound, German language intertitles, optional English language subtitles; chapter stops; and one single-sided, dual-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD disc, 1.33:1 aspect ratio image in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan MPEG-2 format, ? Mbps average video bit rate, ? Kbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 48 kHz 8-bit 2.0 stereo sound, German language intertitles, optional English language subtitles; chapter stops; two-disc BD keepcase; $39.95.
Release date: 17 November 2020.
Country of origin: USA

Ratings (1-10): video: X / audio: X / additional content: X / overall: X.

This combo Blu-ray Disc / DVD edition has been prepared from a conflation of a number of export prints held by world film archives. The reconstruction was undertaken by Deutsche Kinematek, Cineteca di Bologna and L’Immagine Ritrovata.

Two optional music scores accompany the film: a piano score by Richard Siedhoff and an instrumental score by Bernd Schultheis, Olav Lervik and Jan Kohl performed by Ensemble Musikfabrik.

Supplementary materials includes an audio commentary by film critic Adrian Martin, an interview with Julia Wallmüller on the search for the original German version of the film, an interview with horror historian Kim Newman, a Paul Leni novelty short, and a 24-page insert booklet with essays by Richard Combs, Philip Kemp and Julia Wallmüller, and technical information on this edition.

This is our recommended home video edition of this film.

USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 Blu-ray Disc / DVD edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.

Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 Blu-ray Disc / DVD edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.

This Region 0 Blu-ray Disc / DVD edition is also available directly from . . .

Kino on Video
2002 DVD edition

Waxworks (1924), color-toned black & white, 83 minutes, not rated, with Rebus-Film No. 1 (1926), black & white, 15 minutes, not rated.

Kino International, K256, UPC 7-38329-02562-5.
One single-sided, dual-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD disc, 1.33:1 aspect ratio image in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan MPEG-2 format, SDR (standard dynamic range), 4.8 Mbps average video bit rate, 192 Kbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 48 kHz 8-bit 2.0 stereo sound, English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles; 9 chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; $29.95 (reduced to $19.95).
Release date: 24 September 2002.
Country of origin: USA

Ratings (1-10): video: X / audio: X / additional content: X / overall: X.

Kino International scored a big goal with the release of this DVD edition of a much-liked Paul Leni film. This edition has been mastered from a restoration print produced by the Cineteca del Comune di Bologna, with restoration lab work by L’Immagine Retrovata. English language intertitles from a 1924 British print have been inserted for this edition. The film is accompanied by a piano score composed and performed by Jon C. Mirsalis.

Our first look at the disc reveals a very-good 35mm restoration print that is moderately speckled and dusty, but generally a pleasure to watch, except for the sometimes over-saturated colors of the toning.

Supplemental materials include Paul Leni’s experimental short film Rebus-film No. 1 (1926) from a contrasty reduction print, and an excerpt from The Thief of Bagdad (1924).