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Phantom

Play trailer Poster for Phantom 1922 2h 5m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
43% Tomatometer 7 Reviews 61% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
Lorenz (Alfred Abel), an office worker of meager means, lives in a tiny apartment with his mother and two siblings and harbors artistic aspirations. But when Lorenz spies the mysteriously alluring Veronika (Anton Edthofer) riding in a carriage, he begins neglecting all his responsibilities in his relentless pursuit of the unattainable beauty. He later meets Mellitta (also De Putti), a conniving woman who resembles Veronika, and she dupes him into doing her bidding, with devastating results.

Critics Reviews

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Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader Feb 13, 2007
Somewhat stodgy in its seriousness, Phantom remains a secondary work by a great filmmaker. Go to Full Review Yasser Medina Cinefilia Jun 21, 2022
6/10
Far from some visual notes that at times add certain dreamlike qualities, I have the impression that it is a minor piece of Murnau's early expressionist cinema. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review Dennis Harvey 48 Hills Jan 8, 2022
The film has its share of hand-wringing histrionics, but is also striking in mood and look. Go to Full Review David Sterritt Cineaste Magazine Nov 11, 2021
Phantom is a fitting title for a story in which emotions are ruthless, motivations are slippery, and identity itself is dauntingly hard to pin down. This isn't exactly horror, but parts of it border on nightmare. Go to Full Review Phil Hall Film Threat Nov 26, 2006
2/5
It's a bit of a bore. Go to Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Nov 15, 2006
C+
It's dreadfully slow-paced, overwrought and dated. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Sep 29, 2015 Definitely want to watch more Murnau. See more Apr 26, 2015 skillfully directed by FW Murnau. See more Nov 16, 2013 Overlong and rather trite. See more Apr 4, 2012 I have to say, though is by far secondary Murnau, it was still a very intersting melodrama filled with beautiful images and some groundbreaking special effects. The "Totters Day" sequence is masterful. See more Dec 16, 2011 I wasn't impressed, interested, or put off by this film... in fact I didn't feel anything but boredom towards it. The plot sounds so promising, but the picture doesn't deliver. Even though my DVD was of poor quality, I couldn't get into this movie at all. I expected more from a film called Phantom. See more Oct 7, 2010 Not what I expected from F.W Murnau. It didn't have the beauty of SUNRISE or the mystery of NOSFERATU. And the title is a trifle misleading, in that I was expecting a ghost story of some sort. Instead, the title refers to obsessive "phantoms" of desires and dreams that haunt one's thoughts. This film resembles somewhat THE BLUE ANGEL in that a man's chance meeting with a mystery woman and his subsequent obsession of same leads to his downfall. Performances were a bit over-dramatic, but that is to be expected for 1922. And I have a hard time finding a lot of faults with silent German cinema. All in all, not a masterpiece but good enough to hold my attention for 2+ hours. See more Read all reviews
Phantom

My Rating

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Cast & Crew

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F.W. Murnau

Director

Alfred Abel

Lorenz Lubota

Grete Berger

Pfandleiherin Schwabe

Lil Dagover

Marie Starke

Anton Edthofer

Wigottschinski

Olga Engl

Frau Harlan

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Phantom

Phantom (1922) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Lorenz (Alfred Abel), an office worker of meager means, lives in a tiny apartment with his mother and two siblings and harbors artistic aspirations. But when Lorenz spies the mysteriously alluring Veronika (Anton Edthofer) riding in a carriage, he begins neglecting all his responsibilities in his relentless pursuit of the unattainable beauty. He later meets Mellitta (also De Putti), a conniving woman who resembles Veronika, and she dupes him into doing her bidding, with devastating results.
Director
F.W. Murnau
Producer
Erich Pommer
Screenwriter
Thea von Harbou, Hans Heinrich von Twardowski
Production Co
Uco-Film
Genre
Drama
Runtime
2h 5m
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