Alraune
by Hanns Heinz Ewers
I'll just give some quick impressions on my reading of this novel. (There are numerous plot synopses available elsewhere for those interested.)
The text featured lots of imagery and symbolism from German folklore. Mahlon Blaine's illustrations perfectly supplement this. And the oversized hardcover that I purchased made me feel as though I was picking up some alchemist's notebook.
Alraune in literary form is pure E-V-I-L. She uses everyone around her to cause disaster and mistidings. This runs from torturing insects and small animals as child to causing death and destruction to those around her in later life. These deeds are all performed on a whim.
This sadistic element is diluted in all of the films based on the story that I have seen.
My favorite version is the 1928 silent film with Brigette "Metropolis" Helm and Paul "The Golem" Wegener. Helm redid the story a couple of years later in the sound era. Her second rendition is not nearly as powerful (although this is hard to say since the nth video generation copy that I viewed of this was miserable...the German dialogue faded in and out ...even a copy I managed to get of the translated dialogue didn't help much). This statement is made even though I have yet to see the full 128 minute version of the '28 film. Scenes featuring Alraune's father have been cut from the one that I have viewed.
A surprisingly palatable adaptation (a.k.a. "The Unnatural") was also done with Erich von Stroheim in the early 1950s. This may be the best one to watch in order to actually follow the story.
There were 2 earlier versions of Alraune were done in 1918. One was from Austria (Hungary (?). The other was created in Germany. However, the German 1918 Alraune apparently does not follow the Ewers novel.
written: 11/25/2001
revised: 2/10/2003