NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Flicker Alley Blu-ray (November 2020): Flicker Alley have transferred Paul Leni's Waxworks to Blu-ray. It is cited as - "WAXWORKS by Paul Leni premiered in 1924 in Vienna. The original German version of the film has not survived. Only shortened vintage prints of the English, French and Czech distribution versions are preserved. The film was digitized in 4K resolution and restored in 2K in a cooperation project between Deutsche Kinemathek and Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna. The restoration is based on a tinted and toned 35mm vintage print on nitrate film held by the British Film Institute National Archive (BFI). Due to heavy decomposition of the print, parts of the film had to be taken from other film elements: a duplicate negative from the BFI and a vintage print from the Cinematheque Frangaise. The text of the German intertitles is lost, therefore the English intertitles of the BFI print have been kept. Also the colouring corresponds to the colours of that print. Hence the restoration represents the English version of the film, which is about 1640 feet (25 mins. at 18 fps) shorter than the lost original version."

At 96-years young the film, of course, has inconsistencies but it can look highly remarkable through much of the viewing experience. Predictable vertical scratches are prevalent but contrast stability provides an impressive presentation considering the long history of the sources and restoration.

NOTE: We have added 54 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Flicker Alley provide two scores; a new piano score by Richard Siedhoff and a new instrumental score by Bernd Schultheis, Olav Lervik and Jan Kohl, commissioned by ZDF/ARTE and performed by Ensemble Musikfabrik. Both are offered in 2.0 channel stereo or 5.1 surround via DTS-HD Master (24-bit) tracks with English intertitles. The former score might be considered more passive while the new instrumental score, sounding more varied. I liked both and both options of stereo and surround that give different representations. Flicker Alley offer optional German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic, Chinese subtitles for the English text and intertitles on their Region FREE Blu-ray.

The Flicker Alley Blu-ray offers a new commentary by Adrian Martin, and he is at his usual insightful and observant expression, occasionally citing other critics (David Bordwell etc.) and venturing down avenues of 'film art' and 'horror cinema' (Dead of Night). He covers both Weimar and German Expressionist (Max Reinhardt) cinemas, the color tinting and much more. I always gain appreciation for a film after one of his commentaries. A wonderful addition to the package. Paul Leni’s 1925 curiosity Rebus-Films Nr. 1 - a series of Leni-helmed cinematic crossword puzzles that were originally screened in 1920s German cinemas as featurettes accompanying the main film. Each of these animated shorts was split into two parts - a clue and an answer - and presented before and after the feature presentation. It runs in total just over 1/4 hour. Also included is a new (2020) video piece about seeking out the original version of Paul Leni’s Das Wachsfigurenkabinett. It amounts to an interview with Julia Wallmüller (Deutsche Kinemathek) based on her presentation after the premiere of the restored film at Il Cinema Ritrovato festival in Bologna and runs over 20-minutes. We get a delightful, new, 17-minute conversation with Kim Newman. It is an in-depth interview with the journalist, film critic, and fiction writer discussing the legacy of Waxworks. The package has both a second disc DVD and a collector’s edition souvenir booklet - Limited edition booklet featuring new essays by Phillip Kemp and Richard Combs on the film’s history and significance; notes on the restoration process by Julia Wallmüller (Deutsche Kinemathek); and rarely seen production photographs and promotional material. The package has a transparent case featuring reversible cover artwork.  

Paul Leni's Waxworks is a wonderful Silent Era fantasy with horror elements. It has highly interesting effects and framing devices. Fans of German Expressionism will delight in Leni's Waxworks. The three stories are varied and have different appeal from suspense to humor.  I'm thrilled to own another Flicker Alley Blu-ray keepsake. It has an exceptional commentary by Adrian Martin, Kim Newman, relevant extras on the restoration and the collector’s booklet. Strongly recommended to all film fans. 

Gary Tooze