Der steinerne Reiter

This charming film is practically unknown, but it is one of Klein-Rogge's best performances, as he plays a romantic lead with a dash of villainy. Klein-Rogge is the feared Master who lives in a bleak castle on top of a mountain, and the villagers in the valley below dread his ill-omened arrival at every wedding. The story concerns one couple who marries despite the master's baleful influence, only to have him crash their wedding party and bring about the death of the bride. The bride's sister, seeking revenge, tries to kill the Master but instead they fall in love, as she realizes that he is not really evil, but blighted by a loveless existence. Their love is ill-starred, however, as the Master kills an insolent guest at their wedding who takes liberties with his bride, and this is followed by a peasants' revolt, where the castle is stormed and the Master captured. In the end, the lovers escape, but their love is finally doomed. The year before this film, Klein-Rogge had his great triumph as the evil Dr. Mabuse in Fritz Lang's 'Dr. Mabuse, Der Spieler', and his most memorable roles have been as villains. This movie demonstrates what a really wide range he had as an actor - he starts off with his very characteristic glowering villain, but once the girl enters his life he demonstrates both joy and tenderness, as well as grief and pain when he thinks he has lost everything. I don't know if such an obscure film could be a candidate for restoration, but it would be a worthy project, as the sets, costumes and many of the performances are as classic examples of expressionism as one could hope to see.

In a distant Teutonic village, people dance and drink merrily celebrating a wedding feast. However, an elderly man tells the villagers that the valley where they live wasn't always happy but sorrowful. This was due to the tyranny of the master of the mountains ( Herr Rudolf Klein-Rogge as wild as his hairdo ) who ruled the valley despotically.

He lived in a Schloss up the mountains, whipped his servants for any reason (Sound familiar?) and when a wedding was going to be celebrated, he descended into the valley asking for his "droit de seigneur".

During one such encounter, a young bride is accidentally killed by the groom who was trying to protect her from the claws of the master of the mountains. The girl's sister vows revenge and journeys to the Schloss with the intention of killing the tyrant.

It is very strange that this remarkable film, "Der Steinerne Reiter", directed by Herr Fritz Wendhausen, has not received the attention its many merits deserve, especially considering its Expressionist touches.

Outstanding are the settings included in this film, particularly the gloomy Schloss carved out of the mountains contrasting with the idyllic village that lies below. The sense of constant menace is pervasive, exemplified by the superb shot when the master of the mountains approaches the village and his shadow as a rider darkens the town. And of course there are quaint customs to observe( presumed typical but at the same time extravagant, perfect for Expressionism mode ), and there's a fantastic and supernatural ending which fits the pitch dark mood perfectly, all put together in a script by the well known Dame Thea von Harbou

Another interesting aspect of the story is a twist in the middle of the oeuvre; the master is redeemed by love but his serfs turn cruel when they take justice into their own hands blurring the thin line between good and evil.

And now, if you'll allow me, I must temporarily take my leave because this German Count must complain to his imitator, the master of the mountains, about copyright infringement.

Herr Graf Ferdinand Von Galitzien http://ferdinandvongalitzien.blogspot.com/