Phantom

Lorenz Lubota (Alfred Abel), a town clerk and poet from a humble background, is struck by the car of the wealthy Veronika Harlan (Lya de Putti). From then on, he is so fascinated by the beautiful woman that he loses touch with reality. He attempts to bridge the class divide with money he has swindled. When his beloved does not respond to him, the decline of the romantic, respectable man begins; he gets involved with shady characters, seeks the company of a loose woman, loses his job and honor, and is persuaded to commit a burglary that ends in murder. “Phantom” (1922) by Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau (“Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror”) is one of the major works of Weimar cinema and can be classified as German Expressionism—even though stylistically it already occupies a transitional position. The film addresses central themes of the era: the dangerous power of illusions, unfulfilled longings, and the desire for social advancement. Lorenz’s obsession with the unattainable woman becomes the “Phantom” that controls him and destroys his life. Stylistically as well, Murnau draws on typical elements of Expressionism. The plot is not told in a soberly realistic manner, but is strongly shaped by the protagonist’s perspective: dreamlike, sometimes distorted images and symbolic staging reflect Lorenz’s inner state and blur the lines between reality and imagination. At the same time, “Phantom” is less exaggerated than other Expressionist works and already appears more realistic and psychologically precise in many passages. Thus, the film marks a transition from the highly stylized Expressionist visual language to a more modern narrative style that is more strongly oriented toward the characters’ inner lives.