''Alraune'' is a

1918 This year is noted for the end of the First World War, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, as well as for the Spanish flu pandemic that killed 50–100 million people worldwide. Events Below, the events ...

Hungarian

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

horror film directed by

Michael Curtiz Michael Curtiz ( ; born Manó Kaminer; since 1905 Mihály Kertész; hu, Kertész Mihály; December 24, 1886 April 10, 1962) was a Hungarian-American film director, recognized as one of the most prolific directors in history. He directed cla ...

and

Edmund Fritz Edmund Fritz (before 1918after 1932) was an Austrian (possibly Hungarian-born) actor, film director, and manager of at least one musical group. He was co-director of the 1918 film '' Alraune'', a Hungarian science fiction horror film, believed t ...

. It starred Géza Erdélyi. Little is known about this film which is now believed to be lost. Alraune is German for "

Mandrake A mandrake is the root of a plant, historically derived either from plants of the genus '' Mandragora'' found in the Mediterranean region, or from other species, such as ''Bryonia alba'', the English mandrake, which have similar properties. The ...

". The film is based on a novel by German novelist

Hanns Heinz Ewers Hanns Heinz Ewers (3 November 1871 – 12 June 1943) was a German actor, poet, philosopher, and writer of short stories and novels. While he wrote on a wide range of subjects, he is now known mainly for his works of horror, particularly his trilo ...

published in 1911. The plot is a variation on the original legend of

Alraune ''Alraune'' (German for ) is a novel by German novelist Hanns Heinz Ewers published in 1911. It is also the name of the female lead character. The book originally featured illustrations by Ilna Ewers-Wunderwald. Legend The basis of the story of ...

in which a

Mad Scientist The mad scientist (also mad doctor or mad professor) is a stock character of a scientist who is perceived as " mad, bad and dangerous to know" or "insane" owing to a combination of unusual or unsettling personality traits and the unabashedly amb ...

creates a beautiful—but

demon A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, ani ...

ic—child from the forced union between a woman and a

mandrake root "Mandrake Root" is a song by Deep Purple that is featured on their debut album ''Shades of Deep Purple''. The title is in reference to the mandrake plant, but is also the name of a pre-Purple band that Blackmore was trying to form in Germany ...

fed by the blood of a hanged man.''Alraune'' (1918) at SilentEra
/ref>

Cast

References

* Wingrove, David.

Science Fiction Film Source Book ''The Science Fiction Film Source Book'' is a book by David Wingrove published in 1985. Plot summary ''The Science Fiction Film Source Book'' is a book consisting of list of science fiction film plot summaries, with information about producers, di ...

(Longman Group Limited, 1985)

External links

* Hungarian black-and-white films Lost horror films Films directed by Michael Curtiz Hungarian silent feature films Films based on works by Hanns Heinz Ewers Hungarian science fiction films Mad scientist films 1910s science fiction horror films Lost Hungarian films Hungarian horror films 1918 horror films 1918 lost films Silent science fiction horror films {{sf-horror-film-stub

Cast

See also

References

External links