''Homunculus'' is a six chapter German science fiction silent serial directed by

Otto Rippert Otto Rippert (22 October 1869 – 15 January 1940) was a German film director during the silent film era. Biography Rippert was born in Offenbach am Main, Germany, and began his career as a stage actor, working in theatres in Baden-Baden, Forst ...

and written by

Robert Reinert Robert Reinert (born 22 April 1872 in Vienna; died 30 August 1928 in Berlin) was a German film director and screenwriter. Born in Vienna, he moved to Munich around 1900. He wrote several novels, including "Der Weg zur Sonne" (1906) and "Krieg" ...

. Other sources list Robert Neuss as a co-writer.

Fritz Lang Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), known as Fritz Lang, was an Austrian film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary ''Variety'', August 4, 1976, p. 6 ...

was one of Rippert's assistants during filming. It was originally produced by Deutsche Bioscop GmbH.

Plot

A scientist creates a living creature called a ''Homunculus'' (a Latin word which means ''little man'') in a laboratory, and the creature strives to find love. When it discovers it is unable to feel emotions, it goes on a rampage and starts creating havoc in a nearby German village. Although it looks human, it is a soulless being. The scientist hunts down the creature in an attempt to destroy his creation. The Reinert's script is loosely based on epic poem ''Homunculus'' written by

Robert Hamerling Robert Hamerling (March 24, 1830July 13, 1889) was an Austrian poet. Biography Hamerling was born into a poor family at Kirchberg am Walde in Lower Austria. He displayed an early genius for poetry; his youthful attempts at drama excited the inte ...

in 1888. The theme of an artificially created being turning against its creator is also similar to the ''Golem'' films of

Paul Wegener Paul Wegener (11 December 1874 – 13 September 1948) was a German actor, writer, and film director known for his pioneering role in German expressionist cinema. Acting career At the age of 20, Wegener decided to end his law studies and conce ...

and the silent film versions of

Henrik Galeen Henrik Galeen (7 January 1881 – 30 July 1949) was an Austrian-born actor, screenwriter and film director considered an influential figure in the development of German Expressionism, German Expressionist cinema during the silent era. Early years ...

's ''Alraune''. The plot is very similar to

Mary Shelley Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (; ; 30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was an English novelist who wrote the Gothic fiction, Gothic novel ''Frankenstein, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' (1818), which is considered an History of scie ...

's ''

Frankenstein ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific ex ...

'', wherein a living creature (called a homunculus) is created artificially in a laboratory and strives to develop emotions like a human being. (''Frankenstein'' had previously been filmed by

Thomas Edison Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventio ...

in the United States in 1909.)

Cast

Release history

One of the most successful German-made film series produced during World War I, it was theatrically released at the

Marmorhaus The Marmorhaus (English: Marble House) is a former cinema located on the Kurfürstendamm in Berlin. Opened in 1913, it takes its name from a large marble façade. Designed by the architect Hugo Pál, the walls of the foyer and auditorium were dec ...

, Berlin, between June 1916 (preview) and August 1916 (premiere) and January 1917 in six parts running approximately one hour each: 1: ''Die Geburt des Homunculus''
2: ''Das geheimnisvolle Buch''
3: ''Die Liebestragödie des Homunculus''
4: ''Die Rache des Homunculus''
5: ''Die Vernichtung der Menschheit''
6: ''Das Ende des Homunculus'' Only part 4 and a fragment of part 5 from this series is still extant. After Deutsche Bioscop merged in spring 1920 with Decla-Film to form Decla-Bioscop, the film was heavily edited down to three chapters and re-released with colored tints and intertitles in September 1920. 1: ''Der künstliche Mensch''
2: ''Die Vernichtung der Menschheit''
3: ''Ein Titanenkampf'' A 76-minute tinted version with Italian language intertitles exists in the

George Eastman Museum The George Eastman Museum, also referred to as ''George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography and Film'', the world's oldest museum dedicated to photography and one of the world's oldest film archives, opened to the public in 1949 in ...

film archives. Nearly a century later the head of the

Munich Film Museum The Munich Film Archive, in the Munich Stadtmuseum, is one of eight film museums in Germany. It has no showrooms and is limited to screening the films in a single cinema with 165 seats, as well as collecting, archiving, and restoring film copies. ...

, Stefan Drößler, retrieved 27 reels of the six original chapters released in 1916/1917 from a Moscow film archive. They had been heavily cut up and jumbled, with the intertitles excised, but a restored version lasting 196 minutes was shown in August 2014 at the

Rheinisches Landesmuseum Bonn The Rheinisches Landesmuseum Bonn, or LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn, is a museum in Bonn, Germany, run by the Rhineland Landscape Association. It is one of the oldest museums in the country. In 2003 it completed an extensive renovation. The museum has a n ...

as part of the Bonn Silent Film Festival.

References

Bibliography

External links

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''Homunculus''
76-minute version with Italian subtitles 1916 films 1917 films 1910s science fiction films German science fiction films Films of the German Empire German silent feature films Film serials Films directed by Otto Rippert Mad scientist films German black-and-white films Silent horror films 1910s German films Silent science fiction films {{1910s-Germany-film-stub