The Bells (1926)
A kindly but desperate Alsatian innkeeper named Mathias murders and robs a rich Jewish merchant staying at his inn, but the ghost of his victim will not let him rest. Meanwhile, a mysterious Mesmerist has come to town, claiming he has made many criminals confess their crimes...
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Simply A Masterpiece
Absolutely the worst movie.
At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.
By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.
This silent film kept my interest from the very beginning to the end and this was the first time I was able to view this film with Boris Karloff playing the role as a Mesmerist who had great powers of elevating people and being able to read the minds of guilty men who commit crimes. This story mainly deals with Lionel Barrymore, (Mathias) playing the role as an innkeeper who wants to become the mayor of his small town and is always giving free drinks to most of his customers or loaning money to them. However, Mathias is deeply in debt to a man who threatens to take his inn away from him and force him and his family into the street. Boris Karloff did have a brief role in this film but his great talent along with Lionel Barrymore made this a great silent film classic. If you like good Silent films, this is one of the best. Enjoy
My objection to this is not with the story itself, but with the absolute paucity of imagination involved in converting this from play to film.You can easily count the cinematic moments - the bloody hands, the filter color changes to denote Barrymore's state of mind, the ghostly split-screen compositions...they seem to distract from the 'play' more than they amplify any notions that this is supposed to be a movie. The ideas are not worth studying or seeking out.I don't give this my lowest rating, which I reserve for those movies that offend in some way. At worst, this is ineffectual.
I'm taking an interest in silent horror films at the moment, so far I have seen this film and Nosferatu. Nosferatu is of cause much better, with a real style and sense of horror. This movie is rather dull and boring in places although it does have points of note. The starting of the film is good introducing all the characters and the setting, but then it takes a little while to get into the plot. The murder and the lead up to it is another high point, with a good use of tinting to show where things are turning bad. The use of the sleigh bells is important to outline the bells the innkeeper is haunted by. The ending is rather short and rather unsatisfying with not enough explanation of what happens at the end. Overall not bad but not really more than average.
After reading the Edgar Allen Poe poem, this film seems like an adequate representation of its original moods and feelings. Plus, you've got great talents like Lionel Barrymore and Boris Karloff (even though he has a small role) moving this picture down its macarbe path. So, if you enjoy silent films, this one will probably float your boat. The only complaint I have is in the the 1998 release's choice of music. It seems overly cheesy to be associated with Edgar Allen Poe. Although, the use of silence and sleigh bells adds a lot to the impact of the film. Intriguing with a good pace (plus, it's only 67 minutes, so if you can't sit through long silent films like "Birth of a Nation," then this one is for you.).