Jewels (1930)

Overview

JEWELS is an early example of the visual fascination of dark Vienna. The film was released in 1930 as one of the last silent films under the powerful title SENSATION IM DIAMANTENCLUB. The screenplay was based on motifs from Hoffmann's story 'Das Fräulein von Scuderi' (1819), which is considered the first crime story in German. Director Hans Brückner mixes some elements of the genre in his crime film, the palette ranges from classic 'Whodunit' to detective to elements of horror film, focuses on shadows, lighting effects, cross-fading according to German and drastic wrestling matches based on the American pattern. As a 'modern' script idea, the dissociative movement disorder, i.e. the psychological paralysis of a victim in shock, impresses a motif that will later prove to be indispensable for the horror repertoire.