Fear (Silent) (DVD)

The heartless Count Grevan plunders ancient burial grounds in search of treasure, with little regard for the cost to his soul. Deep in the heart of India, he steals the Buddha from the holy temple at Djaba. Returning to his castle in Germany, he is visited by a ghostly apparition, who warns him that death will strike seven years hence. What follows is years of debauchery, in which Grevan drowns himself in drink and wild parties. As the deadline rapidly approaches, the Count haughtily believes he has outwitted his fate. The specter of death who visited him that night many years ago knows otherwise

An overlooked masterpiece of early German Expressionism, Fear features many of the same themes of madness, paranoia and deceit as director Robert Wiene's later classic, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920). It is also the earliest known work of Conrad Veidt, who garnered worldwide acclaim for his portrayal of Cesare the Somnambulist in Caligari. One of the highest-paid actors in Germany, Veidt would leave his home country to escape Nazi oppression in 1933. Settling in America, he made unforgettable performances in The Man Who Laughs (1928), The Thief of Bagdad (1940) and Casablanca (1942) before his far too young death in 1943. This version of Fear features an original music score composed by Joseph Martin.

• silent