Jewels

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 Hoffmanns 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 crossfading according to German and drastic wrestling matches based on the American pattern As a modern script idea the dissociative movement disorder ie the psychological paralysis of a victim in shock impresses a motif that will later prove to be indispensable for the horror repertoire