Underplayed Gems

The Doll Maker of Kiang-Ning (1923)

The Doll Maker of Kiang-Ning poster
Original title
Der Puppenmacher von Kiang-Ning
Directed by
Robert Wiene
Genre
drama film, fantasy film, silent film
Country
Germany
Rating
8.0 of 10 from 1 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

In 1920s Nanjing, a doll maker becomes convinced that one of his puppets is alive. He brings it to a public exhibition, where he sees a more lifelike doll that is actually a real woman. He becomes obsessed with her and tries to kidnap her, but the attempt leads to his death.

silentstylizedobsessivetragicexoticold-fashionedmelodramatic

What happens

The Doll Maker of Kiang-Ning (German: Der Puppenmacher von Kiang-Ning) is a 1923 German silent fantasy film directed by Robert Wiene and starring Werner Krauss, Lia Eibenschütz, and Ossip Runitsch. A doll maker in Kiangning (modern Nanjing), China crafts a puppet which he is convinced is lifelike. He takes it to exhibit at a public event, but is outraged to find an even more convincing and beautiful doll there. It is in fact a real woman pretending to be a doll, but he becomes so obsessed he attempts to steal her and the film ends with her rescue and his tragic death. The film had its premiere in Berlin in November 1923. It received a universally negative reception from critics who were particularly unimpressed by the attempt to portray Chinese culture using German actors. The film continues a wider theme in the director Robert Wiene's work which contrasts Western and Eastern cultures. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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