Unnatural (1952)

Erich Von Stroheim plays the father of Hildegarde Neff, who he has hidden away in his house for several years. He isn't really her father though. He created her through artifical insemination. He specifically used a vicious criminal and a prostitute for this to make it more interesting. Since she's beautiful every man that meets Hildegarde falls in love with her. But there's a destructive streak in her since everyone of them soon dies. The actor who later was in Peeping Tom plays the man she's able to get human feelings for. Only Erich has some unhealthy feelings for her. This was made in 1952, but feels more like something made in the 40's. Warning this is dubbed. 3.5, rounded to 4

A weird scientist (Erich von Stroheim) experiments with artificial insemination result in a child who grows into a beautiful and troubled woman name Alraune (Hildegard Neff.)

UNNATURAL is a strange, strange movie that I grew to like less and less. The young Alraune, I gather, is supposed be unbearably beautiful, although I thought she looked merely passably attractive. Her father/creator is, well, Erich von Stroheim, so he's got the autocratic Prussian stuff down cold. Alraune's beau, at least the one she seems most serious about (and about the only male to cross her path who doesn't die untimely), is played by Karl Boehm. Unfortunately for me I just watched the infinitely superior Michael Powell's PEEPING TOM, which also starred Boehm. It's like a starving man being forced to recall a seven-course meal.

All the scenes in UNNATURAL are unpleasant and cryptic; for instance Boehme plays von Stroheim's nephew, a medical student we're led to believe has more than once hit up Uncle Erich for some help with tuition. Boehme sees Alraune making song at an enchanted pool and is enchanted. Enters the castle and approaches Uncle Erich with a request for 3000 krona, or drachmas, or whatever. They palaver and Uncle Erich admits that Alraune is his daughter, which made me wonder if I'd want someone with Boehme's limited power of observation doctoring me. I mean, he knows Uncle Erich pretty well, well enough to be coming to him for college funds, well enough to be the sole beneficiary of his wi.... Wait a sec on that one. She is my daughter, Uncle Erich tells Boehme, you are out of my will. Are you angry with her? No, Boehme replies reasonably enough, she can't help it. (The `what' she couldn't help didn't seem to bother Uncle Erich or the nephew, so I let it pass.) What'll you do now? Uncle Erich asks. I don't think I'll ever come back again, Boehme replies.

The movie is chock full of such phantom conversations - characters blathering pretentious nonsense. Just as soon as I think I'm catching up with things the characters have a conversation in which all the dots don't connect and I find myself falling farther and farther behind.

If you're curious and have a great deal of patience with bad old foreign movies be my guest. I wouldn't touch this one again for anything. Worse yet, the transfer print was in pretty poor condition, with deterioration spots appearing and floating around on the screen three or four times.

› Go to Amazon.com to see both reviews  2.5 out of 5 stars