Der Turm des Schweigens (1924)

Synopsis
As a now-forgotten pioneer of German silent cinema and expressionism, Dr. Johannes Guter completed an excess of 100 films. Yet the majority of his works are now extinct - destroyed by the ravages of fire, temporal deterioration, and overall neglect. Guter's lush, epically-scaled 1924 romance Der Turm des Schweigens (AKA The Tower of Silence) marks one of the first pictures in Guter's oeuvre to undergo full 21st century restoration; it re-premiered at the 2007 Berlin Film Festival amid much concomitant fanfare. The film tells of a troubled scientist, Eldor Vartalun (Avrom Morewski) who, devastated by the early death of his wife, locks up his comely daughter Eva (Xenia Desni) in a high tower and forbids her to have any ongoing contact with the outside world. Her life turns a corner, however, when a Magellan-like explorer, Arved Holl (Nigel Barrie) crashes his automobile nearby, discovers Eva not long after - and promptly re-inducts her into high society. Privately, Arved will soon grapple with the newfound knowledge that his best friend betrayed him by marrying his fiancée - and contemplates revealing a dark secret that will destroy the friend's life. This film includes a number of lavish spectacles, including a Robinson Crusoe-influenced episode on an island in the middle of the ocean, and a Little Prince-like sequence where Arved and his friend become stranded in the desert following a plane crash. Fritz Delius and Hanna Ralph co-star. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide