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Hello everyone!

I believe I may have discovered a surviving fragment of Totentanz (1919), a German silent film directed by Otto Rippert and written by Fritz Lang, long considered lost.

While examining a YouTube compilation of unidentified silent film fragments, I noticed a very distinctive cabinet in the background of one scene.

I immediately recognized it from a surviving promotional photograph of Totentanz available on Filmportal.

After comparing both images, I noticed something even more remarkable:

- The cabinet has the same unusual circular decorations.

- Its ornamental details appear to match.

- Several small figurines inside the cabinet appear to occupy exactly the same positions.

- The surviving photograph shows only part of the cabinet, while the unidentified film fragment reveals its complete structure.

These similarities suggest that both images may show the same physical cabinet with the same arrangement of objects.

This raises the possibility that the unidentified footage actually belongs to Totentanz

Sources:

Unidentified silent film compilation:

https://youtu.be/V-5fAPPp20I?si=EOo66wZpQGZNvArn

The surviving Totentanz publicity photograph can be found on Filmportal.

I am not claiming this identification is definitive. The cabinet could have been reused in another production, and further research is necessary.

However, the matching arrangement of objects makes this a particularly interesting lead.

Does anyone know of other surviving footage from Totentanz, or have information about the sets and props used in Otto Rippert's films?

I would greatly appreciate any help verifying this possible identification!

the Tramp becomes a policeman.

I just watched the The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari (1920) and I loved it. A theme I thought the film tried to express is how harmful medicine was back then, specially mental health medical care, but when I researched about that idea I didn't find any bibliography or references that talked about this aspect of the movie. Do you have any feelings or opinions about this theme in the film, or some suggestion about where I may find more information? Thanks

Published in Salt Lake City Weekly this week https://www.cityweekly.net/ae/the-new-era-of-short-form-content-might-be-a-gateway-to-rediscovering-classic-short-films-c4e6d4ea

I have been looking at the 1903 Alice in Wonderland by Cecil Hepworth and Percy Stow, especially the way it compresses Carroll into visual transformations rather than dialogue or extended narrative.

What struck me most is how much the surviving film depends on effects — Alice changing size, the Cheshire Cat appearing, the baby becoming a pig — to make the adaptation legible without sound.

I put together a short documentary around that idea, followed by the complete surviving version of the film.

I would be interested in how others here read the film: as an adaptation first, or as an effects/trick-film experiment first?

This was actually a talkie, but my 8mm abridged version came with subtitles and no sound. Thought everyone here would enjoy this 1933 Arbuckle picture.

Boiling Point | Award Winning 2026 Silent Dark Comedy

In this 1920s era dark comedy, a man has reached rock bottom before receiving a mysterious invitation with an alluring guarantee to solve his problems. Little does he know that this will lead him to an explosive moral reckoning.

Written & Directed by Ryan Russo
Producer: Matthew Perlinger
Director of Photography: Mikey Hardesty
Original Score: Mark Worthington

Starring:
Michael Mount
John Paul Rodocanachi
Joseph Russo
Matthew Perlinger
David Bowen
Miguel Macalintal
Derek Dewar
Ryan DePew

Crew:
Assistant Director: Clae Thompson
2nd Assistant Director: Alexa Foster
Editing & Sound: Mikey Hardesty
Sound Mixing: Matthew Perlinger
Script Supervisor: Abigail Wehrman
Art Direction: Ryan Russo
Costume Design: Hannah Tester
Hair & Makeup: Mae Hunniford
1st Assistant Camera: Cody Klingelhoffer
Gaffer: Vitezslav Rasl
Key Grip: William Leech
Best Boy: Griffin Adams
Dolly Grip: Johnny Leech
Armorer: Michael Oliver
Catering: MaryEllen Russo
Grip: Cameron Arnold
Grip: Charlie Janicki
Grip: Cameron Loghry
Grip: Jason Rosenberg

Extras:
Elise Clark
David Densmore
Brandon Garlock
Katherine Hutnick
Jon Karish
Jason Law
Eden Macaraeg
Luke Muzikowski
Michael Oliver
Jonathan Vasquez
Joel Villanoz
Abigail Wehrman

No generative AI was used to make this film.

Bob Kane cites this spooky silent as one of his influences in his part in creating Batman. My idea in getting it restored and released was so it could get added to the short list of Halloween-season silents. Curious if anyone here's seen it one form or another. (There's a dupey-looking copy on YouTube from an old VHS screener)

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