MANY SELVES: THE HORROR AND FANTASY FILMS OF PAUL WEGENER (paperback)

ISBN 9781593932718

One of the first film actors to be identified with horror roles was Paul Wegener. A distinguished stage actor, Wegener was fascinated by film and its potential to portray the uncanny and the macabre. Sometimes acting as director and writer, as well as performer, Wegener played in a series of fantastic films in the 1910s, the most famous of which are The Student of Prague and The Golem. His directing career faltered in the 1920s, but he continued to play mad scientists, monsters, and various grotesque characters.

The book has detailed essays on seventeen of his most significant genre films and includes first-hand descriptions of such rarities as The Lost Shadow, Svengali, Hans Trutz, and Ramper the Beast Man.

In addition to a biography of Wegener, there is also a detailed filmography of all his movies, including the obscure films he directed in the 1930s.