John, a young man raised by his aunt, is in love with Anna, a servant girl who is going to have his baby. He is willing to marry her but his stern aunt wants him to marry a rich girl. To separate the lovers, she arranges for her nephew to be enrolled at a university in a distant town. She then has Anna sent away to live with Torgus the coffin maker and his mother where she will be secluded until the birth of the child. Torgus, a clumsy golem-esque sort of fellow, is immediately charmed by the beautiful girl and takes pity on her. Meanwhile, Anna anxiously awaits John's return.
Cinematography
Cramped, shadow-drenched sets that practically breathe anxiety.
Acting
Klöpfer's Torgus: sympathetic monster decades before Karloff.
Director
Hanns Kobe
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Director Hanns Kobe died in 1925 at age 37; this remains his most complete surviving work.
The 'gentle giant' archetype here directly influenced Paul Wegener and later James Whale's Frankenstein.
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