Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.

Softwing Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

Joanna Mccarty Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

Keeley Coleman The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Hitchcoc This is a typical silent tale of greed and stupidity. The principle character, with whom we are supposed to empathize, has his head firmly planted in the clouds. He gets run over and fall in love with the woman who hit him. He becomes obsessed with an image and goes on to do a series of idiotic things. He assumes that what is said to him is the truth. An innocent gets some sympathy, but when the fog lifts, he can't expect a lot of sympathy. The film is nicely crafted and works fine, but I just couldn't get over the rashness of the guy.

wes-connors That F.W. Murnau's long gone "Phantom" was "reconstructed and restored in 2003" from a print held in Berlin's Bundesarchiv-Filmarchiv is a cause for celebration - this, along with the more recent announcement of 75 "lost" films turning up in a New Zealand archive, suggests "lost" works will continue to trickle out of archives and attics for the foreseeable future. The reconstructed "Phantom" is very well done; it's obvious they were working from a very satisfying print of the film, as there is little of the deterioration you expect in these old films. They've avoided temptation to enhance the coloring, and tinted the nicely preserved original film in original hues, inserted new intertitles, and added an appropriate Robert Israel score.Our story begins in then "present" day Germany, with protagonist Alfred Abel (as Lorenz Lubota) and Lil Dagover (as Marie Starke) living in a "happily ever after" home (which dampens much of the coming tension). Wife Dagover lovingly urges Mr. Abel to write the story of his former life. The couple hopes this will help ease ex-convict Abel's painful memories. Then, we have the flashback… and, the problems begin… Some time ago, Abel is a respected, but lowly city clerk. He lives with haggish old mother Frida Richard, whorish sister Aud Egede Nissen (as Melanie), and dour brother Hans Heinrich von Twardowski (as Hugo).The introduction of the "little brother" points out another of the film's structural flaws. You expect, since we have a big, obvious "flashback" that the younger man is the younger "Lorenz" - but, this revealed not to be the case when Abel is called to the breakfast table, looking older than he did before the flashback. An unaccredited co-writer, Mr. Twardowski is not on screen much of the time; but, he seems capable, and it might have been a better idea to have him play the main role. Or, they could have dispensed with the opening and have Abel play "Lorenz" as a middle-aged, angst-ridden character. Which, he may be… As it turns out, Abel gets hit by a coach pulled by pretty white horses. Suffering little physical harm, he becomes infatuated with the inhabitant of the carriage, lovely Lya de Putti (as Veronika Harlan). An aspiring poet, Abel becomes involved in a money-lending scheme based on his verse becoming successfully published. Alas, Abel's poems turn out to be worthless, and he ends up in jail (as revealed in the opening sequence). Admittedly, there is some disappointment in "Phantom". This is my fifth Murnau film, and the first one I rate less than "9" on the IMDb scale. Still, it's an excellent piece, and worth the running time.******* Phantom (11/13/22) F.W. Murnau ~ Alfred Abel, Lil Dagover, Frida Richard, Hans Heinrich von Twardowski

MartinHafer PHANTOM is a very heavy-handed morality tale of a simple man who inexplicably becomes infatuated with a woman after seeing her only briefly. Despite being a seemingly nice guy, he throws his life away and the film revels in this spiral as well as the parallel story of his sister who becomes a prostitute.While the film on technical merits isn't bad (it did have some inventive camera work), it was a major letdown since it was directed by the legendary director F. W. Murnau. Had it been done by some studio hack, then I could understand why this film was so hokey and unbelievable--but from Murnau, his fans have come to expect so much more.Unlike some reviews on IMDb, mine is a bit unusual in that I have now seen just about every known Murnau film in existence today (PHANTOM was the last) and so I can compare it to the body of his work. Clearly, it is the worst of his films and lacks the magic and genius that Murnau is known for having. You might be surprised to hear that although his most famous film is NOSFERATU, it may not be his best film--mostly because NOSFERATU, like PHANTOM, seems a tad old-fashioned and stilted--even for 1922. This can be forgiven in NOSFERATU because despite these lulls, the rest of the film is so transcendent and amazing--making it one of the greatest silent films of all time. There is nothing about PHANTOM that can make you overlook the very dated plot--it's just heavy-handed and not particularly memorable.As I said, Murnau made some truly amazing films. Aside from NOSFERATU, he is most famous for the Oscar-winning SUNRISE, but neither of these is my favorite. I love and recommend you see FAUST because the camera work and artistry is just amazing--making Goethe's story a freshness and style that just have to be seen to believed. I also liked it because I (unfortunately) have read the very long book "Faust" and found the film actually made me like the story! THE LAST LAUGH and TARTUFF are also simply wonderful films that any serious student of German cinema must see.So, my advice is to watch PHANTOM if you like, but if you aren't acquainted with F. W. Murnau's films, try any of the others first--otherwise you might not be able to detect his genius and deftness.

veidt_ A much underestimated movie. I've seen several of Murnau's flicks, and while I am the generally a big fan of his work, this one is actually one of my favorites. In a dreamlike manner it tells a story of main character's obsession with a manipulative and cruel woman. His love and desire makes him lose his senses - to a point where object of his passion becomes like a haunting spectre, a phantom. In some way Phantom is a forecast of another german picture, the famous Blaue Engel. Although the plot in one way or another has become a Hollywood cliche over the years, the movie is dark, strange and compelling. Murnau's depiction of insanity, especially in the final scenes is by itself a milestone of cinema.