"Vier um die Frau" (and there are more than just a few other German- and English-language titles for this one) is a German film from 1921, so 5 more years until it will have its 100th anniversary. This is a relatively early career effort by director Fritz Lang, who was around the age of 30 here, and as usual he also worked on the screenplay. He got help from his longtime collaborator Thea von Harbou in adapting Rolf E. Vanloo's original material. Looking at the age (and at who made it),nobody should be really surprised that this is a black-and-white silent film. There exist apparently several versions as the runtimes here on IMDb are stated as 52 minutes and 84 minutes and the version I saw went on for roughly 80 minutes. The cast includes actors who appeared in other silent films back then, but mostly they aren't that known today and maybe only big silent film buffs will recognize the names. The one exception is probably Rudolf Klein-Rogge who is still considered one of the stars of European silent film from back then.

It is a drama we have here, as mostly with Lang, and there are several subjects dealt with in here. One would be (alleged) infidelity, another would be mental (in)sanity and death always plays a role in Lang's works as well. I personally cannot say that I enjoyed the watch too much or that I would see it as one of my favorite films from the legendary director. But yeah, to his defense you have to say that I have seen many films from him and also that I am not the greatest black-and-white silent film lover probably. There was an okay moment here and there, but overall I found none of the characters or the story interesting enough to recommend checking it out. Anyway, it was pretty difficult to find a version with German subtitles, which is fairly uncommon as most other Lang movies are much easier to find access to. But it's fine as you will not be missing much if you don't see it. I suggest you pick another film if you plan on taking a look at Lang's and von Harbou's body of work.

The merchant Yquem buys his dear wife a beautiful jewel with matching earnings in a place where the city's underworld trades in fake and stolen jewelry. By chance, Yquem spots a man with whom his wife had an affair in the past. Yquem follows him to a hotel where he will write him a letter imitating his wife's hand writing. The letter invites the man to a public place where Yquem can spy on them and try to discover whether there is still something between them.

This early Fritz Lang film, "Vier Um Die Frau" (Four Around a Woman) was found by chance some years ago at the "Cinemateca De Sâo Paulo", a great present for the German aristocracy and even for the longhaired moviegoers, because it prefigures much of "Dr. Mabuse", (corruption in the upper class-a very habitual practice-unscrupulous upstarts, blackmail, low class criminals, social tension.) and in the opinion of this German aristocrat, provides one of the most outstanding titles of Lang's first period. This film has excellent editing that gives vigour, speed and emotion to a story of an underworld rife with treachery and betrayal as well as a complex tale of unrequited love. The film builds to a crescendo of narrative strength that reminds one of episodes of "Die Spinnen" made by Herr Lang a year before.

The acting is exceptional and the performers resist the temptation to overacting that might be expected in such melodrama. As the heroine, Carola Toelle is especially good and admirably conveys the doubts, secret desires and frustration that her character suffers. An excellent counterpoint is provided the character of her friend and confidant, a perfect vamp, who provides bad advice and is without scruples, quick to use flirting to build up her social position... Rudolf Klein-Rogge has to be mentioned, as his performance makes one recall the exceptional character Dr Mabuse, that he will immortalise two years later. The excellent main actors are given equally good support in the minor roles.

It is worth mentioning as well the great photography of Otto Kanturek and the film production by Ernst Meiwers and Hans Jacoby. The importance of "Decla-Bioscop"'can be seen in the first rate production values that are so abundant in the film (great manors, hotel lobbies, the stock exchange, etc) and on the other hand the realistic depiction of less auspicious surroundings: ragged and wretched slums streets filled with the kind of characters you might expect in such places. A minor point but also a real curiosity is the inclusion of a poster for another "Decla Bioscop" production that can be glimpsed in a theater lobby.

And now, if you'll allow me, I must temporarily take my leave because this German Count is realizing how in tonight's soirée's there are four aristocrats around a fat German heiress with almost the same perverse intentions of those of this Herr Graf towards her.

Herr Graf Ferdinand Von Galitzien http://ferdinandvongalitzien.blogspot.com/

As noted in the specs, the restored version of this film is 84 min long. I had trouble keeping track of the characters. It didn't help that in the very beginning one character we are introduced to almost immediately puts on a disguise, while another arrives just off a boat and once he shaves his beard looks identical to his brother (played by the same actor). And somehow I didn't catch on that the diamond exchange takes place in the backroom of a seedy bar, so I didn't realize the character called Old Upton (The Jeweler) was the rough-hewn bar owner (Rudolf Klein-Rogge). At least everyone buying and selling jewelry has a beer in front of them. Finally I realized it was a "diamond exchange" -- meaning everyone is fencing stolen or fake merchandise.

Later to add more confusion there is a character the sometimes-disguised husband confesses something to who immediately heads off to blackmail the guy's wife and try to lech on her. Once I figured out who everyone was and what was going on, it wasn't terribly interesting. The twin brother mistaken identity plot is largely just a misdirection to keep things moving and pad out the story. I guess the bad guy gets punished, but getting shot for some mild attempted blackmail seems rather harsh. And it only concerns reputation since the husband knows already, and it seems like it was going to fail since the wife tells the blackmailer to get lost.

It's also a little unclear why a successful broker goes to a seedy underworld bar to buy jewelry for his wife. Or why he's so obsessed with an incident that happened years before.

The seedy/underworld characters are interesting -- a Lang specialty. And there were some rather 1920's touches -- wild hats for the ladies, a big worry about reputation and keeping up appearances (something which has completely gone out the window this millennium after being whittled down for decades),plus casual child labor, and the only black character used as comic relief, making wide rolling eyes and such.

It seems rather minor Lang, but the idea of false appearances, corrupt upper class, a seedy underworld which beckons if you know where to look for it, are themes typical of early Lang films.