“The House at the Last Lantern” was a never-completed film by Hans Richter, which was a parody of sorts of Goethe’s “The Sorrows of Young Werther” but is ostensibly a tale of the life of Gustav Meyrink. Gustav Meyrink was a German playwright, novelist, and occultist whose work often dealt with the supernatural.
Hans Richter was a prominent figure in the Dada movement and a pioneer of avant-garde cinema. He was interested in exploring the relationship between sound and image and was known for his experimental films. “The House at the Last Lantern” was to be a horror film, and based on the information, it seems that it would have been a unique blend of Dadaism and horror genre, making it a fascinating and rare work.
Unfortunately, the film was never completed, but Richter’s work continues to be influential and studied by film historians and enthusiasts. His ideas about cinema as a modern art form, exciting to the sense of sight, and the potential of cinema to fulfil certain promises made by the ancient arts are still relevant today.
