Algol. Tragedy of Power (1920) as Futuristic Peplum and the “Rehearsal” of Metropolis

The article is devoted to the recently found and restored film Algol. The Tragedy of Power (1920) by Hans Werckmeister, combining an adventurous beginning, fantasy, career history and family history. This is one of the earliest stories predicting the processes of globalization. The author examines the visual originality of the picture, which includes both expressionist scenes and out-of-style fragments, dwells in detail on some camera solutions. Analyzes the plot of the film, combining science and unscientific fiction with references to the series of novels (Rougon-Maccara by Zola, The Forsyte Saga by Galsworthy, Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann) and the myth of Faust. Along with the development of the image of the modern urban environment and the civilization of the future, the images of nature play an important role: nature, included in the technogenic civilization, and self-sufficient nature, which helps the rural working people to survive. The image of the main character, Robert Hern, performed by the outstanding German actor Emil Jannings, is examined in detail. The author reflects on the paradoxical connection between the fantastic world of the film and some motives of Peplum.