"Humans are animals with inborn biological "drives" for sex and aggression.” according to Sigmund Freud, founder of Psychoanalysis.
In 'Geheimnisse einer Seele', from 1926, Martin Fellman (Werner Krauss), a very normal man, gets the inexplicable urge to kill his beloved wife. But his phobia for knives prevent him from doing so. It is good to hear that phobias are useful for something anyway, you would think. But the two have more to do with each other than initially seems. And here enters the psychoanalysis, which is the heart of the film.
In 1885 the idea arose that some illnesses might result from psychological problems. Especially by suppressing previous experiences. It is, of course, a bit more complicated, but it is not my intention to give a comprehensive lecture on psychoanalysis here. That would be a bit boring. So the film is boring and theoretical? You might think. Nope. Director Georg Wilhelm Pabst has the skills to transform this topic into a fascinating film. In the beginning I even have to think about how Hitchcock builds the tension in his thrillers. But where Hitchcock would make Martin the ideal innocent of murder suspected man, Pabst turns it into a psychological drama.
This film was commissioned by the Kulturfilm Abteilung of the Ufa, a special department that was created to make films with an educational character. 'Geheimnisse einer Seele' is therefore based on Freud's book 'Die Traumdeutung' from 1900. It is also the first film with psychoanalysis as the main theme. Yet it is anything but boring. Actor Werner Krauss shows us the inner struggle of Martin Fellman. I feel sympathy for him the entire film and become slightly emotional when the redemption presents itself. Although this film is about science and not about religion.
The film editing is fairly smooth and the special effects and the absurdity of the dream scene are so impressive that you can almost call it art. This, naturally, seen from the point of view of 92 years ago. It is striking that, especially in view of the theme, very little use is made of title cards. I always think this is a very strong point. Even today I still find it a bit weak when a lot is being talked about in a film or TV series. Only when Martin goes into therapy, we get some more title cards, but the conversations are sufficiently varied with flashbacks.
To come back to the urges of Freud, or well his theory about that. Although the Germany of 1926 was not very prude, 'Geheimnisse einer Seele' focuses mainly on the violent urges of man and less on the sexual urges. But that may be because I have seen the Spanish short version. There is also a version that is 17 minutes longer, maybe there is more sex in that one.
With this fourth film that Georg Wilhelm Pabst directed we can see that he is well on his way to becoming a great director. Three years after this film he would immortalize Louise Brooks with 'Die Büchse der Pandora'.
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