Let's be realistic.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

The first German film to bear the title ALRAUNE, this movie is a rather conventional ghost story about a woman whose life bears an amazing similarity to that of her ancestor, who was burned as a witch. The ALRAUNE of the title comes from a reference to the mandrake root, which the heroine employs to save her dying child. Aside from that, there is nothing at all to connect this film with the famous Hanns Heinz Ewers novel, upon which historians have mistakenly claimed this film was based. The film was released in the U.S. under the title SACRIFICE, and a print can be found at George Eastman House. The novel was filmed more-or-less straight in 1928 (the classic version, with Paul Wegener and Brigitte Helm), in 1930 (a talky, slow-moving remake, again with Helm), and in 1952 (with Von Stroheim). The other 1918 version, shot in Hungary, is believed to be lost, and may or may not be closer to the Ewers novel than this German film.Jay Salsberg