Alraune (1952)

Alraune is a 1952 West German science fiction horror film directed by Arthur Maria Rabenalt and starring Hildegard Knef and Erich von Stroheim. The film involves a scientist (von Stroheim), who creates woman who creates a woman who is beaotiful and yet soulles, lacking any sense of morality.

Cast

 * Hildegard Knef as Alraune
 * Erich von Stroheim as Jacob tem Brinken
 * Karlheinz Böhm as Frank Braun
 * Harry Meyen as Count Geroldingen
 * Rolf Henniger as Wolf Goutram
 * Harry Halm as Doctor Mohn
 * Hans Cossy as Mathieu, the coachman
 * Gardy Brombacher as Lisbeth, the maid
 * Trude Hesterberg as Fuerstin Wolkonska
 * Julia Koschka as Olga Wolkonska
 * Denise Vernac as Mademoiselle Duvaliere
 * Arno Ebert
 * Willem Holzboer

Release
Alraune was released is Germany on 23 October 1952 where it was distributed by Gloria-Filmverleih. It was released in the USA in 1957 Distributors Corporartion of America, white English dubbed, as Unnatural - The Fruit Of Evil.

Reception
In a contemporary review, Variety noted that "in the early 1900s, when the H.H. Ewers novel Arlaune cut a swatch in the German.language world [....] the very thought of artificial insemination of humans was mantionable only in whispers." and that "times and sensations change.The review opined that Knef's acting had "limited range" and that von Stroheim produces" only a labouared setting for a range of costumes changes and phony thunderstorms for the lethal "Alraune".