This 1920 film is not rated in the U.S. strictly because movie ratings didn’t exist until long after its release date. It was a suspenseful horror in its day and does involve murder, so one might find discussion on the topic of “what if this movie were to be rated” particularly interesting, especially as a comparison topic between cultures and over time.
Being the German horror that it is, it contains a psychological element – using hypnotism to (have someone) commit murder. In an older group (university, for example), one might find an interesting discussion or morality here as well. Perhaps using a prompt along the lines of: If one commits a crime while under the control of someone else, are they morally responsible for that crime? This discussion could then even be tied into acts of war, such as the cases of the Nürnberg Trials. Because of the nature of this discussion, however, it may not be completely appropriate at the high school level.
While this film does contain many big name actors in German film history, one name stands out – Conrad Veidt. He plays Cesare, the hypnotized man. Beyond that, he starred in the Richard Oswald version of Around the World in 80 Days and F.W. Murnau’s Der Januskopf among many other famous films before fleeing the country with his wife, who was Jewish, in 1933. He continued his success in Hollywood. Films such as I was a Spy and the Wandering Jew in 1933 showed his desire to fight what was happening in Germany in his own way. His final two films before his death were also big-name films – Casablanca and Above Suspicion.
Another actor who later fled Germany was Hans Heinrich von Twardowski. His anti-Nazi sentiment most likely came from the fact that he was homosexual. He fled the country in 1933, but had less success in Hollywood. He did play in many anti-Nazi films, as Nazis, but usually very small roles. While he was also in Casablanca, his role was so minor that is went uncredited.