The unveiled Maja
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | The unveiled Maja |
| Country of production | Germany |
| original language | German |
| Publishing year | 1917 |
| length | approx. 76 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Ludwig Beck |
| script | Ludwig Beck |
| production | Peter Ostermayr , Munich |
| camera | Peter Ostermayr |
| occupation | |
| |
The unveiled Maja is a German silent film drama from 1917 with Walter Janssen and Hanna Ralph in the leading roles. Ancient Indian religions and philosophies form the spiritual foundation of the story.
action
The sculptor Olaf, who is currently working on a statue of the “Maha Maja”, is a serious, spiritualized and ambitious as well as impoverished sculptor. His nature as a serious artist, with whom he always wants to get to the bottom of important things, stands in stark contrast to his very earthly longing for an outwardly rich life, for superficial pleasure and diversion. However, reading Brahmanic books on Indian mysticism gives him inner balance. Olaf learns that in this philosophy of life, earthly life is a series of sorrow and pain, according to which the world, which appears as Maha Maja in this mysticism, appears as a great delusion. Maja step, as Olaf takes with him, as an eternal temptation, as a striving for temptations, vanities and a superficial understanding of happiness. Just as Maja pretends to be a thousand beautiful illusions, their antipode is Mara, the evil demon of death who, through its pure existence, evokes the lust for existence in us. This conflict between the two forces now also reflects the nature of Olaf.
He tries in vain to strengthen the forces resting in him against superficial happiness, the longing for fame, recognition and prosperity. And yet the desire for earthly things is greater. The call to Maha Maja to fulfill his earthly wishes is heard. Olaf can experience all the things in a dream and collect all the earthly goods around him, of which he believed they meant perfect happiness for him. But he is very wrong. One veil after the other falls before his eyes, his findings in this dream also mean inner maturation, and he finds a way to perfect inner balance, to the all-blissful harmony of his spirit. Olaf's awakening from the dream is more than just the end of a period of rest; it is primarily a spiritual awakening, a gain in knowledge with the character of redemption. With the climb to this spiritually higher level of existence, Olaf's life begins to gain in value from now on, and in the awareness of his own self and a holistic understanding of the universe he understands to meet his inner demons, who have so far reduced his life to a single torment of existence, inwardly liberated.
Production notes
The film The Unveiled Maja , sometimes subtitled Indian Mystery , had its world premiere as part of a charity event on August 17, 1917 in Munich. From October 1st of the same year he could also be seen in Berlin. The length of the five-act was 1567 meters.
This film is an extremely rare example of the thematic approach to East Asian religion, philosophy and mysticism in early German silent films. In later years in particular, such elements can be found in one or the other production by Paul Wegener, a lover of East Asia .
The unveiled Maja is Walter Janssen's first film known by name. Hanna Ralph (also) made her debut in front of the camera in this film. For Ludwig Beck this was presumably the first cinema production.
Reviews
“The growing longing for the knowledge of the highest things, the desire to understand the meaning of life, seems to underlie this poetry. […] A beautiful picture, drawn with taste and love, completed by great artists who were able to understandably follow the spirit of the poet and the intentions of the director. Walter Janssen, Royal Bavarian. Court actor, stands out for his game and appearance. The Indian dances Sent M'ahesas offer a lot of interesting things. The equipment is artfully adapted to the environment. "
Paimann's film lists summed up: “The material is fantastic. Game and scenery very good. Photos pretty good. "
Individual evidence
- ↑ Source: Neue Kino-Rundschau of October 12, 1918, p. 10
- ↑ The unveiled Maja ( memento of the original from March 13, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: Paimann's film lists
