In the shadow of the mosque

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Movie
Original title In the shadow of the mosque
Country of production Germany
original language German , English
Publishing year 1923
length 100 minutes
Rod
Director Walter Richard Hall
script Walter Richard Hall
production John Hagenbeck
camera Willy Hameister
Willy Großstück
occupation

In the shadow of the mosque is a German silent film adventure and love melodrama from 1923, set in the North African Arab region . It plays an international cast, led by the British Stewart Rome and the French Mary Odette . The story is based on a novel by Morris MacDougall.

action

The story takes place in Mesopotamia during British colonial times . The British political officer, Captain Richard Galt, was assigned as a contact to the Arab leaders of El Ragi and quickly became popular with the natives. Even if the ruling Sheikh Agha Hamed warmly welcomes Captain Galt, the Briton distrusts the Arab leader, who, Galt assumes, is up to no good. One day Richard met the pretty Uyuni, daughter of the respected, blind Koran teacher Musa, in the vicinity of the locals. Obviously she is a girl from the people. They both fall in love. One day Musa is very upset about the behavior of an English soldier. He shot down a sacred bird. Captain Galt tries to mediate in this case and offers 100 rupees as compensation, which the highly respected Musa, however, brusquely rejects. With a ruse, Captain Salt can put him, the city's most respected figure, to be mild again: He promises Musa that the bird will be buried in the shadow of the mosque in full honor and that the English soldier who killed the animal will have to keep watch for 24 hours . Musa is satisfied with this.

Meanwhile, something is brewing: Sheikh Agha Hamed's right-hand man Ali, with the consent of his master, instigates a solid rebellion against British colonial rule. Meanwhile, Musa has noticed that his daughter Uyuni has obviously fallen in love with Galt. The Sheikh is now planning Uyuni's kidnapping to put pressure on the Koran scholar: He should speak out in a holy war against the “infidels”. But Captain Galt is able to prevent Uyuni's kidnapping, and Musa refuses to incite the crowds against the British. The sheikh then withdraws from El Ragi with his entourage, but plans to take the city completely by storm in the near future. In the second attempt, the Sheikh manages to kidnap Uyuni and hides the girl in his harem . Captain Galt and a Gurkha soldier now go in search of the kidnapped woman and come across the wandering Musa in the desert. Meanwhile, Uyuni manages to escape from her captivity with the help of the sheikh's favorite wife.

Uyuni reaches El Ragi and goes under the personal protection of the British. She says she only trusts Galt to protect her. A little later the captain and the major stumble upon the diary of a certain Charles Thurston, a missing British researcher, which was for sale in a market. There are some peculiarities associated with the researcher's wife and Uyuni. In the shadow of the mosque, the sheikh is now openly calling for a revolt against the English occupiers, and Uyuni is almost stoned to death by angry Arabs in the company of her father. At the last moment, Captain Salt can intervene. He brings the disturbed and injured girl to his quarters. Meanwhile, the turmoil spreads, and mad Arabs try to storm Captain Galt's home. Ultimately, the Sheikh demands that Uyuni return to his harem. Suddenly Musa appears and amazes the raging mob with the statement that Uyuni is firstly not his real daughter and secondly not a Muslim woman. In truth, she is the daughter of the missing British researcher Thurston. He was driven to death with his wife and Uyuni was stolen as a baby by Sheikh Agha Hamed. Musa then took care of her and raised her instead of a child. At the last moment, the requested reinforcements reached the British El Ragi. Now there is serious street fighting. The sheikh kills Musa and is himself killed by a Gurkha soldier. Now Captain Galt can lead the white girl home, and the two travel off into the sunset in a camel caravan.

Production notes

In the shadow of the mosque , the German film censorship passed on November 17, 1923 and was premiered on November 30, 1923 in Berlin's Alhambra cinema on Kurfürstendamm. The film had six acts, spread over 2292 meters and was banned from young people.

Franz Schroedter , whose future wife Esther Carena played a supporting role here, designed the film structures, which were carried out by Curt Wiese and Hans Schleger.

criticism

In Vienna's Neue Freie Presse the issue of October 17, 1924 says: “Oriental milieu is always interesting. (...) Of course, the manuscript writers should not forget that in a film the fable is ultimately and finally not entirely unimportant, or that in the long run, despite the most romantic desert cities, the most brilliant cavalcades, the wildest film beduins and the most glowy-eyed women but it becomes boring to keep being told the same story about the love of a white man for a native, which in the end is none at all. Mary Odette tries with success to win the sympathy of the audience for the alleged Arab girl. Esther Carena is a compelling voluptuous favorite. Stewart Rome as the white hero also deserves recognition. Very memorable in mask and play Edmund Löwe as an old, blind Koran teacher. "

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ "In the shadow of the mosque". In:  Neue Freie Presse , October 17, 1924, p. 21 (online at ANNO ).Template: ANNO / Maintenance / nfp

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