Theodor Herzl, the standard bearer of the Jewish people
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | Theodor Herzl, the standard bearer of the Jewish people |
| Country of production | Austria |
| original language | German |
| Publishing year | 1921 |
| length | 5 acts, 2000 meters, at 20 fps 60 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Otto Kreisler |
| script | Heinrich Glücksmann |
| production | Helios film, Vienna |
| music | Josef Sulzer |
| occupation | |
| |
Theodor Herzl, the standard bearer of the Jewish people is an Austrian silent film production. "The film from 1921 portrays the life of the writer and lawyer, as well as scenes from the painful history of the Jewish people, which make the longing for a Jewish state of its own understandable," said Austrian film historian Thomas Ballmann on the occasion of a retrospective on January 11, 2010 on the occasion of Herzl's upcoming 150th birthday in a lecture (“On Theodor Herzl reception in the film”).
action
Characterized by individual, episodic scenes and designed in images that are as splendid as they are at times strongly symbolic, the film first tries to give a historical insight into the history of the Jews' suffering during their several thousand years of history, before it slips over into the modern age and from experiences and tried to make Herzl's consistent struggle for a home for all Jews in Palestine understandable to the experiences of the past . In an advertisement by Ferdinands-Kino in Vienna, the following five headings were named for the individual acts:
- The suffering of Judaism in the past
- At the court of King David
- The Temple of Salamons
- The Spanish Inquisition
- Theodor Herzl's mission
Ahasver, the eternal Jew, the symbol for the wrestling Israel, is at the beginning of the story. He is fighting for his people. Ancient Egypt stands for terrible bondage, with King Solomon and King David the Jewish people reached an early heyday. The Inquisition that followed centuries later was another difficult trial. In the modern age, however, a possible salvation appears: the person of Theodor Herzl.
Basel 1897. At the first Zionist Congress , Herzl gives a fiery speech for the creation of a Jewish state. Four years later, on May 17, 1901, he was received by the Turkish sultan. Here he wants to do persuasive work in order to obtain approval for a Jewish settlement in Palestine, which is part of the Ottoman Empire. On January 26, 1904, Herzl received an audience with Pope Leo XIII on the same matter . - an anachronism , since Pius X has been in office since August 4, 1903 - where he asks the support of the Catholic Church before he is received by the Italian king.
The tireless struggle for a home for all Jews soon made Herzl sick from exhaustion, and he had to stay in bed. In poor health, he nevertheless takes part in all the central meetings for the realization of his bold plan. In one of these rounds there was heated discussion about whether to accept the offer of the British government to provide Uganda as a new home for the Jews. When Herzl finally dies, he has his vision of a future Israel in mind.
Production notes
Theodor Herzl, the standard bearer of the Jewish people , was filmed in 1920 and premiered in Vienna on February 11, 1921. It had five acts as well as a prologue and an epilogue.
"The performance was accompanied by specially compiled music from Jewish motifs by Professor Julius Sulzer ".
As in Germany several times before, around 1915 in Richard Oswalds Schlemihl , father Rudolph Schildkraut and son Joseph Schildkraut also appeared together in front of the camera in Theodor Herzl, the standard bearer of the Jewish people .
reception
In the Neue Freie Presse it was stated on February 11, 1921, one saw “pictures of captivating splendor. Theodor Herzl appears as a savior and with him we see new territory emerging, the towering palaces of Zion, which Herzl believes should be the future of Judaism. The sumptuous setting of the film, its dramatic content and the incomparable portrayal of Ahasver by Rudolph Schildkraut and the embodiment of wrestling Judaism by Josef Schildkraut ensure that Ferdinands-Kino, which has acquired this film, sold out houses. "
Paimann's film lists found the material "tendentious", but interesting; therefor the “photography very good” and “game and scenery excellent”.
Web links
- Theodor Herzl, the standard-bearer of the Jewish people in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Theodor Herzl, the standard bearer of the Jewish people in cine-holocaust.de
- Theodor Herzl, the standard bearer of the Jewish people at filmportal.de
Individual evidence
- ↑ original length given in Paimann's film lists; 1368 meters today
- ^ Neue Freie Presse, February 11, 1921, p. 11
- ↑ so in Paimann's film lists; Julius Sulzer (1834–1891) was the son of the cantor and sacred musician Salomon Sulzer (1804–1890) and in 1921 was no longer alive. filmportal.de , however, indicates Josef Sulzer (born February 11, 1850 Vienna, Austria; † January 14, 1926 Vienna, Austria) as the performer.
- ↑ "Theodor Herzl, the standard bearer of the Jewish people". In: Neue Freie Presse , February 11, 1921, p. 8 (online at ANNO ).
- ↑ in Paimann's film lists ( memento of the original from March 11, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
