Theodor Herzl, Standard-Bearer of the Jewish People

1921 Drama 60 minutes (surviving print) Directed by Otto Kreisler

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About Theodor Herzl, Standard-Bearer of the Jewish People

Ernst Bath plays Theodor Herzl. Around his life the film stages scenes of Jewish persecution, with Rudolph Schildkraut as struggling Israel, also played as Ahasuerus, and Joseph Schildkraut as suffering Israel. Historical figures include a Russian landowner, the king of Spain, Prince Eugene, Pope Leo XIII, and Sultan Abdul Hamid II. The last movement shows Herzl as a rescuer and raises the palaces of Zion.

Cast & crew

More about Theodor Herzl, Standard-Bearer of the Jewish People

Otto Kreisler directed. Heinrich Glücksmann wrote the script. Helios-Film of Vienna produced and released it. Josef Sulzer is credited with the music. It was shot in 1920, in five acts with a prologue and an epilogue, and premiered in Vienna on 11 February 1921. The original length was 2,000 meters.

Themes

  • Herzl among scenes of persecution
  • Ahasuerus on screen
  • The palaces of Zion at the end
  • Theodor Herzl
  • Zionism
  • Ahasuerus
  • Schildkraut
  • Vienna
  • Pope Leo XIII

Background

Herzl had died in 1904. The film, shot in 1920 and shown in Vienna in February 1921, puts his state idea next to scenes of expulsion, a pope, and a sultan.

Making

The premiere accompaniment was a score built from Jewish motifs. The Schildkrauts carry the historical tableaux while Bath plays Herzl.

Reviews

The Neue Freie Presse on 11 February 1921 wrote of pictures of dazzling splendor, Herzl as a rescuer, and the palaces of Zion, and singled out Rudolph Schildkraut's Ahasuerus.

Music

Josef Sulzer is the credited composer. The Vienna premiere used a score assembled from Jewish motifs.

Preservation

A shortened print of 1,368 meters survives, about 60 minutes at 20 frames per second. The 1921 release was 2,000 meters.

Notes

  • The German title is Theodor Herzl, der Bannerträger des jüdischen Volkes. English ads also used The Life of Theodor Herzl and The Wandering Jew.
  • Ludwig Donath plays Prince Eugene. Eugen Preiß plays Pope Leo XIII. Rudolf Dietz plays Dr. Samuel Goldblatt.
  • Father and son Rudolph and Joseph Schildkraut had already appeared together in Richard Oswald's Schlemihl (1915).
  • The Neue Freie Presse of 11 February 1921 said the Ferdinand cinema, which had bought the film, would sell out.
  • What survives is 1,368 meters, timed at 60 minutes at 20 frames per second, against the original 2,000 meters.

Scenes

  • Rudolph Schildkraut appears as Ahasuerus, the wandering figure of Israel.
  • The closing stretch raises the palaces of Zion with Herzl as the rescuer.

Also available

  • Internet Archive (silent-theodor-herzl-der-bannertrger-des-jdischen-volkes)