It is a perfect exemplar of the scale and ambition of German cinema in the Weimar era. The Merchant of Venice, even in this un-restored print, looks superb with beautiful cinematography. Giannetto and Beatrice are married as are Rachela and Lorenzo, while Mordecai is left in desolation. At a hearing to decide the legitimacy of Mordecai’s claim Beatrice, disguised as man, successfully argues against Mordecai and Benito is freed. When Benito runs into financial difficulties and cannot repay, Mordecai sees his chance for revenge and claims his pound of flesh. In order to conceal his penniless state from Beatrice, Giannetto seeks a loan from Mordecai and his wealthy friend Benito (Carl Ebert) agrees to stand bond for the loan, agreeing to offer up a pound of flesh if the loan is not repaid. Meanwhile, impoverished nobleman Giannetto (Harry Liedtke) meets Beatrice, the Lady of Belmonte (Henny Porten) a rich widow and they are immediately attracted to each other. Mordecai is distraught and vows revenge for the loss of his wife and daughter. To escape the arranged marriage Rachela runs off with Lorenzo. In order to pay a dowry Mordecai’s wife goes to collect debts from the Christian noblemen but they refuse and in the ensuing argument she collapses and dies. His daughter Rachela (Lia Eibenschutz) is in love with a Christian noble, Lorenzo (Heinz Rolf Munz), but Mordecai plans an arranged marriage for her with the son of a Jewish friend. In the film, Mordecai, the Jew of Mestri (Werner Krauss, image above, left)) is a money-lender to many of the Christian noblemen of Venice. So, for example, Shylock is now Mordecai and Portia is now Beatrice. This US version of the film is also interesting in that the character names have all be changed from the original German (and Shakespearean) version. Produced, directed and scripted by Austro-Hungarian born Peter Paul Felner, this film is a fairly fast and loose adaption of Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, with some new characters added and others missing. (However, the presence of a Stoll Pictures Logo and BBFC certificate at the start of the film does seem to imply that this version was screened at some point in the UK). The print we were watching (from the UK’s National Film Archives and the only surviving copy) was the American release version. The explanation being that a version of the original 1923 German release of Merchant of Venice, reduced in length by approximately two reels, was released in the United States in 1926 under this alternative title. As the lights went down I thought for just a moment that we were watching the wrong film as the title on the screen was The Jew of Mestri. Peter Paul Felner) was being shown by the Barbican as part of its Shakespeare on Silent Screen season with live musical accompaniment by Stephen Horne.
Despite conflicting opinions, Olivier’s performance of Shylock arguably encouraged other great actors – like Al Pacino – to attempt the role.The Merchant of Venice ( Der Kaufmann von Venedig) (Germany, 1923, Dir. Many scholars have justified Olivier’s performance as conforming more realistically to Elizabethan comedy, which was a bit more crude than people today can appreciate. While some saw Olivier’s use of buck teeth and over the top gestures to mirror the anti-semitism throughout Shakespeare’s work, others thought he added a depth to the role that allowed the audience to sympathize with the play’s “villain.” In a 2010 critique, John Murphy wrote that “Olivier does manage to make an impression, but it’s the kind of impression that can color a person’s appreciation for Shakespeare for life.”ĭuring Shylock’s infamous “Hath not a Jew eyes?” speech, Olivier over-gesticulates, flutters his eyes, and theatrically rolls every “r” in an over-the-top manner that had many audience’s distracted from the impact of Shakespeare’s words.
#Merchant of venice movie s tv
In BBC’s 1973 TV movie, Olivier played the controversial role of Jewish money-lender, Shylock, to mixed reviews.
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