''Anna and Elizabeth'' (german: Anna und Elisabeth) is a 1933 German

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Frank Wisbar Frank Wisbar (born Franz Wysbar 9 December 1899 – 17 March 1967) was a German film director and screenwriter. Born in Lithuania, Wisbar directed more than 20 films between 1932 and 1967 in Germany and the United States, as well as amassin ...

and starring

Dorothea Wieck Dorothea Wieck, born Dora Bertha Olavia Wieck (3 January 1908 in Davos, Switzerland – 20 February 1986 in Berlin, West Germany), was a German theatre and film actress. Early years Dorothea Wieck was born Dora Bertha Olavia Wieck and grew up i ...

Hertha Thiele Hertha Thiele (8 May 1908 – 5 August 1984) was a German actress. She is noted for her starring roles in then controversial stage plays and films produced during Germany's Weimar Republic and the early years of the Third Reich. After the post-w ...

and

Mathias Wieman Mathias Wieman (Carl Heinrich Franz Mathias Wieman; 23 June 1902 – 3 December 1969) was a German stage-performer, silent-and-sound motion picture actor. Life and career Early life Wieman was born in Osnabrück, the only son of Carl Philipp A ...

. The film reunited Wieck and Thiele who had starred in ''

Mädchen in Uniform ' ("Girls in Uniform") is a 1931 German romantic drama film based on the play ' (''Yesterday and Today'') by Christa Winsloe and directed by Leontine Sagan with artistic direction from Carl Froelich, who also funded the film. Winsloe also wrote ...

'' together two years earlier. The film's sets were designed by

Heinrich Beisenherz Heinrich Beisenherz (1891 – 1977) was a German art director and painter.Giesen p. 221 Selected filmography * '' Downfall'' (1923) * '' The Secret of Brinkenhof'' (1923) * '' The Love of a Queen'' (1923) * ''Garragan'' (1924) * ''Anna and Eliza ...

and

Fritz Maurischat Fritz Maurischat (April 27, 1893 in Berlin – December 11, 1986) was a German production designer. He made his film debut in 1924. Over the next 38 years, he worked on over 70 films, all of them in his native Germany. He earned an Oscar nominatio ...

Synopsis

Elisabeth, a wealthy young

aristocratic Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'. At the time of the word's ...

woman who uses a

wheelchair A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, used when walking is difficult or impossible due to illness, injury, problems related to old age, or disability. These can include spinal cord injuries ( paraplegia, hemiplegia, and quadriplegia), cerebr ...

, hears of Anna a young

peasant A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasants ...

girl who is apparently able to work miracles. She brings the reluctant village girl to live with her, and appears to have been cured simply through her sheer belief in Anna's powers. However, an attempt to demonstrate Anna's skills to the public fails, and in her despair Elisabeth throws herself off a cliff while Anna returns to her simple village life.

Reception

The film was reviewed in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' following its American release. The review praised the acting of Wieck, but was less impressed with that of Thiele. While admitting that the director had a natural flair for tragedy, the reviewer thought that the film was sometimes so slow-moving that it lapsed into ponderousness.

Cast

as Elisabeth, Mistress of the manor von Salis *

as Anna, peasant girl *

as Mathias Testa *Maria Wanck as Margarete, Elisabeth's sister *

Carl Balhaus Carl Balhaus (born Carl Ballhaus; 4 November 1905 – 28 July 1968) was a German stage and film actor. After the Second World War he worked as screenwriter and director for the East German state-owned studio DEFA. He was an uncle of the Academ ...

as Martin *

Willy Kaiser-Heyl Willy Kaiser-Heyl (4 August 1876 – 2 December 1953) was a German film actor. He appeared in 92 films between 1919 and 1952. He was born in Frankfurt, Germany and died in Berlin. Selected filmography * ''The Tragedy of a Great'' (1920) * ...

as pastor *

Roma Bahn Roma Bahn (1896–1975) was a German stage and film actress.Fuegi p.201 On stage she was notable for her performances as Polly in the original 1928 production of ''The Threepenny Opera''. In cinema she played supporting roles in films made during ...

as Mary Lane *

Dorothea Thiess Dorothea Thiess (1897–1973) was a German stage, film and television actress.Welch p.274 Selected filmography * ''Sacred Waters'' (1932) * ''Scandal on Park Street'' (1932) * ''Anna and Elizabeth'' (1933) * ''The Roberts Case'' (1933) * ''The Re ...

as Anna's mother *

Carl Wery Carl Sebastian Martin Wery (born Wery de Lemans; 7 August 1897 in Trostberg, Upper Bavaria – 14 March 1975 in Munich) was a German actor. Selected filmography * ''No Day Without You'' (1933) * ''Anna and Elizabeth'' (1933) - Annas Vater ...

as Anna's father *

Karl Platen Karl Platen (6 March 1877 – 4 July 1952) was a German actor and cinematographer known for '' Girl in the Moon'' (1929) and '' M'' (1931). Biography Karl Platen was born as Carl Platen on March 6, 1877 in Halle an der Saale, Germany. He died ...

as village doctor *Robert Eckert as estate neighbor *Margarete Kestra as Helena *

Doris Thalmer Doris Thalmer (20 July 1907 – 9 October 1998) was a German actress. She appeared in more than 75 films and television shows between 1931 and 1992. Selected filmography * '' Eight Girls in a Boat'' (1932) * ''Anna and Elizabeth'' (1933) * ...

as Nena *

Sybil Smolova Sybil Smolova was a Czech-Austrian dancer and film actress of the silent era.Mitry p.500 Selected filmography * ''Werner Krafft'' (1916) * ''Children of Darkness'' (1921) * '' Gott, Mensch und Teufel'' (1924) * ''Anna and Elizabeth ''Anna and E ...

as Schiefhals

References

External links

* 1933 drama films German drama films Films of the Weimar Republic Films of Nazi Germany Films directed by Frank Wisbar Terra Film films Lesbian-related films German LGBT-related films Films scored by Paul Dessau German black-and-white films 1930s German films {{1930s-Germany-film-stub