''Monna Vanna'' is a 1922 German
silent historical film
A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and swa ...
directed by
Richard Eichberg
Richard Eichberg (27 October 1888 – 8 May 1952) was a German film director and producer. He directed 87 films between 1915 and 1949. He also produced 77 films between 1915 and 1950. He was born in Berlin, Germany and died in Munich, Germ ...
and starring
Lee Parry
Lee Parry (born Mathilde Charlotte Benz, 14 January 1901 – 24 January 1977) was a German film actress of the silent era. She appeared in more than 40 films between 1919 and 1939.
Biography
Lee Parry was born Mathilde Charlotte Benz on 14 Jan ...
,
Paul Wegener
Paul Wegener (11 December 1874 – 13 September 1948) was a German actor, writer, and film director known for his pioneering role in German expressionist cinema.
Acting career
At the age of 20, Wegener decided to end his law studies and conce ...
, and
Hans Stürm
Hans Stürm (1874–1933) was a German actor, screenwriter and playwright. He worked with the director Richard Eichberg on a number of films either in acting of scripting roles.Paietta p. 64 His stage play ''The Unfaithful Eckehart'' was turned i ...
.
[Bock & Bergfelder p. 104]
The film is based on the play ''Monna Vanna'' by
Maurice Maeterlinck
Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck (29 August 1862 – 6 May 1949), also known as Count (or Comte) Maeterlinck from 1932, was a Belgian playwright, poet, and essayist who was Flemish but wrote in French. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in ...
which itself drew on story by the sixteenth century writer
Niccolò Machiavelli
Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli ( , , ; 3 May 1469 – 21 June 1527), occasionally rendered in English as Nicholas Machiavel ( , ; see below), was an Italian diplomat, author, philosopher and historian who lived during the Renaissance. ...
. It was made at the
Emelka Studios
Bavaria Studios are film production studios located in Munich, the capital of the region of Bavaria in Germany, and a subsidiary of Bavaria Film.
History
The studios were constructed in the suburb of Geiselgasteig in 1919 shortly after the Fir ...
near
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...
as part of a deal Eichberg had struck with
Bavaria Film
Bavaria Film is a German film production and distribution company. It is one of Europe's largest film production companies, with some 30 subsidiaries.
History
The studios were founded in 1919, when Munich-raised film producer Peter Ostermayr ...
. Some filming also took place at the
Johannisthal Studios
The Johannisthal Studios were film studios located in the Berlin area of Johannisthal. Founded in 1920 on the site of a former airfield, they were a centre of production during the Weimar and Nazi eras. Nearly four hundred films were made at Joha ...
in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
. The film's sets were designed by the
art directors
Willy Reiber
Willy Reiber (20 February 1895 – 27 November 1980) was a German film director, producer and set designer.Giesen p.223 For many years he worked for the forerunners of Bavaria Film at the Emelka Studios in Munich.
Selected filmography
* '' The ...
,
Jacek Rotmil
Jacek Rotmil (1888–1944) was a Russian-born art director and production designer who worked on 100 films during his career Following the First World War, Rotmil entered the booming German film industry and worked prolifically until 1933. Follo ...
and
Kurt Richter
Kurt Paul Otto Joseph Richter (24 November 1900 – 29 December 1969) was a German chess International Master and chess writer.
Chess achievements
In 1922, Richter for the first time won the Berlin City Chess Championship. In 1928, he tie ...
.
Cast
See also
* ''
Monna Vanna
''Monna Vanna'' (russian: Монна Ванна) is an unfinished opera by Sergei Rachmaninoff after a play by Maurice Maeterlinck. Rachmaninoff had completed Act I in short vocal score, with piano accompaniment, and then he went to ask for permis ...
'' (1915)
References
Bibliography
* Bock, Hans-Michael & Bergfelder, Tim. ''The Concise CineGraph. Encyclopedia of German Cinema''. Berghahn Books, 2009.
External links
*
*
1922 films
1920s historical films
German historical films
Films of the Weimar Republic
Films directed by Richard Eichberg
Films based on works by Maurice Maeterlinck
German silent feature films
Films set in the 15th century
Films set in Italy
Cultural depictions of Niccolò Machiavelli
Remakes of Italian films
German black-and-white films
Films shot at Bavaria Studios
Films shot at Johannisthal Studios
Bavaria Film films
Fox Film films
Adaptations of works by Niccolò Machiavelli
1920s American films
1920s German films
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