''Prostitution'' (German: ''Die Prostitution'') is a 1919 German silent

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 ...

directed by Richard Oswald and starring

Conrad Veidt Hans Walter Conrad Veidt (; 22 January 1893 – 3 April 1943) was a German film actor who attracted early attention for his roles in the films ''Different from the Others'' (1919), '' The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'' (1920), and '' The Man Who Laug ...

, Reinhold Schünzel and

Gussy Holl Auguste Marie Christine Holl (22 February 1888 – 16 July 1966) was a German actress and singer. Holl was briefly a silent film star during the early Weimar Republic, appearing in productions such as F. W. Murnau's ''Desire'' (1921). As of 2021 ...

.Rogowski p.139 It was released in two parts ''Das gelbe Haus'' and ''Die sich verkaufen''. It was one of several enlightenment films made during the era by Oswald. The physician

Magnus Hirschfeld Magnus Hirschfeld (14 May 1868 – 14 May 1935) was a German physician and sexologist. Hirschfeld was educated in philosophy, philology and medicine. An outspoken advocate for sexual minorities, Hirschfeld founded the Scientific-Humanitarian Com ...

was an advisor on the production. The first part premiered at the

Marmorhaus The Marmorhaus (English: Marble House) is a former cinema located on the Kurfürstendamm in Berlin. Opened in 1913, it takes its name from a large marble façade. Designed by the architect Hugo Pál, the walls of the foyer and auditorium were de ...

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 ...

Cast

Part I

* Fritz Beckmann as Klaßen, Agent * Anita Berber as Lola, dessen Tochter *

as Hedwig *

as Alfred Werner *

Rudolf Klein-Rhoden Rudolf Klein-Rhoden (27 January 1871 – 5 January 1936) was a German stage and film actor. Selected filmography * '' Madeleine'' (1919) * '' Sins of the Parents'' (1919) * '' Intoxication'' (1919) * '' Prostitution'' (1919) * ''Indische Nächte'' ...

as Hiller, Hausbesitzer * Rita Clermont as Vera, Hillers Tochter * Reinhold Schünzel as Karl Döring *

Ferdinand Bonn Ferdinand Bonn (20 December 1861 – 24 September 1933) was a German stage and film actor. Bonn was born in Donauwörth, Bavaria, Germany and died at age 71 in Berlin. Selected filmography * ''Svengali'' (1914) * ''The Silent Mill'' (1914) * ' ...

as Michalsky *

Marga Köhler Marga may refer to: People *Marga (Batak), a family name in Batak society * Marga Barbu (1929–2009), Romanian actress * Marga Boodts (1895–1976), woman claimed to be Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia * Marga Gomez (born 1960), Puerto Ri ...

as Madame Riedel * Kissa von Sievers as Die Prostitution * Preben J. Rist as Diener der Gerechtigkeit * Emil Lind as alter Herr *

Werner Krauss Werner Johannes Krauss (''Krauß'' in German; 23 June 1884 – 20 October 1959) was a German stage and film actor. Krauss dominated the German stage of the early 20th century. However, his participation in the antisemitic propaganda film ''Jud S ...

as Mann *

Ernst Gronau Ernst Gronau (21 August 1887 – 10 August 1938) was a German stage, writer and film actor. Selected filmography * '' Prostitution'' (1919) * '' Genuine'' (1920) * '' Roswolsky's Mistress'' (1921) * ''The Graveyard of the Living'' (1921) * ''Mi ...

Wilhelm Diegelmann Wilhelm Diegelmann (28 September 1861 – 1 March 1934) was a German actor. Career Diegelmann's first stage appearance was in 1878 in the chorus for the Frankfurt Opera. In 1881 he debuted at the Frankfurt City Theater, playing King Lear, Will ...

Part II

* Reinhold Schünzel * Gertrude Hoffman *

Eduard von Winterstein Eduard Clemens Franz Anna Freiherr von Wangenheim (1 August 1871 – 22 July 1961), known as Eduard von Winterstein, was an Austrian-German film actor who appeared in over one hundred fifty German films during the silent and sound eras. He was ...

Ilka Grüning Ilka Grüning (born Ilka Henriette Grunzweig; 4 September 1876 – 11 November 1964) was an Austrian-Hungarian actress. Born in Vienna in the old Austrian-Hungarian Empire, she was one of many Jewish actors and actresses that were forced to fle ...

* Preben J. Rist * Paul Morgan * Kissa von Sievers *

References

Bibliography

* Soister, John T. ''Conrad Veidt on Screen: A Comprehensive Illustrated Filmography''. McFarland, 2002. * Rogowski, Christian. ''The Many Faces of Weimar Cinema: Rediscovering Germany's Filmic Legacy''. Camden House, 2010.

External links

* * 1919 films Films of the Weimar Republic German silent feature films Films directed by Richard Oswald German drama films 1919 drama films German black-and-white films Films about prostitution in Germany Silent drama films 1910s German films 1910s German-language films {{1910s-Germany-film-stub