''Der Graf von Cagliostro'' is a 1920

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...

directed and co-written by Reinhold Schünzel and starring Schünzel, Anita Berber and

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 ...

. It depicts the life of the eighteenth century

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

mesmerist and occultist

Alessandro Cagliostro Count Alessandro di Cagliostro (, ; 2 June 1743 – 26 August 1795) was the alias of the Italian occultist Giuseppe Balsamo (; in French usually referred to as Joseph Balsamo). Cagliostro was an Italian adventurer and self-styled magician ...

, who called himself Cagliostro. The film is considered a

lost film A lost film is a feature Feature may refer to: Computing * Feature (CAD), could be a hole, pocket, or notch * Feature (computer vision), could be an edge, corner or blob * Feature (software design) is an intentional distinguishing char ...

Cast

Release and reception

''Der Graf von Cagliostro'' has its world premiere on December 21, 1920, at Busch-Kino, Vienna. It was later shown in Germany on Februaryt 17, 192 at the Marmorhaus in Berlin. '' Der Kinematograph'' declared the film as "marvelously effective cinema" while the script is "the weakest element in the entire production." The review also praised

Carl Goetz Carl Goetz (10 April 1862 – 15 August 1932) was an Austrian stage and film actor. He appeared in around seventy films during the silent and early sound eras. Goetz was of a Jewish background.Prawer p.213 He is particularly noted for his role in ...

who "gives the best performance of all" and

as "very effective in his opulent costumes". A review in '' Film-Kurier'' stated that the film "could have been a masterpiece", blaming Robert Liebmann's script which "didn't expend any extra energy and what he did manage doesn't come close to the demands of this subject." The review echoed ''Der Kinematograph''s review stating "Carl Goetz and Conrad Veidt are the only actors whose every gesture is perfect."

References

Sources

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Count of Cagliostro 1920 films 1920s historical films 1920 lost films Austrian historical films Austrian silent feature films Films directed by Reinhold Schünzel Films set in the 18th century Films about Alessandro Cagliostro Austrian black-and-white films