''Nathan the Wise'' (german: Nathan der Weise) 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

Manfred Noa Manfred Noa (22 March 1893 – 5 December 1930) was a German film director. Noa was described by Vilma Bánky, who he directed twice, as her "favourite director". Noa's 1924 film '' Helena'' has been called his "masterpiece" although it was so exp ...

and starring

Fritz Greiner Fritz Greiner (1879–1933) was an Austrian film actor. Selected filmography * ''Der Einäugige'' (1916) * ''Der Klub der Einäugigen'' (1917) - Nick Carter * ''Der schwarze Jack'' (1918) - Cowboy Schwarzer Jack * '' The Hunter of Fall'' (1918 ...

Carl de Vogt Carl de Vogt (14 September 1885 – 16 February 1970) was a German film actor who starred in four of Fritz Lang's early films. He attended the acting school in Cologne, Germany. Together with acting he was also active as a singer and recorded sev ...

and

Lia Eibenschütz Lia Eibenschütz (1899–1985) was a German actress. She was married to the actor Kurt Vespermann with whom she had a son Gerd Vespermann who also became an actor. Selected filmography * '' The War of the Oxen'' (1920) * '' The Legend of Holy S ...

. It is based on the 1779 play ''

Nathan the Wise ''Nathan the Wise'' (original German title: ', ) is a play by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing from 1779. It is a fervent plea for religious tolerance. It was never performed during Lessing's lifetime and was first performed in 1783 at the Döbbelinsch ...

'' by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing. It was made by

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 ...

at the Emelka Studios. The film provoked protests in

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 ...

from far-right groups who felt it was too pro-

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

.Prawer p. 20 In 2010 oud player and composer Rabih Abou-Khalil released a soundtrack composed for the film entitled '' Trouble in Jerusalem''.

Plot

One of the main works of the Age of Enlightenment, it is a powerful plea for tolerance, humanity and freedom of opinion. Set in the age of the crusades, it deals with the relations between the three monotheistic religions. Characters include the historical figure of Sultan Saladin, and the Jewish merchant Nathan; the character of Nathan is based on Lessing's friend, the renowned philosopher

Moses Mendelssohn Moses Mendelssohn (6 September 1729 – 4 January 1786) was a German-Jewish philosopher and theologian. His writings and ideas on Jews and the Jewish religion and identity were a central element in the development of the ''Haskalah'', or ' ...

. When the play was published in 1779, this was considered breaching a taboo.

Cast

as Sultan Saladin *

as Assad of Filneck / Young Templar *

as Sittah *

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 Nathan * Bella Muzsnay as Recha *

Margarete Kupfer Margarete Kupfer (born Margarete Kupferschmid; 10 April 1881 – 11 May 1953) was a German actress. Partial filmography * '' The Canned Bride'' (1915) * '' Frau Eva'' (1916) * '' The Queen's Secretary'' (1916) * '' When Four Do the Same'' (1917 ...

as Daja * Rudolf Lettinger as Brother Bonafides *

Ferdinand Martini Ferdinand Martini (1 September 1870 – 23 December 1930) was a German film actor. He appeared in 38 films between 1920 and 1931. He was born in Munich and died in Germany. Selected filmography * '' The Monastery's Hunter'' (1920) * '' Nig ...

as Al-Hafi *

Ernst Schrumpf Ernst is both a surname and a given name, the German, Dutch, and Scandinavian form of Ernest. Notable people with the name include: Surname * Adolf Ernst (1832–1899) German botanist known by the author abbreviation "Ernst" * Anton Ernst (1975-) ...

as the Patriarch of Jerusalem *

Max Schreck Friedrich Gustav Maximilian Schreck Eickhoff, Stefan. 2007 (6 September 1879 – 20 February 1936), Walk, Ines. 2006. known professionally as Max Schreck, was a German actor, best known for his lead role as the vampire Count Orlok in the film ...

as the Great Master of the Order of the Templar *

Wolfgang von Schwindt Wolfgang von Schwind also spelled Wolfgang von Schwindt (4 July 1879 – 19 April 1949) was an Austrian actor and opera singer. He appeared in more than eighty films from 1920 to 1947. He was the grandson of Austrian painter Moritz von Schwind ...

as the Emir of Kurdistan * Ernst Matray as the Sultan's jester

References

Bibliography

External links

* 1922 films Films of the Weimar Republic German silent feature films Films directed by Manfred Noa German films based on plays Films set in Jerusalem Films set in the 1190s German black-and-white films German historical drama films 1920s historical drama films Bavaria Film films Films shot at Bavaria Studios 1922 drama films Silent drama films 1920s German films 1920s German-language films {{historic-film-stub