Wahnsinn (lost German horror film; 1919): Difference between revisions

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(Lost German Silent Horror Film from 1919 (Conrad Veidt's Directorial Debut))
 
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|status=Lost
|status=Lost
|category=Lost films
|category=Lost films
|tags=silent; silent film; lost film; lost silent film; conrad veidt; german; german film; german expressionism; horror; horror film; 1919; cinema; movie
|tags=1919; cinema; conrad veidt; german; german expressionism; german film; horror; horror film; lost film; lost silent film; movie; silent; silent film
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<i>Wahnsinn</i> (Meaning <i>'Madness'</i> in German) is a silent German horror film released on the 15th of October 1919, directed by and starring Conrad Veidt, serving as the actor's directorial debut. <ref>[https://www.amazon.co.uk/Terror-Horror-Films-Silent-Era/dp/1936168685 Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era: 1] Apparently references the film on page 209, however i can't confirm as I don't have a copy of the book and can't find it online. Wikipedia cites the entry as its main reference.</ref>
<i>Wahnsinn</i> (Meaning <i>'Madness'</i> in German) is a silent German horror film released on the 15th of October 1919, directed by and starring Conrad Veidt, serving as the actor's directorial debut. <ref>[https://www.amazon.co.uk/Terror-Horror-Films-Silent-Era/dp/1936168685 Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era: 1] Apparently references the film on page 209, however i can't confirm as I don't have a copy of the book and can't find it online. Wikipedia cites the entry as its main reference.</ref>
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A wealthy banker receives a key from a Gypsy, who tells him it will open a lost trunk, the contents of which will either lead him to happiness or death.  
A wealthy banker receives a key from a Gypsy, who tells him it will open a lost trunk, the contents of which will either lead him to happiness or death.  
The banker becomes obsessed with finding the lost trunk, however the vain search completely consumes him, leading him to have a mental breakdown. <ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madness_(1919_film) Wikipedia page] on the film. Most information about the film online seems to be carbon copies of this article</ref>
The banker becomes obsessed with finding the lost trunk, however the vain search completely consumes him, leading him to have a mental breakdown. <ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madness_(1919_film) Wikipedia page] on the film. Most information about the film online seems to be carbon copies of this article</ref>
<ref>https://case.edu/artsci/modlang/german330/Stummfilme.html</ref>


<h3><b>Cast</b></h3>
<h3><b>Cast</b></h3>
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|-
|-
|Gussy Holl||Mädchen aus dem Althändler Laden
|Gussy Holl||Mädchen aus dem Althändler Laden
|-
|Heinrich Peer||Unknown Role
|}
<h3><b>Crew</b></h3>
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! style="background-color:green" | Cast Member
! style="background-color:green" | Character Name
|-
|Director||Conrad Veight
|-
|Writer(s)||Margarete Lindau-Schulz, Hermann Fellner, Kurt Muenzer (story)
|-
|Cinematography||Carl Hoffmann (or possibly Karl Freund)
|-
|Set Design/Art Direction||Willi Herrmann
|}
|}



Revision as of 20:45, 11 January 2023

Wahnsinn poster.jpg

Poster for Wahnsinn (1919)

Status: Lost

Tags: 1919 cinema conrad veidt german german expressionism german film horror horror film lost film lost silent film movie silent silent film


Wahnsinn (Meaning 'Madness' in German) is a silent German horror film released on the 15th of October 1919, directed by and starring Conrad Veidt, serving as the actor's directorial debut. [1]

The film starred Veidt in the lead role, alongside Reinhold Schünzel, Grit Hegesa and Gussy Holl (Veidt's wife at the time).

The film's screenplay was written by Hermann Fellner and Margarete Lindau-Schulz, and was adapted from a relatively unknown novel of the same name by Kurt Muenzer. The film's crew may have included Carl Hoffman as cinematographer and art direction by Willi Hermann (however this is unconfirmed)

The film likely had German intertitles throughout the film, similar to those seen in other films from the era such as The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, which Veidt also starred in.

The film was produced by Veidt's own short lived production company 'Veidtfilme', which produced the two films he directed in his lifetime, the other being the 1920 film 'Die Nacht auf Goldenhall' (German for 'The Night at Goldenhall'), which is also lost today. Neither of his two films did well at the box office, which may have been a factor in Veidt's decision to return exclusively to acting roles soon after. [2]

Plot Synopsis

(Most of the details of the film have been lost however this brief synopsis does remain)

A wealthy banker receives a key from a Gypsy, who tells him it will open a lost trunk, the contents of which will either lead him to happiness or death. The banker becomes obsessed with finding the lost trunk, however the vain search completely consumes him, leading him to have a mental breakdown. [3]

[4]

Cast

Cast Member Character Name
Conrad Veidt Bankier Lorenzen
Reinhold Schünzel Jörges
Grit Hegesa Marion Cavello
Gussy Holl Mädchen aus dem Althändler Laden
Heinrich Peer Unknown Role

Crew

Cast Member Character Name
Director Conrad Veight
Writer(s) Margarete Lindau-Schulz, Hermann Fellner, Kurt Muenzer (story)
Cinematography Carl Hoffmann (or possibly Karl Freund)
Set Design/Art Direction Willi Herrmann

Gallery

[5]

References

  1. Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era: 1 Apparently references the film on page 209, however i can't confirm as I don't have a copy of the book and can't find it online. Wikipedia cites the entry as its main reference.
  2. From 'Conrad Veidt on Screen: A Comprehensive Illustrated Filmography'Referenced on page 103 'it is a step up from Veidt's first film Wahnsinn', '(Die Nacht auf Goldenhall) was the second to be shot by Veidt's production company (Veidtfilme)'
  3. Wikipedia page on the film. Most information about the film online seems to be carbon copies of this article
  4. https://case.edu/artsci/modlang/german330/Stummfilme.html
  5. [1] Promotional images and posters found on this website, all uploaded by the same user, however I'm not sure where they found them