The Wandering Jew (1933 film)
The Wandering Jew is a 1933 British fantasy drama film produced for the Gaumont-Twickenham Film Studios and directed by Maurice Elvey. It recounts the tale of a Jew (played by Conrad Veidt) who is forced to wander the Earth for centuries because he rebuffed Jesus while he was carrying his cross. The other cast members included Peggy Ashcroft, Francis L. Sullivan, and Felix Aylmer.
The Wandering Jew | |
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Directed by | Maurice Elvey |
Produced by | Julius Hagen |
Written by | H. Fowler Mear from the play by Temple Thurston[1] |
Starring | Conrad Veidt |
Music by | Hugo Riesenfeld |
Cinematography | Sydney Blythe |
Edited by | Jack Harris |
Production company | Julius Hagen Productions |
Distributed by | Gaumont British Distributors (1933) (UK) |
Release date |
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Running time | 111 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Plot
The plot follows the eponymous character's epic journey. He is finally burnt at the stake by the Spanish Inquisition. As he burns, he is forgiven by God and finally allowed to die. The story bears a resemblance to the legend of the Flying Dutchman.
Cast
- Conrad Veidt as Mathathias
- Marie Ney as Judith
- Basil Gil as Pontius Pilate
- Cicely Oates as Rachel
- Anne Grey as Joan de Baudricourt
- Dennis Hoey as Lord de Baudricourt
- Bertram Wallis as Prince Bohemund of Tarentum
- Hector Abbas as Isaachar the Miser
- Kenji Takase as Phirous
- Jack Livesey as Godfrey, Duke of Normandy
- Joan Maude as Gianella
- John Stuart as Pietro Morelli
- Arnold Lucy as Andrea Michelloti
- Peggy Ashcroft as Ollala Quintana
- Francis L. Sullivan as Archbishop Juan de Texada
- Abraham Sofaer as Zapportas
- Felix Aylmer as Ferera
- Ivor Barnard as Castro
Portrayal of Jews
Unlike the Nazis 1940 antisemitic propaganda film, this film portrayed Jews in a favourable light as the victims of unjustified persecution throughout history, in the Spanish Inquisition, for example. The version made under the Third Reich, by contrast, was intended to be virulently antisemitic.[2]
References
- "The Wandering Jew". Variety. 31 December 1933. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
- Friedländer, Saul (2008). 'The Years of Extermination: Nazi Germany and the Jews 1939-1945.