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The Merchant of Venice (German: Der Kaufmann von Venedig) is a 1923 German silent drama film directed by Peter Paul Felner and starring Werner Krauss, Henny Porten and Harry Liedtke. The film is an adaptation of William Shakespeare's play The Merchant of Venice. It was released in the United States in 1926 as The Jew of Mestri. The film was made on location in Venice, with scenes and characters added which were not in the original play. This is the surviving copy, being two reels shorter than the German version. The characters in the German retained Shakespeare’s nomenclature, but in the American they were given new names sourced from the Italian work Il Pecorone, a 14th-century short story collection attributed to Giovanni Fiorentino, from which Shakespeare is believed to have drawn his idea. The film purports to be a return to the original, as an excuse for its differences from the play.
Original Release
10/12/1923
Cast
Name | Character |
---|
Werner Krauss | Shylock / Shylock (Mordecai) |
Henny Porten | Porzia / Porzia (Beatrice) |
Harry Liedtke | Bassanio / Bassanio (Giannetto) |
Carl Ebert | Antonio / Antonio (Benito) |
Max Schreck | Der Doge von Venedig / Doge of Venice |
Ferdinand von Alten | Prinz von Arragon / Prince of Aragon |
Albert Steinrück | Tubal |
Frida Richard | Shylocks Mutter / Shylock's Mother (Wife of Mordecai) |
Lia Eibenschütz | Jessica / Jessica (Rachela) |
Hans Brausewetter | Lanzelot Gobbo / Lanzelot Gobbo (Elias) |
Directors
Writers
Pietro Aretino, Peter Paul Felner, Giovanni Fiorentino, William Shakespeare
Cast
Name | Character |
---|
Werner Krauss | Shylock / Shylock (Mordecai) |
Henny Porten | Porzia / Porzia (Beatrice) |
Harry Liedtke | Bassanio / Bassanio (Giannetto) |
Carl Ebert | Antonio / Antonio (Benito) |
Max Schreck | Der Doge von Venedig / Doge of Venice |
Ferdinand von Alten | Prinz von Arragon / Prince of Aragon |
Albert Steinrück | Tubal |
Frida Richard | Shylocks Mutter / Shylock's Mother (Wife of Mordecai) |
Lia Eibenschütz | Jessica / Jessica (Rachela) |
Hans Brausewetter | Lanzelot Gobbo / Lanzelot Gobbo (Elias) |
Jakob Tiedtke | Beppo / Beppo (Marco) |
Willi Allen | |
Claire Rommer | |
Carl Geppert |
Producers
Name | Role |
---|
Peter Paul Felner | Producer |