Ernst Lubitsch's CARMEN - Bertelsmann
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Ernst Lubitsch’s CARMEN
Contents Introduction 2 Greetings 4 The Movie Overview 6 Short bios 8 Contemporary Press Coverage 16 The Revival The Restoration 20 The Music 30 The Background Typification, Yes – Typism, No 36 Historical Background 38 The Publishers 42 Publishing Credits, Legal Notice, Picture Credits 46
1918 was an On November 11, World War I abolished at the end of the war. The
ended and with it the German Em- film was permitted to go wild. And it
eventful year. pire. This meant not only the tempo- did. (...) Pola set the decorations aflut-
rary end to strict Prussian morals, but ter with her frenzied dances. But she
also – and likewise only temporarily – also got fame to Germany. For her-
to film censorship, and paved the way self, for Ernst Lubitsch, for Ufa.“ (Der
for the experiment of democracy and Spiegel 38/1950)
the “Roaring Twenties,” which were And so it was: the exception-
not exactly lacking in debauchery. al Berlin director Ernst Lubitsch,
The first screening of the film who strove to “de-opera-tize” the
version of CARMEN, based on the op- movie, and the enchanting Pola Ne-
era by Georges Bizet, took place three gri, femme fatale of the first hour,
days before the end of the war, on No- formed a dream team of the early
vember 8, 1918, in the screening room days of film. CARMEN celebrated
of Ufa’s studio in Tempelhof. Inside, great success overseas from 1921
the champagne flowed; outside, the under the title GYPSY BLOOD and
previous world order was collapsing. paved the way to international fame
Spartacists and government troops for the artistic duo, ensuring that the
shot at each other while the illustri- two personages have not been for-
ous preview audience enjoyed itself. gotten to this day. CARMEN, how-
The next day, as the latter nursed their ever, didn’t stand the test of time so
hangovers, Philipp Scheidemann pro- well – most recently, only various
claimed the Republic. abridged versions of the film were
The real premiere of the film, available, all of them in poor condi-
directed by Ernst Lubitsch and star- tion. In 2018, the Friedrich Wilhelm
ring the great Pola Negri in the title Murnau Foundation took on the task
role, took place a good month later, of painstakingly reassembling, re-
on December 20, 1918, at Berlin‘s Un- storing, and digitizing the mutilated
ion Theater. Its wildness, opulence, versions into a largely complete ver-
and sensuality captured the spirit of sion with new coloring. The project
the times to come. “As Carmen, the was made possible by the support of
spirited Polish actress [Pola Negri] Bertelsmann as the main sponsor.
swept across the screen in such a way Join us in looking forward to
that several women’s clubs immedi- the premiere of the reconstructed ver-
ately cried out for censorship. But the sion, for which Tobias Schwencke has
moralizing ladies were out of luck. composed a new score, commissioned
The odious censorship had been by ZDF/ARTE.
2 3
Dear are faced with the mammoth task of
restoring and digitizing our endan-
Dear silent (Federal Archive) and the Stiftung
Deutsche Kinemathek, as well as the
film fans, gered silent film heritage to preserve movie fans, Federal Government Commissioner
it for posterity – a task they can hardly for Culture and the Media.
Silent films exert an enduring manage on their own. Created during the First World
fascination: They allow a journey As a company with its own If films are not shown to audi- War, CARMEN tells a wild story of pas-
back in time to the early days of cine- tradition in the film business and ex- ences, they will gradually disappear sion and aggrievement, order and re-
ma. Actors and directors alike had to tensive digital expertise, Bertelsmann from cultural memory. If old films are bellion, love and death. It was to prove
develop their own language without can and wants to help. For years, we not restored and digitized, they will a stepping stone to Hollywood for the
sound and find new forms of artistic have organized silent film festivals in eventually disappear physically from brilliant leading actress Pola Negri and
expression. Their works reflect this Berlin and other major European cit- this world as well. That is why today her ingenious director Ernst Lubitsch.
pioneering spirit and continue to at- ies, and supported major restoration marks a double celebration. CARMEN bears witness to the
tract people to cinemas and silent film projects such as the digital restoration CARMEN, an early film by Ernst high artistic quality of early German
festivals to this day. of THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI Lubitsch, is finally available in a dig- movies. Many of them are held by the
No less fascinating is the cul- (2014), Fritz Lang’s DER MÜDE TOD itized version, restored using state-of- Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau Founda-
tural-historical significance of this art (DESTINY, 2016), and DER GEIGER the-art techniques, that is as close as tion … awaiting their revitalization.
form, which was born a good century VON FLORENZ (THE FIDDLER OF possible to the version of its December
ago. Silent films are the starting point FLORENCE) by Paul Czinner (2018). 1918 premiere in Berlin. Christiane von Wahlert
of all cinematic genres. They were the Now, we have sponsored the Friedrich This extensive restoration was Chairwoman, Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau
nucleus that gave rise to the creative Wilhelm Murnau Foundation’s resto- only possible with the generous sup- Foundation
diversity of the film industry as we ration of another silent film classic: port of Bertelsmann. Our sincere grat-
know it today. As a company that has CARMEN by Ernst Lubitsch. Please itude goes out to the media company.
thrived on the creative achievements join me in celebrating the fact that We are extremely pleased that
of its filmmakers, authors, musicians this silent film classic can once again CARMEN can now be shown in new
and journalists for over 186 years, we be shown in its entirety and in digital splendor as the opening movie of the
know the great value of such inspir- cinematic quality! UFA Film Nights 2021.
ing and timeless works. Bertelsmann A silent film can only unfold its
has long been committed to preserv- Thomas Rabe full glory with a brilliant accompany-
ing important cultural assets at the CEO of Bertelsmann ing score. Tobias Schwencke’s composi-
European level – including our cin- tion was commissioned by ZDF/ARTE.
ematic heritage. This is particularly Thanks to the wonderful public-ser-
necessary in the case of silent films, vice collaboration for the “Stummfilm
as the copies that still exist are not auf ARTE” (Silent Films on ARTE) se-
only aging, but will soon no longer ries, CARMEN will soon be accessible
be accessible. Only very few cinemas to a television audience as well.
still have analog projection technol- We would like to thank our
ogy. Foundations and film archives archive partners, the Bundesarchiv
4 5
CARMEN World Premiere
José, a dragoon who has just with her, but she is not too particular Original December 20, 1918, Union-Theater
been promoted to sergeant, falls in love about fidelity and keeps seducing men Kurfürstendamm, Berlin
with Carmen, a worker in a cigarette for her own purposes. During a duel Restored version August 25, 2021
factory who is arrested during a riot, with a rival, José becomes a murder- as part of the UFA Film Nights in
while at his post in Seville. He helps er. He loses his post and his bride and Berlin and as a live stream on
her escape, which lands him in prison. joins Carmen’s gang of smugglers. She www.ufa-filmnaechte.de
When he has served his sentence, he soon gets bored of him and travels to Television premiere September 27, 2021, 11.30 pm on ARTE
meets the hot-blooded young woman Gibraltar, where she takes up with the
Restoration (2018)
again – this time as a dancer at a festi- matador Escamillo. But her recklessness
val. He becomes increasingly enamored doesn’t end well for Carmen either...
Restoration Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau Foundation
Production
Funding Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA,
The Federal Government Commis-
Drama in 6 acts freely adapted from Prosper Merrimé, by Hanns Kräly sioner for Culture and the Media,
Directed by Ernst Lubitsch Friends and Patrons of German Film
Exterior and interior design Kurt Richter Heritage e.V.
Costume director Alex Hubert Material Bundesarchiv-Filmarchiv
Photography Alfred Hansen (German Federal Archives),
Production company Projektions-AG “Union” PAGU, Berlin Deutsche Kinemathek – Museum
für Film und Fernsehen
Cast
Edition Luciano Palumbo
Preliminary research A nke Wilkening
José Navarro Harry Liedtke Collation and documentation Miranda Reason, Luciano Palumbo
His mother Frau Pagay Scan, digital image restoration,
Dolores, his bride Grete Dierks and 4K mastering L’Immagine Ritrovata
Carmen, a cigarette factory worker Pola Negri
Music (2021)
Garcia, smuggler Paul Biensfeld
Dan Cairo, smuggler Paul Conradi
Remendato, smuggler Max Kronert New composition Tobias Schwencke, based on
Carmen’s landlady Margarete Kupfer motifs from the eponymous opera
Escamillo, a bullfighter Leopold von Ledebur by Georges Bizet, commissioned
An English officer Heinrich Peer by ZDF/ARTE.
A prison guard Wilhelm Diegelmann Recording ensemble KONTRASTE
Executive producer Thomas Schmölz, 2eleven music film
Editing Nina Goslar
6 7
Biographies
Ernst Lubitsch resident dramatist from 1915. Together
they created films such as MADAME
(Director) DUBARRY (1919) and DIE BERGKATZE
(THE WILDCAT, 1921). The two also
*January 29, 1892 Berlin, worked together in Hollywood until
Germany; † November 30, 1947 Los the end of the silent film era. Kräly fell
Angeles, USA into oblivion in the 1930s, and spent
Ernst Lubitsch was active in his last years working as a janitor in
film as long ago as the early 1910s. He Los Angeles.
became popular first as an actor, and
Kurt Richter
soon as a writer and director. He made
several masterful historical films and
comedies in Germany. In 1922, he
continued his career in Hollywood,
(Architect)
working with stars including Mary *October 29, 1885 Krems on
Pickford, Marlene Dietrich, and James the Danube, Austria-Hungary; † April
Stewart. His unmistakable style was 26, 1960 Salzburg, Austria
celebrated as the “Lubitsch touch” Kurt Richter, a set designer by
and his talkies TROUBLE IN PARA- training, was hired by Ufa in 1914, be-
DISE (1932) and TO BE OR NOT TO came one of the first dedicated film ar-
BE (1942) became classics of cinemat- chitects, and later the production com-
ic history. In 1947, he was awarded an pany’s chief architect. He worked with
honorary Oscar for his life’s work. Ernst Lubitsch early on and, as his reg-
ular architect, was responsible for the
Hanns Kräly
major monumental films after the end
of the First World War. In 1930 he re-
(Screenplay) turned to Austria, where he worked at
various Viennese theaters. In 1940, he
*June 16, 1884 Hamburg, Ger- was appointed to the Salzburg Landes-
many; † November 12, 1950 Los Ange- theater, where he stayed on as its suc-
les, USA cessful chief stage designer, with his
Born Iwan Kräly, the Hamburg own studio, until his retirement.
native began his career as a stage actor
and as a dramatist for producer Paul
Davidson. In 1913 he met Ernst Lu-
bitsch. The two soon became a perma-
nent team and Kräly became Lubitsch’s
10 ERNST LUBITSCH
Alex Hubert shooting silent films during the First
World War. Along with Theodor
(Ali Hubert, Sparkuhl, he was one of Lubitsch’s
regular cameramen and enjoyed his
Costumes) professional peak during this time.
*December 1, 1878 Vienna, After Lubitsch’s emigration, Hansen
Austria-Hungary; † June 14, 1940 Los worked for Carl Boese and Hans
Angeles, USA Steinhoff. His film career ended in
Ernst Lubitsch recruited the 1931 with a few B productions di-
costume designer to work on films rected by Carl Heinz Wolff.
towards the end of the First World
Pola Negri
War. He created countless magnifi-
cent costumes for Lubitsch’s epic his-
torical movies. He made a name for *January 3, 1897 Lipno, King-
himself in Weimar Republic cinema dom of Poland, Russian Empire; † Au-
with films such as SUMURUN (ONE gust 1, 1987 San Antonio, USA
ARABIAN NIGHT, 1920) and DAS Polish-born Apolonia Chalu-
WEIB DES PHARAO (THE LOVES pec began her stage career in Warsaw
OF PHARAOH, 1921). In 1926 he ac- before emigrating to Berlin in 1917
cepted Lubitsch’s invitation to Hol- and gradually being built into a star.
lywood, but returned to Germany at She first appeared in a Lubitsch film
the beginning of the talkie era. After in DIE AUGEN DER MUMIE MA (THE
the Nazi seizure of power, he moved EYES OF THE MUMMY, 1918). Her in-
permanently to the United States and ternational breakthrough came with
worked for many European direc- MADAME DUBARRY (1919). She fol-
tors-in-exile, most notably collabo- lowed Lubitsch to America in 1922,
rating with Wilhelm Dieterle. where she was typecast as the pas-
sionate, exotic vamp. Because of her
Alfred Hansen
strong accent, she returned to Europe
with the advent of talkies. In Nazi
(Camera) Germany, she played self-sacrificing
mother roles such as in MAZURKA
*August 9, 1885 Copenhagen, (1935) until she was forced to emi-
Denmark; † January 21, 1935 Berlin, grate in 1939. Back in the U.S., she
Germany was rarely seen on screen, but main-
Alfred Hansen was initially a tained her reputation as an eccentric
news photographer before he began diva throughout her life.
POL A NEGRI 13
Harry Liedtke appeared in numerous movies, though
usually in supporting roles. He was
*October 12, 1882 Königsberg known there for esteemed characters
(now Kaliningrad, Russia); † April 28, with genteel attitudes such as fathers,
1945 Bad Saarow-Pieskow, Germany patriarchs, heroes, and aristocrats. In
Born in Prussia, Harry Liedtke CARMEN, he plays the fearless mata-
initially completed a commercial ap- dor Escamillo.
prenticeship before taking acting les-
Grete Diercks
sons. He appeared on various Rhein-
hardt stages and came to the film
business in 1912 through the producer *September 1, 1890 Hamburg,
Oskar Messter. At first he was often Germany; † July 15, 1978 Lauingen,
seen in the role of a youthful lover, Germany
later as an elegant gentleman and aris- Grete Diercks began her success-
tocratic bon vivant. Also a member ful acting career as a child actress on
of Lubitsch’s regular ensemble, Liedt- Hamburg stages. As a young woman,
ke became one of the first male stars she made guest appearances in Riga
of German cinema. With the advent before accepting engagements in Ber-
of talkies, his career slowly wound lin. There she also came into contact
down; in 1941, he made a comeback with film and appeared on the screen
as the patriarch in Heinz Rühmann’s several times from the mid-1910s on.
SOPHIENLUND. In late April 1945, he In addition to roles in the Lubitsch
and his third wife were murdered by films CARMEN and RAUSCH (INTOX-
members of the Red Army. ICATION, 1919), she also appeared
in F. W. Murnau’s DER BRENNENDE
Leopold von
ACKER (THE BURNING SOIL, 1922)
and E. A. Dupont’s DIE GEIER-WALLY
Ledebur (VULTURE WALLY, 1921). In 1923, she
married an engineer and ended her
*May 18, 1876 Berlin, Germa- acting career.
ny; † August 22, 1955 at Gut Bock-
horn in Ruhwinkel, Germany
Leopold Baron of Ledebur first
worked as a lawyer before switching
to acting in 1906. He appeared as a
character actor on German stages for
several decades. From 1916 on, he also
H A R R Y L I E DT K E 15
Contemporary Press Coverage
“Carmen.” The ‘Union’ Masterpiece work, he has goaded each individual
to give their best and their all to make
– Ernst Lubitsch Directs
It is no exaggeration if I claim the film, to make the ensemble appear
that Union has created its master-
‘Carmen’ borne by the strongest human passion.
piece, and at the same time the best Friday’s screening of the mon- We have seen Pola Negri and Harry
German film, with its drama “Car- umental “Union” film “Carmen” was Liedtke in other films as well: but the
men,” which celebrated its premiere a tremendous success, received with masterful performances that shook
before invited guests last Thursday at demonstrative applause by a sell-out the audience yesterday, that provoked
the Unionpalast on Kurfürstendamm. audience. This film clearly proves their demonstrative applause, testify
It is probably the first time that one the ability of the German film in- to the fact that their performance was
has seen a film unfold in which, to dustry and its indisputable compet- guided by a force that could only come
one’s own delight, one saw nothing, itiveness in the world market; if the from the genius director who spurred
but absolutely nothing to find fault major film productions still ahead them on, constrained them, pointed
with, but which instead created a from the other companies in 1918 the way for them: from Ernst Lubitsch.
deep impression unimpaired by even match this great work of art, we will
a single flaw. [...] The whole film is an have a closed series of German works Die Lichtbild-Bühne (LBB), Berlin,
experience, an event. of art that can successfully start the Nr. 51 dated December 21, 1918
march to the world market. [...]
Der Film, Berlin, Nr. 52 dated The plot, permeated by a deep
December 28, 1918 sense of human struggle and suffering,
has found in Ernst Lubitsch a director
who fleshes out the bones of the text
with such sparkling, such rich, such
colorful life that “Union” may be con-
gratulated on this genius of cinematog-
raphy. In the 2,000 meters of this film
there is not a scene that does not cap-
tivate audiences with its pulsating
temperament; not a single movement
that does not elegantly emphasize the
character; not one encounter that isn’t
sparkling with the finest artistic esprit.
With the strong will that characterizes
the great director, he has tactfully sub-
ordinated the forces of his contributors
to the overall impression, he has lim-
ited them to make the overall picture
18 19Restoration
A Burning to take hold again. However, the fire
reoccurs shortly afterwards: first when
Passion: Don José burns with remorse for losing
his rank and finds himself in prison.
The Digital And then again at the market, where
Restoration of he falls for the passionate, provocative
Carmen, and is slowly but inexorably
Ernst Lubitsch’s consumed by her fire.
And yet, this extremely pow-
CARMEN erful symbolic force of the flames,
which would fit so perfectly in this
film centering on passion and its de-
Outside, it is raining as we re- structive power, is neither a clever
ceive the very first digitized raw im- gimmick employed by director Ernst
ages for the restoration of Ernst Lu- Lubitsch, nor by screenwriter Hanns
bitsch’s CARMEN to be viewed at the Kräly, nor by producer Paul Davidson.
Deutsches Filmhaus in Wiesbaden. The fire is not part of the film’s
We quickly darken the room; the content, but a ravage of time that
playback of the film scans on a com- physically affects one of the few last
puter screen is about to start. surviving film materials of CARMEN.
It is hot in Seville as the dra- Because if they are not stored
goon Don José Navarro dreamily under very strict conditions, which can
reads the words of love sent to him be ensured only at great expense, film
by his beloved Dolores, adoring and material that may be close to a hun-
proud of her husband, who has just dred years old suffers “at best” from a
been promoted to sergeant. Not far phenomenon known as decay or de-
from him, in a cigar factory, Carmen composition: Irregular spots form on
incites a big fight out of petty envy the surface of the film due to corrosion
and irritation. She jumps on the work and other chemical reactions, causing
tables, shouting lustily. Dozens of it to deform. If these images are set in
workers scuffle, and the brawl begins motion, as during our test viewing,
to escalate until the factory unexpect- they result in visual effects that dance
edly bursts into flames. across the film’s images, much like fire,
It seems as if a sudden fire will and finally dissolve it completely.
end it all after the first 10 minutes, This is even more the case
only for things to be miraculously put for films that were colored the way
back together and the fiction to begin CARMEN was, by dipping the film
22 23One of the surviving fragments from the historic distribution copy Duplicate produced in West Germany in the 1970s, from the holdings of the
Bundesarchiv Filmarchiv
stock into a variety of dye baths (“tint- first “major movie” took place on the After the film was released love as we was the case in Bizet’s opera,
ing”). According to a convention that Tempelhof studio lot. The popular in Germany, it took two years for it but by a fascination with destroying
had already established itself as part of actor Harry Liedtke plays Don José, to reach the U.S., where it was re- everything that embodies order and
a canonical film language by the time Carmen is Pola Negri at the begin- leased in 1921 under the title GYPSY ordinariness. Pola Negri’s anti-heroine
CARMEN was produced in the late ning of her success, a mere moment BLOOD, following a massive revision is moved by the desire, as antisocial as
1910s, each nuance was ascribed its before the big leap that would take of the content. In the U.S., the camera it is alluring, to circumvent the rules
own meaning. If decay or disintegra- her straight to Hollywood. negative was heavily manipulated; so and humiliate her fellow human be-
tion is the “best case scenario” for the The movie premiered on De- was the editing order and the length ings: a suitor is silenced, a powerful
inexorable aging of cellulose nitrate cember 20, 1918 at Berlin’s Union of entire shots. The entire Dolores sto- army officer is deceived, another – an
film material, the most common sce- Theater on Kurfürstendamm. A few ryline is omitted in this cut version, Englishman at that! – is seduced and
nario is a more drastic and irreversible weeks earlier, on November 8, 1918, the intertitles are longer and some of then exploited, as a business. Carmen,
one: it self-ignites and burns (sponta- press and Ufa executives had been them hint at a magical – quasi-mysti- a wild-willed woman, bosses around
neous combustion). This is precisely treated to an exclusive preview of the cal – dimension of Carmen’s character a whole group of robbers, seduces a
the reason why so few of the films of film while Lubitsch was still working that is not at all evident in the Ger- prison guard, and, last but not least,
the past – especially from before World on the final cut. Pola Negri later re- man version. So love moves over to wreaks havoc with the bourgeois life
War II – have survived. And this is pre- counted that the November Revolu- create more room for action, perhaps of an ordinary man until it is hopeless-
cisely why it is such a great sensation tion raged in the streets of Berlin that to appeal less to the intellect than to ly destroyed. Don José is wound into
whenever one is rediscovered. evening, and the screening kept being the tastes of the masses. a death spiral before it even occurs to
Except for some of the scenes punctuated by the distant sound of ri- Because in their original version him that his infatuation will be his
set in the robbers’ den, which were fle fire. On November 9, 1918, the day of the film, Ernst Lubitsch and screen- death sentence. Thus, a perhaps crude
shot at the Rüdersdorf limestone after the advance screening, the Wei- writer Hanns Kräly portray a Carmen but still appropriate symbolism is the
quarry, the filming of Ernst Lubitsch’s mar Republic was proclaimed. who is driven not by the longing for fact that the only man with whom
24 25Carmen can truly fall in love is an an- Munich, had access to the Russian ma-
imal tamer – a bullfighter – who plays terials and was able to combine them
with the lives of animals out of sport- with others for the first time, adding to
ing ambition. and re-releasing entire film takes that
Perhaps the reason for CAR- had previously been considered lost.
MEN’s success in Germany lies pre- The Friedrich Wilhelm Mur-
cisely in the fact that the film offered nau Foundation had something
an audience – exhausted by the First similar in mind in 2018, when the
World War and shaken by the social film was digitally restored for the
changes – to experience the pleasure first time. Eight different elements –
of the forbidden on the big screen. which, lined up one behind another
Thus it helped to suspend, or even on the ground, would have bridged
defeat, the hard years of “routinized” the distance between Zoo-Palast and
danger of death for an hour and a half. Kino International in Berlin – were
Unlike other contemporary viewed, measured, compared. For
films, which were often shot with each film reel, the length of each Film still from the Soviet material
two cameras placed side by side – one of the approximately 660 shots was
for shooting the German version and measured to determine how many
one for the export version – the cut frames were missing from which reel.
for CARMEN’s U.S. American release Since the only contemporary surviv-
was made directly in the negative of ing materials are fragments of one or
the German version, because only more tinted distribution prints from
that one had been made. As a result, the holdings of the Bundesarchiv-Fil-
the material cut away from the orig- marchiv (German Federal Archives),
inal negative is now considered irre- and the Deutsche Kinemathek, these
versibly lost. were considered central elements and
After its exploitation in the U.S., taken as reference.
the film saw a re-release in Germany in Two black-and-white dupli-
1923, and was then confiscated by the cates, one of Soviet manufacture with
Soviets after World War II. working notes incised, now stored in
Many West German institu- the German Federal Archives, and
tions concerned with cinematic her- another of later generation from the
itage have sought to reconstruct the same stock, served as the source and
montage of the premiere version in the basis. Together with the copy frag- Duplicate produced in West Germany, from the holdings of the Bundesarchiv
Filmarchiv
postwar period, using a variety of ap- ments, these two materials were digi-
proaches. In the 1980s, Enno Patalas, tized in 4K at L‘Immagine Ritrovata in
then director of the Filmmuseum in Bologna and combined into a largely
26 27complete version. Any glaring anom-
alies were corrected there as part of a
complex retouching plan.
The copy fragments served not
only as a reference, but also as a tem-
plate for the coloration of the black-
and-white materials. These were taken
as the basis for the color plan, which,
however, remains largely speculative.
The missing intertitles were digitally
reconstructed – for this, the handwrit-
For the restoration of CARMEN, various incomplete film materials were combined with each other. In ten notes in the “Soviet” duplicate
order to determine what frames were missing at which points in which film elements, the film mate- served as a valuable template. Due to
rials were scanned and compared with each other, frame by frame.
its physical condition, the decaying
footage of our first viewing was ul-
timately not included. No flames, in
that sense, are shown on the screen.
Hopefully, however, the fiery
appeal of CARMEN has become visible
again in the present digital restoration:
an exquisite cast and the well-consid-
ered elegance of their acting; complex
buildings that make you forget the
studio dimension and that open up
modern, neorealist vistas; above all,
the first traces of the Lubitsch genius,
the unconventionality of his narra-
tives, his art in combining different
genres, the subtly mocking criticism of
the bourgeoisie, of the timid who let
themselves indecisively be manipulat-
ed by others. The first flickering flames
of the Lubitsch touch.
Luciano Palumbo
Film restorer at the Friedrich Wilhelm
Watch the same scene in the restored version here Murnau Foundation
28 29Music
CARMEN – Carmen is one of the best-loved
operas in music history. It is omnipres-
About the composer:
The composer and pianist To-
About the New ent, its catchy arias are fixtures in the bias Schwencke regularly works for
musical repertoire of seduction and theaters and opera houses such as
Score by Tobias passion – from the bouncy opening the Maxim Gorki Theater Berlin, the
Schwencke motif of the overture to the ecstat- Berliner Ensemble, and the Staatsop-
ic-rhythmic “Tra la la la” of the Chan- er Unter den Linden. He has staged or
son Bohème or Carmen’s famous ha- served as the musical director at re-
banera “L’amour est un oiseau rebelle.” nowned institutions around the world
Tobias Schwencke’s new film such as the Theater an der Wien, the
score, written for a small ensemble (4 Teatro Real Madrid, the Uppsala Stad-
winds, 3 strings, guitar, harp, accordion, stheater, the Deutsches Theater in
percussion) takes all of Bizet’s themes for Berlin, the Düsseldorfer Schauspiel-
representing the characters and weaves haus, and the Munich State Opera.
them together in a new, original score. He has worked with directors such
Much as Lubitsch reinterpreted the oper- as Herbert Fritsch, Nurkan Erpulat,
atic material and placed the unfortunate Claus Peymann, Leander Haußmann,
José at the center of the cinematic narra- and Frank Castorf. Schwencke is also
tive, Tobias Schwencke also takes on the known for his new concertante film
music: The familiar motifs accompany music, for example to accompany
the main characters through the film, Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau’s FAUST at
but they change, overlap and are further the Salzburg Festival in 2011.
developed so that they can be adapted to
the film’s dramaturgy at every second.
Tobias Schwencke uses all his experi-
ence as a stage musician to choreograph
the music in a new way. The result is an
enjoyable potpourri – just like in the his-
torical silent movie theater, which func-
tioned like a large juke box and offered
the audience a new selection of popu-
lar music at each screening, music that
could otherwise only be heard at the op-
era or in concert halls.
Listen to an excerpt from
Nina Goslar Tobias Schwencke’s new
composition
Film editorial department ZDF/ARTE
32 33Historical Background
Typification, Yes Berlin, he worked strongly with typifi-
cation. This is based on the one hand
Lubitsch’s early work: in many films today against the backdrop of the on-
of his Berlin years, non-conformist, going fundamental transformation of
– Typism, No on his origins in the theater, where, rebellious women are at the center, media and society.
especially on popular stages, typi- for example, in addition to CAR-
Friedemann Beyer, Curator fication is a centuries-old tradition, MEN, in ICH MÖCHTE KEIN MANN Friedemann Beyer
of the UFA Film Nights, on as in the characters of the Commedia SEIN (1918 – I DON’T WANT TO BE After working as a televi-
Ernst Lubitsch’s CARMEN dell’arte. Besides, typification is one A MAN), MADAME DUBARRY (1919) sion editor in Munich and Cologne,
of the widespread stylistic devices of DIE AUSTERNPRINZESSIN (1919 – Friedemann Beyer served as Manag-
To what extent does the char- silent film, in which the actors, as in THE OYSTER PRINCESS), and DIE ing Executive Board member of the
acter of Carmen in Ernst Lubitsch’s pantomime, expressed themselves BERGKATZE (1921 – THE WILDCAT). Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau Founda-
film differ from that in Bizet’s opera of according to the nature of the gen- tion in Wiesbaden from 2001-2007.
the same name? re exclusively through overempha- What makes Ernst’s Lubitsch’s At the foundation, he super-
Georges Bizet’s Carmen is still sized gestures and facial expressions, CARMEN interesting for today’s au- vised numerous restorations and DVD
the most frequently performed op- at times bordering on the grotesque. dience ? Why should the film still be releases of works of German film her-
era in classical musical theater. While These attributions may seem border- screened today? itage, including DER LETZTE MANN
Bizet creates a romanticizing image line alienating, and even ostracizing It is above all a valuable docu- (THE LAST MAN), MÜNCHHAUSEN,
of his protagonist and emphasizes today. However, Carmen’s affiliation ment of contemporary history, even and NOSFERATU. A film historian
her love of freedom, Lubitsch draws a with the Roma minority plays only if an examination of this early mas- and author of various pertinent pub-
self-confident, rebellious young wom- a subordinate role in Lubitsch’s work terpiece of film history leads us di- lications, Beyer has curated the UFA
an of the lower class who exerts a great and is not used in a denunciatory or rectly into current cultural debates Film Nights since 2011.
attraction on men. Most importantly, pejorative manner. about the experience of foreignness
Lubitsch does not deny his origins as and clichés. Starting from a crucial
a comedy director in his CARMEN ad- What role model do female historical moment, the period of up-
aptation. Pola Negri appears less as a characters like Carmen embody in heaval immediately after World War I,
femme fatale than as a parody of one, Ernst Lubitsch’s early films? it opens up important perspectives for
with hyperbolic external traits and an Lubitsch uses the historical us: The film illustrates how and with
exaggeratedly spirited play. Carmen figure of the 19th century as what means early cinema staged for-
a cipher to show solidarity with the eign worlds from a Central European
Doesn’t Lubitsch perpetuate cli- self-confident women of the early perspective; it documents the artis-
chés and prejudices with his CARMEN 20th century. Emancipatory-minded tic transfer from theater to cinema
film? women who, like everywhere else in through its actors and actresses, most
No, he doesn’t – if you look at the Western world, broke with outdat- of whom came from Berlin theaters;
him and his art in the context of his ed social norms and took to the streets and finally it illuminates the social
time. Quite the opposite, in fact: Ernst for their equal rights. Lubitsch’s sym- charisma of an early female screen idol
Lubitsch sympathizes with minorities pathies were with them, and he cel- like Pola Negri on the threshold of the
in his films – not just in CARMEN. In ebrated them in his films. A woman emancipatory dawn of modernity. All
the early phase of his films made in like Carmen is not an isolated case in of these topics are still highly relevant
36 37Historical digital restoration of Fritz Lang’s
DESTINY (2016), Paul Czinner’s THE
Paths FIDDLER OF FLORENCE (2018), and
Ernst Lubitsch’s CARMEN, which
Ufa, Bertelsmann and the estab- will now be presented for the first
lishment of the Friedrich Wilhelm time in its largely reconstructed ver-
Murnau Foundation sion at the UFA Film Nights 2021.
Ultimately, however, the efforts of
It may surprise some cineas- Europe’s largest media house tie in
tes to see an international company to a historical connection that began
that is commercially successful with more than 50 years ago.
its media businesses in more than Effective January 1, 1964, Ber-
50 countries, and a foundation un- telsmann acquired Universum-Film
der public law, which today manag- AG (Ufa), which had gone bankrupt
es most of Germany’s film heritage, after the reprivatization, and in so
appear as partners in a project to doing achieved its long-desired entry
preserve a significant silent film. For into the televi-sion production busi-
several years now, Bertelsmann has ness. At that time, expansion was
been working to preserve Germa- the order of the day in Gütersloh.
ny’s silent-film heritage, at various Founded in 1835, the publishing
levels and in pan-European context: house had taken its first step out of
The UFA Film Nights, for example, a pure-play (printing and) publishing
festival originally established in Ber- in 1950 with the establishment of
lin, went on to achieve great popu- the Bertelsmann Lesering, and had
larity in other European countries enjoyed rapid growth ever since. In
as well; and seven years ago Bertels- the early 1960s, the first Lesering off-
mann became the main sponsor of shoots in other European countries
the digital restoration of the classic were founded. Above and beyond
THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI. this, Reinhard Mohn (1921–2009),
The world premiere of this version of the “post-war founder,” CEO and
the Expressionist masterpiece at the owner of Bertelsmann, was deter-
Berlinale 2014 became a major media mined to expand into new lines of
event. Since then, Bertelsmann has business, a process that had begun
organized further screenings in Ber- with the founding of the Ariola re-
lin, Brussels, Madrid and New York. cord label in 1958. And while the
In this connection, it also pro- next step – the path to commercial
vided the financial support for the television, which had moved within
38 T H E U FA H O U S E I N D Ü S S E L D O R F, 19 6 4reach at the end of the 1950s (“Ade- total of 44 movie theaters. Just three After intensive discussions In the case of CARMEN, anoth-
nauer-Fernsehen”) – was still a long months later, on July 1, 1965, Ber- between the German government, er major German silent film has been
way off, content production for pub- telsmann acquired a 60-percent stake Bertelsmann and Germany’s lead- permanently secured by digitization.
lic-service TV appeared to be a worth- in the successful Constantin Film ing cinematographic organization This masterpiece is now finally made
while business for the future. GmbH. The focus was on a common SPIO, it was finally agreed at the available to posterity in a version that
With the purchase of Ufa, Ber- feature film production. These invest- beginning of 1966 to establish a comes as close as possible to its orig-
telsmann had not only acquired the ments, coupled with the relatively non-profit foundation under civil inal (now lost) version. As a media
brand but also Ufa’s stake in Deutsche good 1964 financials of Ufa-Theater law, which took over both Bertels- company that places creativity at the
Wochenschau GmbH, Ufa Tonverlag AG, seem to have given the film in- mann’s and Bavaria’s film holdings center of its value creation and corpo-
including Vienna-based Bohème Ver- dustry, which was definitely ailing at for a total of DEM 13.8 million, for rate culture, Bertelsmann is also com-
lag, Ufa Industrie- und Werbefilmpro- the time, a glimmer of hope. “There which it received a loan from the mitted to safe-guarding and preserv-
duktion, Ufa Fernsehproduktion, and can be no doubt,” wrote the trade UFI liquidation proceeds, that it ing important creations of the past.
exploitation rights to Ufa’s inventory magazine Filmblätter in March 1966, was expected to repay in the fol- Today’s diversity and the Group’s
of films. Initially, Mohn had little in- “that the secret high command of lowing years. The Wiesbaden-based large, multi-digital media offering
terest in cinema productions or even German film expansion is currently foundation was named after the re- worldwide have historical roots. This
the legendary silent film heritage that based in Gütersloh.” nowned German silent film direc- is one of the reasons why Bertelsmann
is so inseparably linked to the name But the company was look- tor Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau. For feels its commitment to Europe’s cul-
Ufa, because after the purchase of ing forward, not back; and at first it Bertelsmann, this closed the chap- tural heritage is so important.
Ufa, the focus was clearly on the tel- remained unclear how one would go ter of Ufa’s silent film legacy.
evision business. Bertelsmann Fern- about exploiting Ufa’s legendary film Meanwhile, the potential of Helen Müller
sehfilmproduk-tionsgesellschaft and inventory, which after all represented the large Ufa brand has been ex- Head of Cultural Affairs
Playhouse Studio Reinhard Mohn, a major asset of the newly acquired ploited further, particularly after and Corporate History, Bertelsmann
which had only been founded a few company. As early as spring 1964, an the advent of private television in
years earlier, were integrated into the outcry was heard in the (trade) press: the 1980s. Today, UFA is a powerful
newly acquired Ufa in 1964. Howev- A sale of the films to the US-Ameri- program creator within the Bertels-
er, the Bertelsmann credo, that media can company Seven Arts, as was ap- mann Group, which has continu-
such as books, films, television and re- parently planned, was unthinkable... ously consolidated its leadership
cords should not compete, but should and was then promptly prohibited by of Germany’s film and television
complement each other as a chain of the German government, via the “Ufi production market. And yet: To this
creative content, inexorably led the liquida-tion committee.” A directory day, its historical legacy forms an
company in the direc-tion of film in published in 1966 in the magazine essential part of the brand’s cha-
the following years. In April 1965 the Filmecho shows just how exten-sive risma. Several years after the 100th
newly acquired Ufa cinema chain was the collection was: it comprised “film anniversary of the “old” UFA, to-
ex-panded by the acquisition of Pal- rights from around 1,000 silent films day’s UFA still successfully invokes
las Filmverleih GmbH and Merkur and 900 sound films, 1,200 cultural an artistic tradition that once began
Filmtheater. With the 15 Merkur films and 106 post-war films, as well as with Fritz Lang, F. W. Murnau and
theaters, Ufa-Theater AG now had a some 200 unfilmed material rights.” many others.
40 41The Publishers
Bertelsmann tization or exhibitions and concerts. Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau Foundation
Bertelsmann is a media, servic- For many years, Bertelsmann has or- In its capacity as archive and
es and education company that oper- ganized the UFA Film Nights in Berlin rights holder, the Murnau Foundation
ates in about 50 countries around the and supported the screening of silent looks after a significant portion of Ger-
world. It includes the broadcaster RTL films at festivals around the world. many’s film heritage. The foundation’s
Group, the trade book publisher Pen- The company also regularly acts as most important capital is its unique,
guin Random House, the magazine the main sponsor of the digital resto- self-contained film inventory, which
publisher Gruner + Jahr, the music ration of important silent films. The includes prints and materials as well as
company BMG, the service provid- Group also owns the Archivio Storico rights of the former production com-
er Arvato, the Bertelsmann Printing Ricordi in Milan, which houses a panies Ufa, Decla, Universum-Film,
Group, the Bertelsmann Education wealth of unique testaments to Italian Bavaria, Terra, Tobis and Berlin-Film.
Group and Bertelsmann Investments, opera history. Bertelsmann is index- This stock, of outstanding importance
an international network of funds. ing the archive holdings according in terms of cultural and film history,
The company has around 130,000 to the latest standards and making its consists of more than 6,000 silent and
employees and generated revenues cultural treasures accessible to a broad sound films (feature films, documen-
of €17.3 billion in the 2020 financial public. Since 2020, the “Culture@Ber- taries, short films and commercials)
year. Bertelsmann stands for creativi- telsmann” activities have increasingly spanning the period from the early
ty and entrepreneurship. This combi- shifted to the digital realm. days of motion pictures to the early
nation promotes first-class media con- 1960s. It includes films by major di-
tent and innovative service solutions rectors such as Fritz Lang, Ernst Lu-
that inspire customers around the bitsch, Detlef Sierck, Helmut Käutner,
world. Bertelsmann aspires to achieve and Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau, the
climate neutrality by 2030. In 2021, man the foundation is named after.
Bertelsmann commemorates the Among the best-known titles are DAS
100th birthday of Reinhard Mohn, CABINET DES DR. CALIGARI (1920),
the Group’s late post-war founder and METROPOLIS (1927), DER BLAUE EN-
longtime Chairman and CEO. GEL (THE BLUE ANGEL, 1929/30), DIE
As a creative content company DREI VON DER TANKSTELLE (THE
with a close connection to its 186- THREE FROM THE FILLING STATION,
year history, Bertelsmann is com- 1930), MÜNCHHAUSEN (1942/43) and
mitted to the cultural community at GROSSE FREIHEIT NR. 7 (1943/44).
various levels as part of its “Culture@
Bertelsmann” activities. For example,
the Group devotes itself to preserv-
ing important cultural assets, with
a focus on making cultural heritage
accessible, for example through digi-
44 45Impressum Picture credits Footnote
Publisher All stills taken from the 1
Cf. Jörg Schöning, „Es wurde
Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA digitally restored film copy, um ein Butterbrot verkauft“. Das
Corporate Communications Copyright: Friedrich Wilhelm Erbe der Ufa: Entflechtung und
Carl-Bertelsmann-Straße 270 Murnau Foundation, Wies Neuausrichtung nach dem Zwei-
D-33311 Gütersloh, Germany baden, except: ten Weltkrieg [It was sold for a
www.bertelsmann.com pp. 11, 12, 14, Source: song. The Ufa legacy: unbund-
DFF – Deutsches Filminstitut & ling and realignment after the
in cooperation with the Filmmuseum, Frankfurt a.M. Second World War], in: Rainer
Friedrich Wilhelm p. 32, Copyright: Tobias Rother, Vera Thomas (Eds.), Li-
Murnau Foundation Schwencke nientreu und Populär, Das UFA-
Murnaustraße 6 p. 39, Source: Bertelsmann Imperium 1933–1945 [Loyal to
D-65189 Wiesbaden, Germany the Party Line and Popular,
www.murnau-stiftung.de The UFA Empire 1933–1945],
Berlin 2017, pp. 194–206, esp.
Editing p. 203ff.; and Klaus Kreimeier,
Alissa Nordmeier, Die UFA-Story, Geschichte eines
Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA, Filmkonzerns [The UFA story,
Berlin History of a Film Company],
Frankfurt a.M. 2002, p. 451ff.
Assistant Editor
Christina Dewald,
Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau
Foundation, Wiesbaden
Concept and Design
Büro Ballmann Weber, Hamburg
www.ballmannweber.de
Translation
Lara WagnerYou can also read
