The Merchant of Venice (1923)
October 12, 1923Release Date
The Merchant of Venice (1923)
October 12, 1923Release Date
Plot.
Where to Watch.
Cast & Crew.
Werner Krauß
Shylock
Henny Porten
Porzia
Max Schreck
Doge of Venice
Harry Liedtke
Bassanio
Carl Ebert
Antonio
Albert Steinrück
Tubal
Peter Paul Felner
Director
Frida Richard
Shylock's Mother (Wife of Mordecai)
Pietro Aretino
Writer
Lia Eibenschütz
Jessica (Rachela)
Hans Brausewetter
Lanzelot Gobbo (Elias)
Giovanni Fiorentino
Writer
Jakob Tiedtke
Beppo (Marco)
William Shakespeare
Writer
Axel Graatkjær
Cinematographer
Ferdinand von Alten
Prince of Aragon
Rudolph Maté
Director of Photography
Hermann Warm
Art Direction
Claire Rommer
Max Grünberg
Carl Geppert
Willi Allen
Emil Helfer
Friedrich Lobe
Heinz Rolf Münz
Gustav May
Media.
Details.
Release DateOctober 12, 1923
Original NameDer Kaufmann von Venedig
StatusReleased
Running Time1h 27m
Genres
Wiki.
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.