The Blackguard
Encyclopedia
The Blackguard is a British
-German
drama film
directed by Graham Cutts
and starring Jane Novak
, Walter Rilla
, and Frank Stanmore
. Its German title is Die Prinzessin und der Geiger. Against the backdrop of the Russian Revolution a violinist saves a Princess from execution.
initiating a decade-long series of co-productions which only ended with the rise to power of the Nazi Party in the 1930s. It was based on the novel The Blackguard
by Raymond Paton. The film was shot at Studio Babelsberg, in Potsdam
near Berlin
, the first time a Gainsborough film was shot abroad. The film was one of a number of films made in this genre during the 1920s, the most successful of which was the 1927 American film The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg
.
While working on the film, Alfred Hitchcock
was able to study several films being made nearby, including The Last Laugh by F. W. Murnau, which were a major influence on his later work.
Cinema of the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has had a major influence on modern cinema. The first moving pictures developed on celluloid film were made in Hyde Park, London in 1889 by William Friese Greene, a British inventor, who patented the process in 1890. It is generally regarded that the British film industry...
-German
Cinema of Germany
Cinema in Germany can be traced back to the late 19th century. German cinema has made major technical and artistic contributions to film.Unlike any other national cinemas, which developed in the context of relatively continuous and stable political systems, Germany witnesses major changes to its...
drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by Graham Cutts
Graham Cutts
Graham Cutts was a British film director who was one of the leading British directors in the 1920s. His fellow director A. V. Bramble believed that Gainsborough Pictures had been built on the back of his work. His daughter was actress Patricia Cutts...
and starring Jane Novak
Jane Novak
-Background:Jane Novak was born in St. Louis, Missouri was born Johana B. Novak, daughter of Joseph, an immigrant from Bohemia, and Barbara Novak. Her father died when she was a child and her mother was left to raise 5 children. Novak attended convent school but ran away with a friend with whom...
, Walter Rilla
Walter Rilla
Walter Rilla was a German film actor. He appeared in over 130 films between 1922 and 1977. He was born in Neunkirchen, Germany and died in Rosenheim, Germany.-Selected filmography:...
, and Frank Stanmore
Frank Stanmore
Frank Stanmore was an English film actor. He appeared in 76 films between 1914 and 1938.He was born in London and died in Gravesend, Kent.-Selected filmography:* Love's Boomerang...
. Its German title is Die Prinzessin und der Geiger. Against the backdrop of the Russian Revolution a violinist saves a Princess from execution.
Production
It was a co-production between Gainsborough Studios and UFAUFA
Ufa is a city in Russia.UFA or Ufa may also refer to:*Ufa River, a river in Russia*Ufa, Ethiopia, a town in Ethiopia*Ultra flat architecture, a network architecture design for LTE 4G mobile telecommunication networks...
initiating a decade-long series of co-productions which only ended with the rise to power of the Nazi Party in the 1930s. It was based on the novel The Blackguard
The Blackguard (novel)
The Blackguard is 1923 novel by Raymond Paton. It is a melodrama set during the Russian Revolution of 1917. A French violinist rescues a Russian princess from execution at the hands of revolutionaries led by his former mentor.-Adaptation:...
by Raymond Paton. The film was shot at Studio Babelsberg, in Potsdam
Potsdam
Potsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....
near Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, the first time a Gainsborough film was shot abroad. The film was one of a number of films made in this genre during the 1920s, the most successful of which was the 1927 American film The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg
The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg
The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg, also known as The Student Prince and Old Heidelberg, is a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 1927 silent film based on a novel by Wilhelm Meyer-Förster. Ernst Lubitsch directed the picture...
.
While working on the film, Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
was able to study several films being made nearby, including The Last Laugh by F. W. Murnau, which were a major influence on his later work.
Cast
- Jane NovakJane Novak-Background:Jane Novak was born in St. Louis, Missouri was born Johana B. Novak, daughter of Joseph, an immigrant from Bohemia, and Barbara Novak. Her father died when she was a child and her mother was left to raise 5 children. Novak attended convent school but ran away with a friend with whom...
- Prinzessin Maria Idourska / Princess Marie Idourska - Walter RillaWalter RillaWalter Rilla was a German film actor. He appeared in over 130 films between 1922 and 1977. He was born in Neunkirchen, Germany and died in Rosenheim, Germany.-Selected filmography:...
- Michael Caviol, The Blackguard - Frank StanmoreFrank StanmoreFrank Stanmore was an English film actor. He appeared in 76 films between 1914 and 1938.He was born in London and died in Gravesend, Kent.-Selected filmography:* Love's Boomerang...
- Pompouard - Bernhard GoetzkeBernhard GoetzkeBernhard Goetzke was a German film actor. He appeared in 130 films between 1917 and 1961.He was born in Danzig and died in Berlin.-Selected filmography:...
- Adrian Levinsky - Rosa ValettiRosa ValettiRosa Valetti , born Rosa Vallentin, was a German actress, cabaret performer and singer.- Biography :Rosa Valetti was born in Berlin, the daughter of industrialist Felix Vallentin and sister of actor Hermann Vallentin. She played her first roles in the theatres of suburban Berlin...
- Grandmother - Dora Bergner - Duchess
- Fritz AlbertiFritz Alberti-Selected filmography:* The Blackguard * The Student of Prague * Café Elektric * The Gallant Hussar * Indizienbeweis * The Adjutant of the Czar * The Dreyfus Case * Zwei Menschen...
- Painter - Robert LefflerRobert Leffler- Selected filmography :* The Haunted Castle * The Expulsion * Wilhelm Tell * Freies Volk * The Blackguard * The Old Fritz * Elisabeth von Österreich * Onkel Bräsig...
- Leidner - Alexander Murski - Vollmark
- Martin Herzberg - Michael Caviol as a boy
- Loni Nest - Prinzessin Maria as little girl
- Robert ScholzRobert ScholzRobert Scholz was a German film actor of the silent era. He appeared in 76 films between 1919 and 1928.He was born in Germany and died in Berlin.-Selected filmography:* Die Fluch der Menschheit...
- Grandduke Paul