The Rothschilds (film)
Encyclopedia
The Rothschilds is a 1940 German film directed by Erich Waschneck.
The film is also known as The Rothschilds' Shares in Waterloo (International recut version, English title).
believed that film was a very potent tool for molding public opinion. The Nazis
first established a film department in 1930 and Goebbels had taken a personal interest in the use of film to promote the Nazi philosophy and agenda. Soon after the Nazi takeover, Goebbels was insisting in speeches that the role of the German cinema was to serve as the "vanguard of the Nazi military" as they set forth to conquer the world.
The Nazis had hoped for a surge in anti-Semitic sentiment after Kristallnacht
but, when it became clear that the majority of Germans did not share the Nazi hatred for Jews, Goebbels launched a campaign to promote the anti-semitic views of the Nazis to the German populace. He ordered each film studio to make an anti-semitic film. Hitler preferred films like Der ewige Jude (The Eternal Jew) which presented the Nazi anti-semitic agenda openly and directly; however Goebbels disliked the crudeness of such straight-forward approaches, preferring the much more subtle approach of couching anti-semtic messages in an engaging story with popular appeal.
Saul Friedländer suggests that Goebbels' intent was to counter three films whose messages attacked the persecution of Jews throughout history by producing violently anti-Semitic versions of those films with identical titles.
The film is also known as The Rothschilds' Shares in Waterloo (International recut version, English title).
Background
Adolf Hitler and his Propaganda minister Joseph GoebbelsJoseph Goebbels
Paul Joseph Goebbels was a German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. As one of Adolf Hitler's closest associates and most devout followers, he was known for his zealous oratory and anti-Semitism...
believed that film was a very potent tool for molding public opinion. The Nazis
National Socialist German Workers Party
The National Socialist German Workers' Party , commonly known in English as the Nazi Party, was a political party in Germany between 1920 and 1945. Its predecessor, the German Workers' Party , existed from 1919 to 1920...
first established a film department in 1930 and Goebbels had taken a personal interest in the use of film to promote the Nazi philosophy and agenda. Soon after the Nazi takeover, Goebbels was insisting in speeches that the role of the German cinema was to serve as the "vanguard of the Nazi military" as they set forth to conquer the world.
The Nazis had hoped for a surge in anti-Semitic sentiment after Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht, also referred to as the Night of Broken Glass, and also Reichskristallnacht, Pogromnacht, and Novemberpogrome, was a pogrom or series of attacks against Jews throughout Nazi Germany and parts of Austria on 9–10 November 1938.Jewish homes were ransacked, as were shops, towns and...
but, when it became clear that the majority of Germans did not share the Nazi hatred for Jews, Goebbels launched a campaign to promote the anti-semitic views of the Nazis to the German populace. He ordered each film studio to make an anti-semitic film. Hitler preferred films like Der ewige Jude (The Eternal Jew) which presented the Nazi anti-semitic agenda openly and directly; however Goebbels disliked the crudeness of such straight-forward approaches, preferring the much more subtle approach of couching anti-semtic messages in an engaging story with popular appeal.
Saul Friedländer suggests that Goebbels' intent was to counter three films whose messages attacked the persecution of Jews throughout history by producing violently anti-Semitic versions of those films with identical titles.
Cast
- Carl Kuhlmann as Nathan Rothschild
- Herbert HübnerHerbert HübnerHerbert Hübner was a German film actor. He appeared in over 150 films between 1921 and 1966.He was born in Breslau, Germany and died in Munich, Germany.-Selected filmography:...
as Turner - Albert Florath as Bearing
- Hans Stiebner as Bronstein
- Walter FranckWalter FranckWalter Franck was a German film actor. He appeared in 32 films between 1926 and 1952.-External links:...
as Herries - Waldemar Leitgeb as Wellington
- Hans Leibelt as König Ludwig XVIII.
- Erich Ponto as Mayer Amschel Rothschild
- Bernhard MinettiBernhard MinettiBernhard Minetti was a German actor. He appeared in 50 films between 1931 and 1996 but is mostly known for his distinguished stage career.-Selected filmography:* Tiefland * It...
as Fouché - Albert Lippert as James Rothschild
- Herbert Wilk as George Crayton
- Hilde WeissnerHilde Weissner-Selected filmography:* Das Schloß in Flandern * The Man Who Was Sherlock Holmes * Fracht von Baltimore -External links:...
as Sylvia Turner - Ludwig Linkmann as Leib Herch
- Bruno Hübner as Ruthworth
- Rudolf CarlRudolf CarlRudolf Carl was an Austrian actor who appeared in more than 150 German language films between 1934 and 1969. He also directed two films Der Leberfleck and Dort in der Wachau.-Selected filmography:* The White Horse Inn...
as Rubiner - Michael BohnenMichael BohnenFranz Michael Bohnen was a German bass baritone opera singer and actor.-Life:Michael Bohnen was born in Cologne. He trained in opera singing at the Hochschule für Musik Köln and with a private tutor, making his debut in 1910 at the Stadttheater Düsseldorf. In 1912 he appeared at the Hoftheater...
as Kurfürst Wilhelm IX - Herbert Gernot as Clifford
- Theo Shall as Selfridge
- Ursula Deinert as Harriet
- Hubert von MeyerinckHubert von MeyerinckHubert von Meyerinck was a German film actor. He appeared in over 280 films between 1921 and 1970.He was born in Potsdam, Germany and died in Hamburg, Germany.-Selected filmography:* Manon Lescaut ...
as Baron Vitrolles