Das Mirakel (1912 film)
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| Das Mirakel | |
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| Directed by | Max Reinhardt Cherry Kearton |
| Produced by | Max Reinhardt |
| Written by | Karl Vollmöller Joseph Menchen |
| Starring | Maria Carmi Douglas Payne Ernst Matray Joseph Klein |
| Release date(s) | Dec. 21, 1912 |
| Running time | 30 min. |
| Language | Silent film |
| IMDb profile | |
- This article is about the 1912 movie. For the play see Das Mirakel (play)
Das Mirakel (1912), aka "The Miracle," is a short movie directed by Cherry Kearton and Max Reinhardt. It was adapted by Joseph Menchen from the play by Karl Vollmöller and starred Vollmöller's wife Maria Carmi as the Madonna.
Talking pictures were not available or practical until 1927's The Jazz Singer; filmmakers had begun experimenting with mixing sounds and pictures as early as 1895. One such experiment was Das Mirakel. Kearton's pioneering talking film was an adapted version of the 1911 Max Reinhardt stage spectacular of the same name. Based on the legend of a statue of the Virgin Mary coming to life to replace a wayward nun, the original stage version ran nearly three hours. Kearton's adaptation was pared down to three reels, concentrating on the most famous of the dialogue sequences, although there were few of those - the play was essentially a pantomime with music by Engelbert Humperdinck. It is said that only the words spoken by the actors were pre-recorded (on a disc, not on film); the other sounds - footsteps, closing doors, church bells - were conveyed live during the screening along with the musical accompaniment. (The actual film itself was silent - filmmakers had not yet discovered how to put a sound track on film.) [1]
Filmed wholly on location in the grounds of Kreuzenstein Castle and at the catheral of Pechtoldsdorf, Vienna, Austria. Shot in 35mm black and white, it ran for around 30 minutes and premiered in Germany on the 21st of December, 1912. [2]
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[edit] Second 1912 Silent Version
A second, but lesser known, silent film version of Das Mirakel was made by the production company Continental-Kunstfilm GmbH in 1912. It was directed by Mime Misu and starred Lore Giesen, Mime Misu, and Anton Ernst Rückert. The cinematographer was Emil Schünemann. The film is also known as Alte Legende - Eine Das Marienwunder (Germany) and Marienwunder - Das Eine alte Legende (Germany) [3] [4]
[edit] 1959 Technicolor Version
The film was loosely remade as The Miracle in 1959 by Warner Bros., a two-hour Technicolor epic starring Carroll Baker, Roger Moore, Walter Slezak, Katina Paxinou and Vittorio Gassman.
