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 minutes |
| Country |  Germany |
| 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. The film is one of two movie versions of the play released in 1912. There would not be another film version of it for nearly fifty years.
Talking pictures were not available or practical until 1927's The Jazz Singer, although 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 thus 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 reel itself was silent since filmmakers had not yet discovered how to put a sound track on film.) [1]
The movie was filmed entirely on location in the grounds of Kreuzenstein Castle and at the Cathedral of Pechtoldsdorf in Vienna, Austria. It was shot in black and white 35mm and ran for about 30 minutes. The film premiered in Germany on December 21, 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 by Warner Bros. as The Miracle in 1959, a two-hour Technicolor epic starring Carroll Baker, Roger Moore, Walter Slezak, Katina Paxinou and Vittorio Gassman.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Das Mirakel at the Internet Movie Database
- Internet Broadway Database
- British Film Institute Database
