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I pre-ordered this bad boy, that's for damn sure....

CITY WITHOUT JEWS

DELUXE BLU-RAY / DVD DUAL-FORMAT EDITION

AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER ONLY - RELEASE DATE: JULY 14, 2020


Based on the controversial and best-selling novel by Hugo Bettauer, H.K. Breslauer’s 1924 film adaptation of The City without Jews (Die Stadt ohne Juden) was produced two years after the publication of the book, only a decade before events depicted in the fictional story became an all-too-horrific reality.

Set in the imaginary city of Utopia (a thinly-disguised stand-in for Vienna), the story follows the consequences of an antisemitic law passed by the National Assembly forcing all Jews to leave the country. At first, the decision is met with celebration, yet when the citizens of Utopia are confronted with the loss of the Jewish population - and the resulting economic and cultural decline - the National Assembly must decide whether or not to invite the Jews back. Though darkly comedic in tone, and stylistically influenced by German Expressionism, the film also contains starkly realistic and eerily prophetic sequences, such as the shots of trains transporting deported Jews out of the city.

The implicit critique of Nazism in the film is one reason it no longer screened in Continental Europe after 1933, and no prints were thought to have survived. The 1933 fragment, found and published by the Filmarchiv Austria in 1991, was missing critical scenes. Now, thanks to the discovery of a nitrate print with the missing footage in a Parisian flea market in 2015, as well as the comprehensive restoration work of the Filmarchiv Austria, this previously “lost” film can once again be appreciated in its ever-relevant entirety.

The most definitive and authoritative edition of this remarkable film published anywhere in the world, The City without Jews (Die Stadt ohne Juden) features a newly-commissioned score by the acclaimed silent film ensemble, pianist Donald Sosin and Klezmer violinist Alicia Svigals.

BONUS MATERIALS INCLUDE:

Victims of Hatred (Opfer des Hasses) (1923) - A semi-documentary feature additionally restored by Filmarchiv Austria about the Jewish refugees who fled pogroms in Russia, produced by the Jüdisches Hilfswerk - the Jewish Relief Organization in Vienna. Music composed and performed by Donald Sosin. ONLY IN THIS EDITION!
Conversation with Dr. Nikolaus Wostry, Filmarchiv Austria (2019) - Dr. Margrit Frölich moderates an in-depth interview with Dr. Nikolaus Wostry, managing director and head of film collections at Filmarchiv Austria, discussing the challenging history of the film and its legacy in the Republic of Austria today. ONLY IN THIS EDITION!
Saving “Die Stadt ohne Juden” (2016) - Filmarchiv Austria’s crowdfunding campaign video for the digital scanning of The City without Jews (Die Stadt ohne Juden), an integral step in the process of rescuing and preserving this landmark of Austrian silent cinema. ONLY IN THIS EDITION!
“The City without…Jews, Muslims, Refugees, Foreigners”… - The chilling images featured in this slide show of the 2018 exhibition at METRO Kinokulturhaus document both the historical context of the film and its truly expansive contemporary relevance. ONLY IN THIS EDITION!
Collector’s Edition Souvenir Booklet - Limited edition booklet with new essays by Ernst Kieninger, Armin Loacker, Margrit Frölich, and Cynthia Walk on the film’s history and significance, as well as articles on the comprehensive reconstruction and restoration process by Anna Dobringer and Fumiko Tsuneishi.

https://www.flickeralley.com/classic-mo ... y=20414531

Years ago, Herr Graf (Ferdinand Von Galitzien), sent me a DVD of The City without Jews (Die Stadt ohne Juden) (1924). It had no English titles, so with the help of Ferdinand and another friend in Germany, I received English translations for the title cards which I was able to send to them as screen shots. It was a primitive effort, but I replaced the German titles with English, even translating the protest signs.
The dark comedy is easy to follow as it attempted to show the foolishness of ethnic hatred, and the techniques used was quite interesting, especially seeing the tinting done to both the sky, colored blue, and the ground parts, tinted green in the same frame.

As Herr Graf's review said (and you can read his 'user review' at IMDB);

This Austrian production is very surprising because of its foresight. It is directed by Herr H. K. Beslauer, who did well handling the very delicate matter of anti- Semitism as a tragic comedy. It is important to take into account the fact that we are talking about a 1923/24 Austrian production; which seems to foresee the sad events that happened to the Jewish community in Austria and Germany only ten years later. Hugo Bettauer, who was Jewish, wrote the book that the film was based on. A year after the film's premiere he was murdered by a young Nazi.

Doing research on my own, I learned from Wikipedia:

There were sometimes disturbances at performances: National Socialists often threw stinkbombs into the cinemas; in Linz, the showing of the film was banned.
A campaign of vilification against Bettauer was instigated, partly because of this film and partly because of his other activities. In the spring of 1925 he was murdered by a Nazi Party member, Otto Rothstock, who was hailed as a hero and despite being found guilty of murder, was sent to a mental hospital and, after 18 months, set free. A fair amount of money was collected from the general public for him.

Roscoe wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 01, 2020 7:24 am

I pre-ordered this bad boy, that's for damn sure....

CITY OF JEWS

DELUXE BLU-RAY / DVD DUAL-FORMAT EDITION

AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER ONLY - RELEASE DATE: JULY 14, 2020


Based on the controversial and best-selling novel by Hugo Bettauer, H.K. Breslauer’s 1924 film adaptation of The City without Jews (Die Stadt ohne Juden) was produced two years after the publication of the book, only a decade before events depicted in the fictional story became an all-too-horrific reality.

Set in the imaginary city of Utopia (a thinly-disguised stand-in for Vienna), the story follows the consequences of an antisemitic law passed by the National Assembly forcing all Jews to leave the country. At first, the decision is met with celebration, yet when the citizens of Utopia are confronted with the loss of the Jewish population - and the resulting economic and cultural decline - the National Assembly must decide whether or not to invite the Jews back. Though darkly comedic in tone, and stylistically influenced by German Expressionism, the film also contains starkly realistic and eerily prophetic sequences, such as the shots of trains transporting deported Jews out of the city.

The implicit critique of Nazism in the film is one reason it no longer screened in Continental Europe after 1933, and no prints were thought to have survived. The 1933 fragment, found and published by the Filmarchiv Austria in 1991, was missing critical scenes. Now, thanks to the discovery of a nitrate print with the missing footage in a Parisian flea market in 2015, as well as the comprehensive restoration work of the Filmarchiv Austria, this previously “lost” film can once again be appreciated in its ever-relevant entirety.

The most definitive and authoritative edition of this remarkable film published anywhere in the world, The City without Jews (Die Stadt ohne Juden) features a newly-commissioned score by the acclaimed silent film ensemble, pianist Donald Sosin and Klezmer violinist Alicia Svigals.

BONUS MATERIALS INCLUDE:

Victims of Hatred (Opfer des Hasses) (1923) - A semi-documentary feature additionally restored by Filmarchiv Austria about the Jewish refugees who fled pogroms in Russia, produced by the Jüdisches Hilfswerk - the Jewish Relief Organization in Vienna. Music composed and performed by Donald Sosin. ONLY IN THIS EDITION!
Conversation with Dr. Nikolaus Wostry, Filmarchiv Austria (2019) - Dr. Margrit Frölich moderates an in-depth interview with Dr. Nikolaus Wostry, managing director and head of film collections at Filmarchiv Austria, discussing the challenging history of the film and its legacy in the Republic of Austria today. ONLY IN THIS EDITION!
Saving “Die Stadt ohne Juden” (2016) - Filmarchiv Austria’s crowdfunding campaign video for the digital scanning of The City without Jews (Die Stadt ohne Juden), an integral step in the process of rescuing and preserving this landmark of Austrian silent cinema. ONLY IN THIS EDITION!
“The City without…Jews, Muslims, Refugees, Foreigners”… - The chilling images featured in this slide show of the 2018 exhibition at METRO Kinokulturhaus document both the historical context of the film and its truly expansive contemporary relevance. ONLY IN THIS EDITION!
Collector’s Edition Souvenir Booklet - Limited edition booklet with new essays by Ernst Kieninger, Armin Loacker, Margrit Frölich, and Cynthia Walk on the film’s history and significance, as well as articles on the comprehensive reconstruction and restoration process by Anna Dobringer and Fumiko Tsuneishi.

You may want to correct the title release header and title info in the body of your message to reflect the actual release title since no link is provided. Searching Google for City Of Jews doesn’t lead to the Flicker Alley release.

After an unsuccessful search of City Of Jews I read far enough into the post and first response to locate the official release title and put it on my Amazon watch list. Flicker Alley releases are always a bit steep, but otherwise offer good value and the bonus materials here are noteworthy. Between now and the release date hopefully there’ll be some discount applied for the DVD/BD combo, but if not, given the quality and extras provided this looks like a must own release even at the full retail price.

R. Cat wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 01, 2020 12:59 pm

You may want to correct the title release header and title info in the body of your message to reflect the actual release title since no link is provided. Searching Google for City Of Jews doesn’t lead to the Flicker Alley release.

Apologies for the errors. Fixed.

DOH!