Salamander (1928 film)
Salamander (Russian: Саламандра, romanized: Salamandra) is a 1928 Soviet-German silent biopic film directed by Grigori Roshal and starring Bernhard Goetzke, Natalya Rozenel and Nikolay Khmelyov.[1]
| Salamander | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Grigori Roshal |
| Written by | Georgiy Grebner Anatoli Lunacharsky |
| Starring | Bernhard Goetzke Natalya Rozenel Nikolay Khmelyov Sergey Komarov |
| Cinematography | Louis Forestier Phil Jutzi |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | 90 minutes |
Release date |
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| Country | Soviet Union Germany |
| Language | Silent Russian/German intertitles |
Plot
The film is based on real events and reveals the tragic episodes from the life of the Austrian biologist scientist-materialist Paul Kammerer (1880-1926), hunted by regressive scientists and Catholic reactionaries who committed suicide.
The film is set in Leipzig, Germany, which is ruled by clergy and aristocracy, at a time when fascism is starting to emerge, and the working class is forced to live in poverty. Professor Zange is employed here and he is one of the few who sympathizes with the poor.
The scientist uses salamanders for his experiments and learns that their inheritance is dependent on external factors. As he makes this discovery he becomes a menace to the existing political system and the clergy conspires with the aristocracy to get rid of him.
Cast
- Bernhard Goetzke as Professor Zange
- Natalya Rozenel as Felicia, his wife
- Nikolay Khmelyov as Prince Ruprecht Karlstein, fascist
- Sergey Komarov as Pater Brzhezinskiy, jesuit
- Vladimir Fogel as baron-reactionist
- Aleksandr Chistyakov as Prayer, pressman
- Mikhail Doller as Filonov, Zange's assistant
- Elsa Temary as Bertha, Zange's assistant
- Anatoli Lunacharsky
References
- Christie & Taylor p.440
Bibliography
- Christie, Ian & Taylor, Richard. The Film Factory: Russian and Soviet Cinema in Documents 1896-1939. Routledge, 2012.