Slideshow Image
Slideshow Image
Slideshow Image
Slideshow Image
Tuesday, January 14 at 4pm Bill Cosford Cinema

Austria | 87 minutes | 1924

The City Without Jews

Special Presentation

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. Conceived as a dark satire 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 at a Paris flea market in 2015, as well as the comprehensive restoration work of the Filmarchiv Austria, this previously incomplete film can once again be appreciated in its ever-relevant entirety.

This special event will be accompanied by a live musical score by acclaimed performers Donald Sosin & Alicia Svigalis.

Director's Bio

Directed by Hans Karl Breslauer

Director Photo
Hans Karl Breslauer was an Austrian filmmaker, actor, and screenwriter, best known for directing the silent film The City Without Jews (Die Stadt ohne Juden), released in 1924. Born in Vienna, Breslauer initially pursued acting and screenwriting before transitioning to directing. He established his own production company, HKB Films, and collaborated with Jewish playwright Ida Jenbach to adapt Hugo Bettauer's satirical novel of the same name.

Cast and Credits

Director

Hans Karl Breslauer

Screenwriter

Hans Karl Breslauer, Ida Jenbach

Cinematographer

Hugo Eywo, Eduard von Borsody

Editor

Hans Karl Breslauer

Cast

Johannes Riemann, Hans Moser, Karl Tema, Anny Miletty

Film Info

Year

1924

Country

Austria

Run-time

87 minutes

Language

German with English intertitles
Back to Top