''The Mistress of the World'' (german: Die Herrin der Welt) is an eight-part 1919
silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...
made in the
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic (german: link=no, Weimarer Republik ), officially named the German Reich, was the government of Germany from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a Constitutional republic, constitutional federal republic for the first time in ...
starring
Mia May in the lead role. The film, under the creative control of director
Joe May
Joe May (born Joseph Otto Mandl; 7 November 1880 – 29 April 1954) was an Austrian film director and film producer and one of the pioneers of German cinema.
Biography
After studying in Berlin and a variety of odd jobs, he began his career as ...
, is noted for bringing together talent from across German cinema, including many who would work behind the camera during the emergence of
German Expressionist
German Expressionism () consisted of several related creative movements in Germany before the First World War that reached a peak in Berlin during the 1920s. These developments were part of a larger Expressionist movement in north and central ...
cinema.
The story follows a young Danish woman on her globe-trotting adventures to find the legendary lost treasure of the
Queen of Sheba
The Queen of Sheba ( he, מַלְכַּת שְׁבָא, Malkaṯ Šəḇāʾ; ar, ملكة سبأ, Malikat Sabaʾ; gez, ንግሥተ ሳባ, Nəgśətä Saba) is a figure first mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. In the original story, she bring ...
that she hopes will enable her to bring revenge on the man that drew her father to commit
suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and ...
and led to her own social destruction. The first film was released in Germany on 5 December 1919, and this was followed each week by the release of the subsequent episodes.
Plot
Part 1, The Girlfriend of the Yellow Man
german: Die Herrin der Welt 1. Teil – Die Freundin des gelben Mannes
Young Danish adventuress Maud Gregaards (
Mia May) answers an advertisement to take up a position as a governess in
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
. There, she falls victim to the
white slave-trade and is placed in a brothel. She is freed by her travel companion, Dr. Kien-Lung (
Henry Sze), but the physician is then kidnapped by the devilish Hai-Fung, who also captures and tortures Maud. Chinese consul Madsen (
Michael Bohnen) releases both Dr. Kein-Lung and Maud from the clutches of Hai-Fung. It is later revealed that Maud is harbouring a secret plot of revenge that brought her to China. Maud decides to tell her two trusted companions what that secret is.
Part 2, The Race for Life
german: Die Geschichte der Maud Gregaards
The second part of this film is a prequel to the first part. Maud explains to her companions why she travelled to China. Maud's father was an archivist at the Foreign Office in
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establish ...
. There he was blackmailed to hand over a Chinese secret agreement. Unable either to face the blackmailers or to betray his country, he commits suicide. Maud later falls in love with Baron Murphy (
Hans Mierendorff
Hans Mierendorff (born Johannes Reingold Mierendorff; 30 June 1882 – 26 December 1955) was a German stage and film actor.
Selected filmography
* ''A Night of Horror'' (1916)
* '' Vengeance Is Mine'' (1916)
* '' Hilde Warren und der Tod'' ...
) for whom she works as a translator, and they become engaged. Unknowingly, Maud translates the Chinese document for the Baron, after which he takes the secret and flees the country, leaving Maud to be arrested as a spy. In jail, Maud gives birth to the Baron's child but the baby dies in prison. On being released from jail, Maud comes into the possession of information about the rabbi of Kuan-Fu, who is said to have knowledge of the hidden treasure of the
Queen of Sheba
The Queen of Sheba ( he, מַלְכַּת שְׁבָא, Malkaṯ Šəḇāʾ; ar, ملكة سبأ, Malikat Sabaʾ; gez, ንግሥተ ሳባ, Nəgśətä Saba) is a figure first mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. In the original story, she bring ...
. She decides to travel to China to find the treasure which she hopes will allow her to take revenge on her former lover.
Part 3, The City of Gold
german: Der Rabbi von Kuan-Fu
Maud Gregaards, Kien-Lung and Consul Madsen travel together to find the rabbi of Kuan-Fu, the last surviving member of an ancient Jewish settlement in
Canton
Canton may refer to:
Administrative division terminology
* Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland
* Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French
Arts and ente ...
, who is said to be in possession of the secret to the fabled treasure of the Queen of Sheba.
[Halle, McCarthy (2003), p.18] The three companions enter the ancient ruins where the rabbi is believed to live, watched suspiciously by the local natives. On finding the old rabbi, Madsen reveals that he is Jewish and gains the trust of the holy man.
They are entrusted with the Gem of
Astarte
Astarte (; , ) is the Hellenized form of the Ancient Near Eastern goddess Ashtart or Athtart ( Northwest Semitic), a deity closely related to Ishtar ( East Semitic), who was worshipped from the Bronze Age through classical antiquity. The name ...
, which was once given to King
Solomon
Solomon (; , ),, ; ar, سُلَيْمَان, ', , ; el, Σολομών, ; la, Salomon also called Jedidiah (Hebrew language, Hebrew: , Modern Hebrew, Modern: , Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: ''Yăḏīḏăyāh'', "beloved of Yahweh, Yah"), ...
by the Queen of Sheba, and within it the map to the treasure. Before he can reveal any further information the rabbi dies. On leaving the ruins Madsen is injured fighting with the natives, and is abandoned by Kien-Lung; the Gem of Astarte is briefly lost in the same encounter. As Madsen meets back up with Kien-Lung, a fight breaks out between the two men, only Maud's intervention separates the two.
Part 4, King Macombe
german: König Macombe
Maud, along with, Madsen and Kien-Lung, adventure into
Central Africa
Central Africa is a subregion of the African continent comprising various countries according to different definitions. Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Co ...
, to search for the biblical city of
Ophir
Ophir (; ) is a port or region mentioned in the Bible, famous for its wealth. King Solomon received a shipment from Ophir every three years (1 Kings 10:22) which consisted of gold, silver, sandalwood, pearls, ivory, apes, and peacocks.
...
where the treasure lies. There they enter the realm of King Makombe, at the heart of the Cult of Astarte. The tribe's Medicine Man (
Louis Brody
Louis Brody (born Ludwig M'bebe Mpessa; 15 February 1896 – 11 February 1951) was a Cameroonian-born German film actor, musician and showfighter.
Brody was born in Douala, in the German colony of Kamerun, now Cameroon. His career began in the 1 ...
) steals the Gem of Astarte to appease the natives against the invaders. Maud, Madsen and Dr. Kien-Lung flee but during the escape Kien-Lung is struck by a
poisoned arrow and dies. Maud and Madsen find shelter in a cave, where they are hidden from their pursuers. In the final scene, Maud and Madsen reach the gates of Ophir.
Part 5, Ophir, City of the Past
german: Teil – Ophir, die Stadt der Vergangenheit
Maud and Madsen eventually find the City of Ophir, but are discovered in the treasury of the Queen of Sheba and are captured as intruders. Maud is to be sacrificed because she had desecrated the sacred ground of the city. Madsen is sent to the slave city of Sabyten, where he is to suffer life as a slave. As Maud is laid on the sacrificial altar, the high priest sees she wears the necklace of Astarte, and Maud is declared as the reincarnation of the goddess, whose return had been predicted. Madsen escapes from captivity with the help of an American engineer, Allan Stanley (
Paul Hansen), whom he met in the slave city, and returns to rescue Maud. The three find the treasure and manage to telegraph the outside world for help. An American expedition hears their plea and sends a plane to rescue all three, but Madsen is killed in the escape. As they fly from the city an earthquake leaves the mysterious City of Ophir in ruins.
Part 6, The Woman with the Billions
german: Teil – Die Frau mit den Milliarden
Maud Gregaards, now incredibly rich, seeks out a new life, and under the name Maud Fergusson, settles in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
. The American newspaper publisher, Fletcher, who sent the rescuing aircraft to Ophir, turns her story into headline news, making Maud a celebrity. This story is attacked by a rival newspaper, ''Harrison's Universe'', run by Hannibal Harrison (
Wilhelm Diegelmann
Wilhelm Diegelmann (28 September 1861 – 1 March 1934) was a German actor.
Career
Diegelmann's first stage appearance was in 1878 in the chorus for the Frankfurt Opera. In 1881 he debuted at the Frankfurt City Theater, playing King Lear, Will ...
), declaring the whole adventure a fantasy. Both tabloids are reduced to a war over Maud, while a theater agent, Karpeles (
Paul Morgan), makes a film about Maud's adventure. Although little more than fabrication, the movie makes her a superstar. Meanwhile, Maud and Allan fall in love and leave for
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
.
Part 7: The Benefactress of Mankind
german: Teil – Die Wohltäterin der Menschheit
The billionaire Maud Fergusson, attempts to start a new life with Allan Stanley. The wealth gained from the Queen of Sheba's treasure allows the "Mistress of the World" to live a carefree life in
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establish ...
and the two plan to marry. Stanley insists that before they marry that Maud tells him the name of the man who is responsible for all her misfortunes. Maud, however, has put her past behind her and just wants to find peace. She plans to become a benefactor of mankind, sponsoring research and technology projects with their billions. Allan, meanwhile, develops a remote fusion machine that can melt metal. Since guns can be destroyed with this powerful invention, he soon falls into the sights of ruthless weapon manufacturers that want to stop its production. On the day of the invention's first public demonstration, there is a huge explosion, caused by Maud's nemesis Baron Murphy. Allan is killed in the explosion.
Part 8: The Revenge of Maud Fergusson
german: Teil – Die Rache der Maud Fergusson
The death of Allan, shortly before their wedding, sends Maud on a quest for bloody revenge. Helped by a detective, Hunt, (
Rudolf Lettinger
Rudolf Lettinger (26 October 1865 in Hamburg – 21 March 1937 in Berlin-Schöneberg) was a German stage and film actor. He made his stage debut in 1883 when he played the role of Kosinsky in Friedrich Schiller's drama ''The Robbers''. Some of ...
), Maud discovers that Baron Murphy is behind her fiancé's death and sparks a newspaper campaign against the Baron to expose him. Murphy loses his entire fortune and is forced to leave the country and dies while desperately battling through a snowstorm. Hunt also discovers that a young academic Credo Merville (
Ernst Hofmann
Ernst Karl Heinrich Hofmann (7 December 1880 – 27 April 1945) was a German stage and film actor.
Selected filmography
* '' The White Roses'' (1916)
* '' Dr. Hart's Diary'' (1917)
* ''Countess Kitchenmaid'' (1918)
* '' Ikarus, the Flying Man' ...
) is Murphy and Maud's son, who is supposed to have died shortly after his birth. In the end, mother and son fall into each other's arms.
Development
Production
Austrian film producer
Joe May
Joe May (born Joseph Otto Mandl; 7 November 1880 – 29 April 1954) was an Austrian film director and film producer and one of the pioneers of German cinema.
Biography
After studying in Berlin and a variety of odd jobs, he began his career as ...
conceived the idea for filming ''The Mistress of the World'', which he loosely based on the novel ''Die Herrin der Welt'' by author
Karl Figdor, in early 1919. May produced ''The Mistress of the World'' as a
serial film
A serial film, film serial (or just serial), movie serial, or chapter play, is a motion picture form popular during the first half of the 20th century, consisting of a series of short subjects exhibited in consecutive order at one theater, gene ...
, which Carjels argues was more influenced by the French serials of the time rather than the American 'cliff-hanger' serials.
[Carjels (2011), pp.63-64] Whereas the popular American serials were filmed over two reels, making them short openers to a
feature film
A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...
, each part of ''The Mistress of the World'' was shot over six reels, making them feature length.
Another difference to the American serials was the lack of a cliffhanger ending. Each episode of ''Mistress'' was a self-contained story, but the end goal was still out of reach, drawing audiences back to find out how the story resolved rather than how the heroine escaped a dangerous situation.
Normal prerelease hype for serials was often manufactured through movie tie-ins, serialization in other media and spot prizes given to audience members.
May attempted a different approach for ''The Mistress of the World'', which at first appeared to be meager in comparison. He instead released a steady stream of information regarding the production of the film, which included stories around the film's stars, the set design and the process of making the film. This in turn led to massive audience anticipation, making ''The Mistress of the World'' one of the first ''
Monumentalfilm'', and this promotional technique was embraced by other productions that followed.
May continued to feed the entertainment journals with facts from the film in the run up to its release, in an attempt to promote the enormity of the film: a 2,000 page script, 200 days of exterior filming and 150 days of interior filming.
[Carjels (2011) p.65] A set was created at
Woltersdorf in Germany where a crew of 30,000 people fed by 100 cooks were utilised over the entire shoot and by the end of the production the film had cost six million Marks.
This steady stream of figures resulted in the series being described as "a completely new film experience", and even without the story being unveiled May had given ''The Mistress of the World'' a feeling of importance and gravitas.
Cast and Crew
*For the lead role of Maud Gregaards, Joe May cast his wife
Mia May.
*
Michael Bohnen took the role of Consul Madsen, in parts I through IV.
*
Henry Sze played Dr. Kien-Lung, as one of Gregaards' companions. Sze was one of the few successful non-white actors in early German cinema, and played a sympathetic hero in parts I through to IV.
*
Paul Hansen as Allen Stanley in parts V through to VII.
*
Hans Mierendorff
Hans Mierendorff (born Johannes Reingold Mierendorff; 30 June 1882 – 26 December 1955) was a German stage and film actor.
Selected filmography
* ''A Night of Horror'' (1916)
* '' Vengeance Is Mine'' (1916)
* '' Hilde Warren und der Tod'' ...
as the villainous Baron Murphy in parts I, II, IV, VII and VIII.
*
Louis Brody
Louis Brody (born Ludwig M'bebe Mpessa; 15 February 1896 – 11 February 1951) was a Cameroonian-born German film actor, musician and showfighter.
Brody was born in Douala, in the German colony of Kamerun, now Cameroon. His career began in the 1 ...
as Simba the servant in parts I, V and VI and Mallkalle the Medicine Man in part IV.
*
Ernst Hofmann
Ernst Karl Heinrich Hofmann (7 December 1880 – 27 April 1945) was a German stage and film actor.
Selected filmography
* '' The White Roses'' (1916)
* '' Dr. Hart's Diary'' (1917)
* ''Countess Kitchenmaid'' (1918)
* '' Ikarus, the Flying Man' ...
as Credo Merville in part VIII.
*
Rudolf Lettinger
Rudolf Lettinger (26 October 1865 in Hamburg – 21 March 1937 in Berlin-Schöneberg) was a German stage and film actor. He made his stage debut in 1883 when he played the role of Kosinsky in Friedrich Schiller's drama ''The Robbers''. Some of ...
as Detective Hunt in part VIII.
*
Wilhelm Diegelmann
Wilhelm Diegelmann (28 September 1861 – 1 March 1934) was a German actor.
Career
Diegelmann's first stage appearance was in 1878 in the chorus for the Frankfurt Opera. In 1881 he debuted at the Frankfurt City Theater, playing King Lear, Will ...
as Hannibal Harrison in part VI.
*
Hermann Picha as Jonathan Fletcher in part VI.
*
Paul Morgan as film maker Pius Gotthelf Karpeles in part VI.
*
Victor Janson
Victor Arthur Eduard Janson ( lv, Viktors Artūrs Eduards Jansons; 25 September 1884 – 29 June 1960) was a German stage and film actor and film director of Latvian ethnicity.
Selected filmography Actor
* ''Your Dearest Enemy'' (1916)
* '' When ...
as Bullbox in parts V and VI
As well as starring many stars of Weimar cinema, ''The Mistress of the World'' is also notable for bringing together many of the most important writers and production and set designers of early German Expressionism. Of note in parts II and III, acting as Assistant director, was
Fritz Lang
Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), known as Fritz Lang, was an Austrian film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary '' Variety'', August 4, 1976, p. ...
, who also acted as a script writer in part VIII. Working in the role of set and production design were
Otto Hunte
Otto Hunte (9 January 1881 – 28 December 1960) was a German production designer, art director and set decorator. Hunte is considered one of the most important artists in the history of early German cinema, mainly for his set designs on the ea ...
,
Martin Jacoby-Boy,
Erich Kettelhut
Erich Karl Heinrich Kettelhut (1 November 1893 – 13 March 1979) was a German production designer, art director and set decorator. Kettelhut is considered one of the most important artists in the history of early German cinema, mainly for his s ...
and
Karl Vollbrecht Karl may refer to:
People
* Karl (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name
* Karl der Große, commonly known in English as Charlemagne
* Karl Marx, German philosopher and political writer
* Karl of Austria, last Austrian ...
, all of whom would work in the years following with Lang on many of his iconic German films setting the tone of German Expressionist films in such classics as ''
Dr. Mabuse the Gambler
''Dr. Mabuse the Gambler'' (german: Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler) is the first film in the Dr. Mabuse series about the character Doctor Mabuse who featured in the novels of Norbert Jacques. It was directed by Fritz Lang and released in 1922. The fi ...
'' (1922), ''
Die Nibelungen'' (1924) and ''
Metropolis
A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications.
A big c ...
'' (1926).
Reception
Europe
The first part of ''The Mistress of the World'' was premiered on 5 December 1919 at the Tauentzienpalast in Berlin, along with other high-end cinemas.
[Carjels (2011) pp.68-69] The Tauentzienpalast was redecorated for the premier and the audience found themselves surrounded by tropical trees and bushes in an attempt to transport them to the exotic world of the film. Men dressed in Chinese servant uniforms handed out souvenirs, and large tapestries hung from the walls.
Initial reviews to the film were very positive. ''Die illustrierte Filmwoche'' noted how no other film had created such anticipation and disappointed so little. ''Die Kinematograph'' saw it as a masterpiece of German film-making skill, while ''Der Film'' believed that "it will win over foreign markets".
[Carjels (2011) p.70] The more independent cultural publications were less positive, ''
Berliner Börsen-Courier'' wrote that the serial did not rise above the average feature and that it lacked a sense of greatness, strength and depth.
George Gottholt, writing in the ''Freie Deutsche Bühne'', was very negative in his views, stating "This film, and others like, it have a vulgarizing effect on the taste and a dumbing-down effect on the intellect of its audience."
[Carjels (2011) p.71] Carjels compares ''The Mistress of the World'' to a modern globe-trotting adventure story more akin to an
Indiana Jones
''Indiana Jones'' is an American media franchise based on the adventures of Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., a fictional professor of archaeology, that began in 1981 with the film '' Raiders of the Lost Ark''. In 1984, a prequel, '' Th ...
or
Lara Croft
Lara Croft is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the video game franchise ''Tomb Raider''. She is presented as a highly intelligent and athletic British archaeologist who ventures into ancient tombs and hazardous ruins around t ...
film, rather than a more intellect take such as ''
Madame Dubarry''.
Although receiving mixed reviews, the public responded positively and ''The Mistress of the World'' was the most commercially successful German film of the 1919-1920 season, outstripping ''
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'' (1920) in popular appeal.
[Halle, McCarthy (2003), p.14]
United States
''The Mistress of the World'' was released in the United States in 1922 by
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...
but was shortened and re-edited into four films, spanning twenty reels, the result of which was that half of the eight films were removed.
[Carjels (2011) p.127] The four films were titled: Number 1. ''The Dragon's Claw'', Number 2. ''The Race for Life'', Number 3. ''The City of Gold'' and Number 4. ''Saved by Wireless''.
[Carjels (2011) p.128] According to
Robert Kane, who oversaw the editing process for Paramount, it took four months to recut and give the film a more 'American Tempo'.
The Paramount series only followed the events of the original story up until the end of part 5, not following the heroine's return to New York and her ultimate revenge.
Whereas the original series of films were intended to be a mix of adventure, melodrama and comedy, the American edit was created to concentrate on the action. This was reflected in the promotional campaign with 11 of the 13 posters offered to the exhibitors, showing fight scenes or daredevil acts, similar to those used in American serials.
[Carjels (2011) p.130]
1960 film
In 1960
CCC Films
CCC Film (German: Central Cinema Compagnie-Film GmbH) is a German film production company founded in 1946 by Artur Brauner. A Polish Jew who survived the Nazi era by fleeing to the Soviet Union, he lost dozens of relatives to the Nazis. His primar ...
released a two part ''
Mistress of the World
''Mistress of the World'' (german: Die Herrin der Welt, french: Les mystères d'Angkor, it, Il mistero dei tre continenti) is a 1960 science-fiction spy film remake of the 1919 eight-part silent film ''The Mistress of the World'' directed by Wil ...
'' feature film directed by
William Dieterle
William Dieterle (July 15, 1893 – December 9, 1972) was a German-born actor and film director who emigrated to the United States in 1930 to leave a worsening political situation. He worked in Hollywood primarily as a director for much of his ...
starring
Martha Hyer
Martha Hyer (August 10, 1924 – May 31, 2014) was an American actress who played Gwen French in ''Some Came Running'' (1958), for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Her autobiography, ''Finding My Way ...
as Karin Fergusson.
References
Bibliography
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mistress of the World, The
1919 films
1920 films
1910s science fiction adventure films
1920s science fiction adventure films
Film serials
Films based on Austrian novels
Films of the Weimar Republic
Films set in Africa
Films set in China
Films set in Denmark
Films set in the United States
German science fiction adventure films
German black-and-white films
German epic films
German silent feature films
UFA GmbH films
Astarte
1920s German films
1910s German films
Silent science fiction adventure films