''The Transformation of Dr. Bessel'' (German: ''Dr. Bessels Verwandlung '') is a 1927

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

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, when ...

directed by Richard Oswald and starring

Jakob Tiedtke Jakob Karl Heinrich Wilhelm Tiedtke (23 June 1875 – 30 June 1960) was a German film actor. He appeared in more than 190 films between 1914 and 1955. Selected filmography * ''The Pied Piper of Hamelin'' (1918) * '' The Doll'' (1919) * '' ...

Sophie Pagay Sophie Berg Pagay (22 April 1860 – 23 January 1937) was an Austrian stage and film actress, born in Brünn, Austria-Hungary. She began acting as a child, and went to Berlin to perform on stage in 1887. She married actor Hans Pagay. Selecte ...

and

Hans Stüwe Hans Stüwe (14 May 1901 – 13 May 1976) was a German film actor. Selected filmography * '' Prinz Louis Ferdinand'' (1927) * ''Potsdam'' (1927) * ''The Transformation of Dr. Bessel'' (1927) * ''The Bordello in Rio'' (1927) * '' Assassination'' ( ...

. The film was based on a novel by . It premiered at the

Ufa-Palast am Zoo The Ufa-Palast am Zoo, located near Berlin Zoological Garden in the New West area of Charlottenburg, was a major Berlin cinema owned by Universum Film AG, or Ufa. Opened in 1919 and enlarged in 1925, it was the largest cinema in Germany until 192 ...

. It has thematic similarities with

Ernst Lubitsch Ernst Lubitsch (; January 29, 1892November 30, 1947) was a German-born American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His urbane comedies of manners gave him the reputation of being Hollywood's most elegant and sophisticated director; as ...

's 1932 film '' The Man I Killed''. Whereas that film featured a French soldier partially assuming the identity of a dead German, in Oswald's film a German is able to survive by pretending to be French.Continuity and Crisis in German Cinema p.301 The film's sets were designed by the

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film industry, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and ...

Franz Seemann Franz may refer to: People * Franz (given name) * Franz (surname) Places * Franz (crater), a lunar crater * Franz, Ontario, a railway junction and unorganized town in Canada * Franz Lake, in the state of Washington, United States – see ...

and

Bruno Lutz Bruno Lutz (7 June 1889 – 5 March 1964) was a German art director.Kester p.294 Selected filmography * ''The Transformation of Dr. Bessel'' (1927) * '' The Lady in Black'' (1928) * '' The Beaver Coat'' (1928) * ''Two Good Comrades'' (1933) * '' ...

Synopsis

During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, a German soldier escapes capture on the battlefield by taking the uniform of a French soldier. He then marries and settles down in Marseilles, abandoning any sense of

national identity National identity is a person's identity or sense of belonging to one or more states or to one or more nations. It is the sense of "a nation as a cohesive whole, as represented by distinctive traditions, culture, and language". National identity ...

. Due to his language skills he is able to become a major success in international commerce.

Cast

as Fabrikant Julius Bessel *

as Frau Bessel *

as Alexander, ihr Sohn *

Agnes Esterhazy Agnes or Agness may refer to: People *Agnes (name), the given name, and a list of people named Agnes or Agness * Wilfrid Marcel Agnès (1920–2008), Canadian diplomat Places * Agnes, Georgia, United States, a ghost town *Agnes, Missouri, United ...

as Helene Bissel, Alexanders Frau *

Gertrud Eysoldt Gertrud Franziska Gabriele Eysoldt (30 November 1870 – 6 January 1955) was a German actress. She appeared in more than fifteen films from 1923 to 1949. Selected filmography References External links * 1870 births 1955 deaths Peop ...

as Frau Pelagie Trouille *

Agnes Petersen-Mozzuchinowa Agnes or Agness may refer to: People *Agnes (name), the given name, and a list of people named Agnes or Agness * Wilfrid Marcel Agnès (1920–2008), Canadian diplomat Places * Agnes, Georgia, United States, a ghost town *Agnes, Missouri, United ...

as Germaine, ihre Nichte *

Kurt Gerron Kurt Gerron (11 May 1897 – 28 October 1944) was a German History of the Jews in Germany, Jewish actor and film director. He and his wife, Olga were murdered in the Holocaust. Life Born Kurt Gerson into a well-off merchant family in Berlin, he ...

as der Grieche Georgakopoulos *

Angelo Ferrari Angelo Ferrari (14 August 1897 – 15 June 1945) was an Italian actor known for his work in German cinema. Selected filmography * '' The Nude Woman'' (1922) * '' The Green Manuela'' (1923) * ''Samson'' (1923) * '' The Faces of Love'' (1924) * ' ...

as der Spanier Pedro de Ferrante *

Betty Astor Betty Astor (21 April 1905 – 1972) was a German film actress. She was born Berta Baesel in Germany. Selected filmography * ''Upstairs and Downstairs'' (1925) * '' Should We Be Silent?'' (1926) * ''The Transformation of Dr. Bessel'' (1927) ...

as Karin Lundbye, ein Modell *

Sig Arno Sig Arno (born Siegfried Aron, 27 December 1895 – 17 August 1975) was a German-Jewish film actor who appeared in such films as '' Pardon My Sarong'' and '' The Mummy's Hand''. He may be best remembered from '' The Palm Beach Story'' (1942) as T ...

as Chevallier, ein französischer Soldat * Rosa Valetti as Die Wirtin des Hotel garni *

Hella Kürty Hella Kürty (1900–1954) was a German actress and singer. An operetta performer, she originated the role of Mi in Franz Lehar's 1929 work ''The Land of Smiles'' alongside Richard Tauber. The following year she appeared in a film version of th ...

as Paulette, Hotelstubenmädchen *

Hermann Picha Hermann Picha (20 March 1865 – 7 June 1936) was a German stage and film actor. Picha was extremely prolific, appearing in over 300 short and feature films during the silent and early sound eras. Picha played a mixture of lead and supporting r ...

as Ein französischer Buchhändler *

Max Neufeld Max Neufeld (13 February 1887 – 2 December 1967) was an Austrian film director, actor and screenwriter. He directed 70 films between 1919 and 1957. He directed the 1934 film '' The Song of the Sun'', which starred Vittorio De Sica. Sele ...

as Ein französischer Major *

Otto Wallburg Otto Wallburg (21 February 1889 – 29 October 1944) was a German actor and Kabarett performer. He was a prolific film actor during the late silent and early sound era. Wallburg was born Otto Maximilian Wasserzug in Berlin, the son of a Jewis ...

as Ein französischer Sergeant *

Curt Bois Curt Bois (born Kurt Boas; April 5, 1901 – December 25, 1991) was a German actor with a career spanning over 80 years. He is best remembered for his performances as the pickpocket in ''Casablanca'' (1942) and the poet Homer in ''Wings of Desi ...

as Simche Regierer *

Ilka Grüning Ilka Grüning (born Ilka Henriette Grunzweig; 4 September 1876 – 11 November 1964) was an Austrian-Hungarian actress. Born in Vienna in the old Austrian-Hungarian Empire, she was one of many Jewish actors and actresses that were forced to fle ...

as Frau Regierer *

Ferdinand Bonn Ferdinand Bonn (20 December 1861 – 24 September 1933) was a German stage and film actor. Bonn was born in Donauwörth, Bavaria, Germany and died at age 71 in Berlin. Selected filmography * ''Svengali'' (1914) * '' The Silent Mill'' (1914) * '' ...

as Oberst Jovan Simonitsch *

Lydia Potechina Lydia Potechina (5 September 1883 – 30 April 1934) was a Russian actress. She emigrated to Germany in 1918. She was married to the Russian-German film producer Max Pfeiffer. Selected filmography *''Destiny'' (1921) * '' The Conspiracy in Genoa ...

as Frau Simonitsch *

Hertha von Walther Hertha von Walther (born Hertha Stern und Walter von Monbary, 12 June 1903 – 12 April 1987) was a German film actress. She appeared in 80 films between 1921 and 1983. Biography Hertha von Walther was born Hertha Stern und Walther von Monb ...

as Eine Miß * Georg Burghardt as Ein französischer Offizier *

Eva Speyer Eva Speyer also known as Eva Speyer-Stoeckel and Eva Ebert (24 August 1882 – 13 August 1975) was a German actress. She appeared in more than seventy films from 1911 to 1932. Selected filmography References External links * * * 1882 ...

Jaro Fürth Jaro Fürth (born Edwin Fürth-Jaro; 21 April 1871 – 12 November 1945) was an Austrian stage and film actor. Early life Fürth was born to Jewish parents in Prague.Hugo Döblin Hugo Döblin (29 October 1876 – 4 November 1960) was a German stage and film actor.Hardt p.233 He appeared in more than eighty films, most of them during the silent era. The Jewish Döblin left Germany following the Nazi Party's rise to power i ...

Friedrich Kühne Friedrich Kühne (24 April 1870 – 13 October 1959), born Franz Michna, was a German film actor of the silent era. He appeared in more than 100 films between 1913 and 1957. Selected filmography * ''The Iron Cross'' (1914) * ''Detektiv Br ...

Harry Nestor Harry Nestor (born Franz Harry Pridun; 11 March 1893 – 11 November 1969) was an Austrian actor. Selected filmography * '' The Secret of the Mummy'' (1921) * '' The Bull of Olivera'' (1921) * ''To the Ladies' Paradise'' (1922) * ''City in View' ...

References

Bibliography

* Hales, Barbara, Petrescu, Mihaela & Weinstein, Valerie. ''Continuity and Crisis in German Cinema, 1928-1936''. Camden House, 2016. * Rogowski, Christian. ''The Many Faces of Weimar Cinema: Rediscovering Germany's Filmic Legacy''. Camden House, 2010.

External links

* 1927 films Films of the Weimar Republic German silent feature films Films directed by Richard Oswald Films based on German novels German black-and-white films Films about identity theft Films set in Marseille German World War I films 1920s German films {{Germany-silent-film-stub