''Comedians'' (German: ''Komödianten''), also known as ''Strolling Players'', is a 1925 German

silent film A silent film is a film without 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 ...

directed by

Karl Grune Karl Grune (22 January 1890 – 2 October 1962) was an Austrian film director and writer who made many silent films in the 1920s. Grune was born into a Jewish family Siegbert Salomon Prawer, ''Between Two Worlds: The Jewish Presence in Germa ...

and starring

Lya De Putti Lya de Putti (born Amália Helena Mária Róza Putti; , 10 January 1896 – 27 November 1931) was a Hungarian film actress during the silent film, silent era. She was noted for her portrayals of vamp (woman), vamp characters. Early life and care ...

Eugen Klöpfer Eugen Gottlob Klöpfer (10 March 1886 in Talheim, Heilbronn – 3 March 1950 in Wiesbaden) was a German actor. Early life Born to Karl Klöpfer and his wife Karoline, née Hörsch, Eugen attended the Realschule (secondary school) in Heilbronn. ...

and

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 ...

.Bock & Bergfelder p.83

Plot

Axel Swinborne is a celebrated stage star who wants to relax, and takes the train on vacation. As he leans out of the window, his jacket gets tangled in the lever and he is hurled out of the window. Swinborne is taken to an inn where he is nursed back to health by Lydia, who is an aspiring actress but far less well-known. As an amateur, she travels from place to place with a group of

strolling players Strolling players were travelling theatre groups in England during the Tudor and subsequent periods. They toured the country delivering theatrical performances. They performed in barns and in the courtyards of inns. One of the most popular plays ...

. Their audience is coarse and rowdy, and the men also like to get physical. Sometimes rotten eggs are thrown at the amateur troupe, and sometimes the drunken men in the audience become violent or touch Lydia. From Lydia's point of view, the men turn into pigs with corresponding pig-head masks. Swinborne only realises the next day that he is among other actors. When the leader of the troupe recognises Swinborne, he comes up with the idea of using the name of the famous Axel Swinborne to promote the company and make a profit from it. Out of gratitude, Swinborne agrees to take part in the next performance. He thinks Lydia has talent and offers to do whatever it takes to make her big as a theatre artist, but on a much more professional basis. He negotiates a “transfer fee” with the troupe leader. Later, Lydia has become a well-known stage actress. She is courted by a prince who regularly comes to her performances. Swinborne also feels very close to her beyond the purely professional and proposes marriage to her, although much older than she is. Lydia agrees, but only to show her gratitude to her mentor. However, when Swinborne's monocle falls under the table and the prince and Lydia disappear to search for it, they take the opportunity to secretly kiss under the table. As Swinborne is leaving by train, he sees Lydia and the prince embracing on the balcony of his house. He pulls the emergency brake, rushes back and catches the two ''

in flagrante ''In flagrante delicto'' (Latin for "in blazing offence"), sometimes simply ''in flagrante'' ("in blazing"), is a legal term used to indicate that a criminal has been caught in the act of committing an offence (compare ). The colloquial "caught ...

''. Swinborne is filled with jealousy. At the next theatrical performance, he swaps the blanks of a revolver needed for the play for real ammunition and shoots his scene partner Lydia on stage. She is only slightly injured, but Swinborne has to pay for his act with a prison term. Lydia asks the prince to visit Swinborne in prison, but Swinborne refuses to exchange a word with him. Time passes and Swinborne is released. He regrets his deed, and has aged. The prince and Lydia are married to each other. As a wedding present, the prince had given Lydia a life-size statue of herself dressed for one of her theatrical roles, situated in a public park. Lydia's old colleagues from the theatre troupe stop in the town. Swinborne joins them, but his decline is unmistakable: the once-celebrated actor is only allowed to hand out show bills for the performances. As Axel Swinborne walks through the park, he stops at the Lydia sculpture. In his imagination she comes to life and he is back on stage with her. And the audience applauds.

Cast

as Die Sentimentale *

as Axel Swinborne - Schauspieler *

as Direktors Garderobier *

Viktor Schwanneke Viktor Schwanneke (8 February 1880 – 7 June 1931) was a German stage director and actor, writer, and film actor whose acting career began at the turn of the 20th century. Early life Viktor Schwanneke was born in the small village of Hedwig ...

as Direktor des Residenztheaters *

Jaro Fürth Jaro Fürth (born Jaroslav Edwin Fürth; 21 April 1871 – 12 November 1945) was an Austrian stage and film actor. Early life Fürth was born to Jewish parents in Prague.Fritz Rasp Fritz Heinrich Rasp (13 May 1891 – 30 November 1976) was a German film actor who appeared in more than 100 films between 1916 and 1976. His obituary in ''Der Spiegel'' described Rasp as "the German film villain in service, for over 60 years." ...

as Jugendlicher Liebhaber *

Fritz Kampers Fritz Kampers (14 July 1891 – 1 September 1950) was a German film actor. He appeared in more than 250 films between 1913 and 1950. Early life Fritz Kampers was the son of a Munich hotel owner, spent his early childhood in Garmisch-Partenk ...

as Der erste Held *

Owen Gorin Owen may refer to: People and fictional characters * Owen (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname Places United States * Owen, Missouri, a ghost town * Owen, Wisconsin * Owen County, Indiana ...

as Ein junger Prinz *

Ferry Sikla Ferry Sikla (born Ferry Sykla; 11 March 1865 – 8 February 1932) was a German stage and film actor. He appeared in more than fifty films from 1914 to 1931. Selected filmography References External links * 1865 births 1932 deaths G ...

as Schmierendirektor *

Margarete Kupfer Margarete Kupfer (born Margarete Kupferschmid; 10 April 1881 – 11 May 1953) was a German actress. Partial filmography * '' The Canned Bride'' (1915) * '' Frau Eva'' (1916) * '' The Queen's Secretary'' (1916) * '' When Four Do the Same'' (1917 ...

as Die Frau Direktor * Adolf E. Licho as Charakterspieler *

Joseph Römer Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "Joseph" is used, along with " Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic count ...

Robert Leffler Robert Leffler (9 January 1866 – 15 March 1940) was a German actor, film director and opera singer (bass). Selected filmography * '' The Haunted Castle'' (1921) * '' The Fear of Women'' (1921) * '' Rose of the Asphalt Streets'' (1922) * '' A ...

References

Bibliography

* Bock, Hans-Michael & Bergfelder, Tim. ''The Concise CineGraph. Encyclopedia of German Cinema''. Berghahn Books, 2009.

External links

* {{Karl Grune 1925 films Films of the Weimar Republic Films directed by Karl Grune German silent feature films German black-and-white films Films scored by Willy Schmidt-Gentner