''Humanity Unleashed'' () is a 1920 German silent

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Joseph Delmont Joseph Delmont (8 May 1873 as Josef Pollak in Loiwein, Austria-Hungary – 12 March 1935 in Piešťany, Czechoslovakia) was an Austrian film director of some 200 films, largely shorts, in which he was noted for his innovative use of beasts of ...

and starring Eugen Klöpfer, Paul Hartmann and

Carl de Vogt Carl de Vogt (14 September 1885 – 16 February 1970) was a German film actor who starred in four of Fritz Lang's early films. He attended the acting school in Cologne, Germany. Together with acting he was also active as a singer and recorded sev ...

. The film portrays a violent

leftist Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social hierarchies. Left-wing politi ...

attempt to seize power. However, its

location shooting Location shooting is the shooting of a film or television production in a real-world setting rather than a sound stage or backlot. The location may be interior or exterior. When filmmaking professionals refer to shooting "on location", they are ...

in the streets of

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

coincided with the

rightist Right-wing politics is the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position based on natural law, economics, authority, property, r ...

Kapp Putsch The Kapp Putsch (), also known as the Kapp–Lüttwitz Putsch (), was an abortive coup d'état against the German national government in Berlin on 13 March 1920. Named after its leaders Wolfgang Kapp and Walther von Lüttwitz, its goal was to ...

.Rogowski p. 48 The film's sets were designed by the

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

Willi Herrmann Willi Herrmann (1893–1968) was a German art director. Selected filmography * '' Madness'' (1919) * '' Child on the Open Road'' (1919) * '' Jettatore'' (1919) * '' Humanity Unleashed'' (1920) * '' The Secrets of Berlin'' (1921) * '' The Mahara ...

Cast

* Eugen Klöpfer as Karenow, Russian agitator * Paul Hartmann as Michael Klarenbach, engineer & director of chemical factory * Gertrude (Trude) Hoffman as Rita, Clarenbach’s wife *

as Winterstein, former officer, Karenow’s supporter *

Emil Lind Emil Lind (14 August 1872 – 7 April 1948) was an Austrian actor, theatre director and drama teacher on German-speaking stages. Selected filmography * '' The Story of Dida Ibsen'' (1918) * '' Die Arche'' (1919) * ''Prostitution'' (1919) * '' Hu ...

as Leutenholz, editor of the “Red Torch” * Hermann Bachmann as Director Turenius, owner of ammunitions factory *

Arthur Bergen Arthur Bergen (24 October 1875 – 1943) was an History of the Jews in Austria, Austrian Jewish actor and film director. He was murdered at Auschwitz concentration camp during the Holocaust.Mary Nolan, Ziegfeld Girl and Silent Movie Star: A Biogra ...

as Franziskus Turenius, his son * Marion Illing as Camilla, Winterstein’s mistress * Rosa Valleti as leader of the mob, prostitute *

Georg John Georg John (born Georg Jacobsohn; 23 July 1879 – 18 November 1941) was a German stage and film actor. Early life Georg Jacobsohn was born into a Jewish household in Schmiegel, Province of Posen, Imperial Germany. Career John began his c ...

as Fritz Breese, worker * Clementine Plessner as hostess at Karenow's residence * Wolfgang Heinz as Kulicke, worker *

Kurt Mikulski Kurt is a male given name in Germanic languages. ''Kurt'' or ''Curt'' originated as short forms of the Germanic Konrad/Conrad, depending on geographical usage, with meanings including counselor or advisor. Like Conrad, it can also a surname an ...

as Lehmann, worker * Leo Koffler as second-hand dealer *

Hella Thornegg Hella Tornegg was a German stage and film actress. Selected filmography * ''Lehmann's Honeymoon'' (1916) * ''Spring Storms'' (1918) * '' Film Kathi'' (1918) * '' Nocturne of Love'' (1919) * ''The Monastery of Sendomir'' (1919) * '' Blackmailed'' ...

as 1. prostitute, part of mob * Lydia Potokaja as 2. prostitute, part of mob *

Maria Forescu Maria Forescu (15 January 1875 28 October 1947) was an Austro-Hungarian-born Romanian opera singer and film actress. During the silent and talkies era of the German cinema, she appeared in several movies as a supporting actress. When Adolf Hitle ...

as 3. prostitute, part of mob * Sylvia Torf as 4. prostitute, part of mob * Alfred Fisher as foreigner * Emil Linzen as Christof Jessen

References

Bibliography

* Rogowski, Christian. ''The Many Faces of Weimar Cinema: Rediscovering Germany's Filmic Legacy''. Camden House, 2010.

External links

* 1920 films Films of the Weimar Republic German silent feature films Films directed by Joseph Delmont German black-and-white films 1920 drama films Films shot in Berlin Silent German drama films 1920s German films 1920s German-language films German-language drama films {{1920s-Germany-silent-drama-film-stub