Das Mirakel (1912 film)

Das Mirakel
Directed by	Max Reinhardt Cherry Kearton
Produced by	Max Reinhardt
Written by	Karl Vollmöller Joseph Menchen
Starring	Maria Carmi Douglas Payne Ernst Matray Joseph Klein
Release date(s)	December 21, 1912 (1912-12-21)
Running time	45 minutes
Country	Germany Austria
Language	Silent film German intertitles

Das Mirakel ("The Miracle"), is a short film directed by Cherry Kearton and Max Reinhardt and released in 1912. It is best known for its experimental use of sound.

The film was adapted by Joseph Menchen from a play by Karl Vollmöller and starred Vollmöller's wife Maria Carmi as the Madonna. It is one of two movie versions of the play released in 1912 (see below). There would not be another film version of it for nearly fifty years.

Talking pictures were not available or practical until 1927's The Jazz Singer, although filmmakers had begun experimenting with mixing sounds and pictures as early as 1895. One such experiment was Das Mirakel.

Kearton's pioneering talking film was an adapted version of the 1911 Max Reinhardt stage spectacular of the same name. Based on the legend of a statue of the Virgin Mary coming to life to replace a wayward nun, the original stage version ran nearly three hours. The play was thus essentially a mime with music by Engelbert Humperdinck. Kearton's adaptation was pared down to three reels.

The actual film reel itself was silent since filmmakers would not discover how to put a soundtrack on film until the late 1920's.

The movie was filmed entirely on location in the grounds of Kreuzenstein Castle and at the Cathedral of Pechtoldsdorf in Vienna, Austria. It was shot in black-and-white 35mm and ran for about 45 minutes. The film premiered in Germany on 21 December 1912. ^[1]

Second 1912 Silent Version

A second, but lesser known, silent film version of Das Mirakel was made by the production company Continental-Kunstfilm GmbH in 1912. It was directed by Mime Misu and starred Lore Giesen, Mime Misu, and Anton Ernst Rückert. The cinematographer was Emil Schünemann. The film is also known as Alte Legende - Eine Das Marienwunder (Germany) and Marienwunder - Das Eine alte Legende (Germany) ^[2][3]

1959 Technicolor Version

Main article: The Miracle (1959 film)

The film was loosely remade by Warner Bros. as The Miracle in 1959, a two-hour Technicolor epic starring Carroll Baker, Roger Moore, Walter Slezak, Katina Paxinou and Vittorio Gassman.

See also

• Das Mirakel (play)
• List of avant-garde films: Pre 1930

References

1. ^ Internet Movie Database
2. ^ Internet Movie Database
3. ^ Filmportel.de

External links

• Das Mirakel at the Internet Movie Database
• Internet Broadway Database
• British Film Institute Database