The Transformation of Dr. Bessel

1927 film

The Transformation of Dr. Bessel

Directed by	Richard Oswald
Written by	Herbert Juttke Georg C. Klaren
Based on	Doktor Bessels Verwandlung by Ludwig Wolff [de]
Produced by	Richard Oswald
Starring	Jakob Tiedtke Sophie Pagay Hans Stüwe Agnes Esterhazy
Cinematography	Axel Graatkjær
Production company	Richard Oswald-Film
Release date	8 December 1927 (1927-12-08)
Running time	70 minutes
Country	Germany
Languages	Silent German intertitles

The Transformation of Dr. Bessel (German: Dr. Bessels Verwandlung ) is a 1927 German silent film directed by Richard Oswald and starring Jakob Tiedtke, Sophie Pagay and Hans Stüwe. The film was based on a novel by Ludwig Wolff [de]. It premiered at the Ufa-Palast am Zoo. It has thematic similarities with Ernst Lubitsch'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.

The film's sets were designed by the art director Franz Seemann and Bruno Lutz.

Synopsis

During the First World War, 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. Due to his language skills he is able to become a major success in international commerce.

Cast

Jakob Tiedtke as Fabrikant Julius Bessel
Sophie Pagay as Frau Bessel
Hans Stüwe as Alexander, ihr Sohn
Agnes Esterhazy as Helene Bissel, Alexanders Frau
Gertrud Eysoldt as Frau Pelagie Trouille
Agnes Petersen-Mozzuchinowa as Germaine, ihre Nichte
Kurt Gerron as der Grieche Georgakopoulos
Angelo Ferrari as der Spanier Pedro de Ferrante
Betty Astor as Karin Lundbye, ein Modell
Sig Arno as Chevallier, ein französischer Soldat
Rosa Valetti as Die Wirtin des Hotel garni
Hella Kürty as Paulette, Hotelstubenmädchen
Hermann Picha as Ein französischer Buchhändler
Max Neufeld as Ein französischer Major
Otto Wallburg as Ein französischer Sergeant
Curt Bois as Simche Regierer
Ilka Grüning as Frau Regierer
Ferdinand Bonn as Oberst Jovan Simonitsch
Lydia Potechina as Frau Simonitsch
Hertha von Walther as Eine Miß
Georg Burghardt as Ein französischer Offizier
Eva Speyer
Jaro Fürth
Hugo Döblin
Friedrich Kühne
Harry Nestor

References

Rogowski p.265
Continuity and Crisis in German Cinema p.301

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

The Transformation of Dr. Bessel at IMDb

v t e The films of Richard Oswald
The Iron Cross (1914) Ivan Koschula (1914) The Silent Mill (1914) Laugh Bajazzo (1915) The Vice (1915) Tales of Hoffmann (1916) A Night of Horror (1916) The Uncanny House (1916) The Sea Battle (1917) The Lord of Hohenstein (1917) Let There Be Light (1917) The Picture of Dorian Gray (1917) The Story of Dida Ibsen (1918) Jettchen Gebert's Story (1918) Diary of a Lost Woman (1918) Henriette Jacoby (1918) The House of Three Girls (1918) Die Arche (1919) Different from the Others (1919) Prostitution (1919) Peer Gynt (1919) Around the World in Eighty Days (1919) Unheimliche Geschichten (1919) Figures of the Night (1920) Kurfürstendamm (1920) The Merry-Go-Round (1920) Manolescu's Memoirs (1920) Lady Hamilton (1921) The Golden Plague (1921) The House in Dragon Street (1921) The Love Affairs of Hector Dalmore (1921) Lucrezia Borgia (1922) Carlos and Elisabeth (1924) Semi-Silk (1925) The Wife of Forty Years (1925) Rags and Silk (1925) Should We Be Silent? (1926) When I Came Back (1926) We Belong to the Imperial-Royal Infantry Regiment (1926) The White Horse Inn (1926) Assassination (1927) Radio Magic (1927) Agitated Women (1927) The Transformation of Dr. Bessel (1927) Lützow's Wild Hunt (1927) A Crazy Night (1927) The Green Alley (1928) Villa Falconieri (1928) Spring Awakening (1929) The Mistress and her Servant (1929) Marriage in Trouble (1929) Cagliostro (1929) The Hound of the Baskervilles (1929) Dreyfus (1930) Vienna, City of Song (1930) Alraune (1930) The Tender Relatives (1930) 1914 (1931) Schubert's Dream of Spring (1931) Poor as a Church Mouse (1931) Victoria and Her Hussar (1931) The Captain from Köpenick (1931) Countess Mariza (1932) Unheimliche Geschichten (1932) The Flower of Hawaii (1933) A Song Goes Round the World (1933) Adventures on the Lido (1933) My Song Goes Round the World (1934) When You're Young, the World Belongs to You (1934) Bleeke Bet (1934) Storm over Asia (1938) Isle of Missing Men (1942) The Lovable Cheat (1949)

The films of Richard Oswald

The Iron Cross (1914)
Ivan Koschula (1914)
The Silent Mill (1914)
Laugh Bajazzo (1915)
The Vice (1915)
Tales of Hoffmann (1916)
A Night of Horror (1916)
The Uncanny House (1916)
The Sea Battle (1917)
The Lord of Hohenstein (1917)
Let There Be Light (1917)
The Picture of Dorian Gray (1917)
The Story of Dida Ibsen (1918)
Jettchen Gebert's Story (1918)
Diary of a Lost Woman (1918)
Henriette Jacoby (1918)
The House of Three Girls (1918)
Die Arche (1919)
Different from the Others (1919)
Prostitution (1919)
Peer Gynt (1919)
Around the World in Eighty Days (1919)
Unheimliche Geschichten (1919)
Figures of the Night (1920)
Kurfürstendamm (1920)
The Merry-Go-Round (1920)
Manolescu's Memoirs (1920)
Lady Hamilton (1921)
The Golden Plague (1921)
The House in Dragon Street (1921)
The Love Affairs of Hector Dalmore (1921)
Lucrezia Borgia (1922)
Carlos and Elisabeth (1924)
Semi-Silk (1925)
The Wife of Forty Years (1925)
Rags and Silk (1925)
Should We Be Silent? (1926)
When I Came Back (1926)
We Belong to the Imperial-Royal Infantry Regiment (1926)
The White Horse Inn (1926)
Assassination (1927)
Radio Magic (1927)
Agitated Women (1927)
The Transformation of Dr. Bessel (1927)
Lützow's Wild Hunt (1927)
A Crazy Night (1927)
The Green Alley (1928)
Villa Falconieri (1928)
Spring Awakening (1929)
The Mistress and her Servant (1929)
Marriage in Trouble (1929)
Cagliostro (1929)
The Hound of the Baskervilles (1929)
Dreyfus (1930)
Vienna, City of Song (1930)
Alraune (1930)
The Tender Relatives (1930)
1914 (1931)
Schubert's Dream of Spring (1931)
Poor as a Church Mouse (1931)
Victoria and Her Hussar (1931)
The Captain from Köpenick (1931)
Countess Mariza (1932)
Unheimliche Geschichten (1932)
The Flower of Hawaii (1933)
A Song Goes Round the World (1933)
Adventures on the Lido (1933)
My Song Goes Round the World (1934)
When You're Young, the World Belongs to You (1934)
Bleeke Bet (1934)
Storm over Asia (1938)
Isle of Missing Men (1942)
The Lovable Cheat (1949)

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