The Wandering Jew

1933

1h 50m

IMDb RATING

7.6/10

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Drama

Fantasy

Old Jerusalem: Matathias, spiteful over his lover's illness, spits on Jesus along the road to Calvary, and is cursed to live endlessly until His return. The Crusades, 1150: Matathias, now an anonymous knight, competes for glory in combat and for the wife of a soldier. Palermo, 1290: Matteos Battadios witnesses the death of his young son, leading to conflict with his wife over whether to take comfort in Christianity. Seville, 1560: Dr Matteos Battadios dedicates himself to the treatment and comfort of the poor, but his life and work are endangered by the arrival of the Spanish Inquisition.

Directors

Maurice Elvey

Writers

H. Fowler Mear(screenplay by)

E. Temple Thurston(theatre play by)

Stars

Conrad Veidt

Marie Ney

Basil Gill

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Top cast

Conrad Veidt

Matathias …

Marie Ney

Judith (Phase I)

Basil Gill

Pontius Pilate (Phase I)

Cicely Oates

Rachel (Phase I)

Anne Grey

Joanne de Beaudricourt (Phase II)

Bertram Wallis

Boemund, Prince of Tarentum (Phase II)

Hector Abbas

Isaachar (Phase II)

Dennis Hoey

Lord de Beaudricourt (Phase II)

Jack Livesey

Godfrey, Duke of Normandy (Phase II)

Phirous (Phase II)

Knight (Phase II)

Gianella (Phase III)

Pietro Morelli (Phase III)

Arnold Lucy

Andrea Michelotti (Phase III)

Hay Petrie

Merchant (Phase III)

Peggy Ashcroft

Olalla Quintana (Phase IV)

Francis L. Sullivan

Juan de Texada (Phase IV)

Felix Aylmer

Ferera (Phase IV)

Directors

Maurice Elvey

Writers

H. Fowler Mear(screenplay by)

E. Temple Thurston(theatre play by)

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Review

Featured review

7/10

Told in an historically episodic fashion, Conrad Veidt depicts the Jewish man "Matathias", who helped to convince Pilate to crucify Jesus. By way of punishment, he is condemned to walk the Earth facing, enduring and surviving many of the trials that faced his race as history marched on. It is a history, of sorts. Many of the events depicted are reflections of true events - pogroms, the Spanish inquisition etc., but it's the way in which he lives his life, yearning for release - however that may manifest itself - that makes this a decent film to watch and Veidt manages this amalgam of roles quite skilfully. You can see a few short cameos from Peggy Ashcroft and Francis L. Sullivan that help to enhance this depiction of the chronology of the persecution - and persevenence - of his race, too. I don't take this film as a seriously evaluative (of religion) piece of cinema. Though overtly Christian in outlook, it is not a ram-it-down-your throat type of production. It has enough romance and adventure to keep it from moralising too much - and to keep it enjoyable to watch. I found the use of light especially effective throughout, but potently when inflicting and then rescinding his punishment and although the ending spoils it somewhat - it is abrupt, and asks way more questions than it answers - I suspect it pleased our immortal pilgrim.

Geronimo196713 Jun, 2022