简介：After16years'experienceonstage,theactorandplaywrightCurtGoetz(1888-1960)madehisdebutasafilmdirectorandproducerwiththesilentmovieFriedrichSchiller-EineDichterjugend(1923).Writingrazorsharpdialoguewashisprofession;actingcomicpartsinthetheatre-withouthavingtorenouncespeech-washiscraft.AndthatiswhythesilentcinemapresentedsuchaspecialartisticchallengetoGoetz,ataskwhoseaccomplishmentwaspromptedbyadifficultsubject:thepoetFriedrichSchiller'sadolescence.Anenthusiastofthespokenwordmakesamovieabouttheearlylifeofapowerfullyeloquentpoet,buthastoeschewthecadenceofpoetry.Undersuchcircumstances,theartisticpotentialofafilmdirectormustproveitself. Inhisfilmversion,CurtGoetzshiftsthefocusawayfromthepoeticoutputtowardstheyoungFriedrichSchillerhimself:onthemiseryofhissoulwhilstapupiloftheducalmilitaryacademy,hisoppositiontothestrictphysicaldrillandthenarrowintellectualconfinesofthe"Karlsschule",hisjuvenilepassionfortheworksofShakespeare,KlopstockandLessing,hisangeratunjustauthorities,hisdevotiontowomen,andfinallyhisinabilitytocopewithfinancialmatters.CurtGoetzpresumesthatthesefacetsoftheartist'slifearethesourceofallangeranddistress.ItisthesameaffectionwithwhichtheleadactorsinSchiller'sdebut"TheRobbers"confrontedtheaudienceatthe1782Mannheimpremiere.Theaudienceacclaimedtheplay,butinhishomelandtheyoungSchillerwasbannedfromwritingandwasforcedtoflee. ThedirectorCurtGoetzallowstheactorstoperformalmostwithoutpathos,whichturnsouttobeasuitablecinematicdevice.TheleadingrolesoftheopponentsaretakenbyTheodorLoos(FriedrichSchiller)andHermannVallentin(DukeKarlEugenvonWürttemberg).TheintertitlesandSchiller'soccasionallycolourfulbehaviourleavenodoubtabouthisSwabianorigins.Suchcharacterisationissometimesachievedbythedirector'shabitofusingpunsintheintertitles,thekindofjokesaudiencesenjoyedinsubsequenttalkiessuchasthecomediesNapoleonistanallemschuld,DasHausinMontevideo,orHokuspokus.…