Presented by Ian Buruma
This lavish fantasy film, shot in Agfacolor (known for its vintage, soft contrast), was originally commissioned by Joseph Goebbels with the incredible budget of 6.5 million Reichsmarks, though it avoids the war altogether and has no overt propaganda themes. An immortal 18th-century baron recounts to a young couple his adventures—his time with the cavalry of Catherine the Great, an affair with an empress, a voyage to Constantinople, a rescue in Venice and a trip to the Moon. (dir. Josef von Báky, 1943, 119 min.)
“A total state fantasy … designed to make audiences forget the horrific realities by offering them pure, unadulterated wonder.” –Village Voice
Ian Buruma is the Paul W. Williams Professor of Human Rights and Journalism at Bard College, former editor of the New York Review of Books and author of A Tokyo Romance, The Churchill Complex, The Wages of Guilt and Stay Alive: Berlin, 1939-1945.