Fiction / Germany / 1927 / 97’ / Black & White
Intertitles: German / Subtitles: Turkish
When Gerhart Hauptmann’s theatre play of the same name about textile workers’ protests in mid-19th century hit the stage in 1892, it was met with huge excitement in the revolutionary spirit of the era in Germany. Bringing together leading actors of the time, Zelnik’s film is a faithful adaptation of the play, with limited intervention. In line with its revolutionary aesthetics inspired from Eisenstein and Pudovkin, the film doesn’t have a lead role but masses as its protagonist. This makes the film an interesting example of the aesthetic interaction between German and Soviet filmmakers of the era. The design of intertitles, on the other hand, still have expressionist touches.
The Weavers were restored in 2012 by Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung in 2K from the three copies that were held at Deutsches Filminstitut, EYE Filmmuseum in the Netherlands, and Svenska Filminstitutet.
Director: Frederick Zelnik
Cast: Paul Wegener, Valeska Stock, Hermann Picka
Music by Günter Buchwald & Franck Bockius
Presentation by Elif Rongen Kaynakçı (Eye Filmmuseum, Amsterdam)