Ballettratten | 1925 | Drama

Title: Ballettratten | 1925 | Drama Director: Arthur Günsburg. Studio: Arthur Günsburg-Film. Starring: Carl de Vogt, Cläre Lotto, Victor Varconi, Josefine Dora, Hermann Picha, Jaro Fürth, Tatjana Irrah. Release Date: 11 May 1925. Runtime: 66. Format: Silent, black-and-white. Country: Germany. Language: Silent . Genres: Drama. --- Chapters: 00:00:00 Opening rehearsal 00:15:00 Ambition and rivalry 00:30:00 Backstage tensions 00:45:00 Gala performance 00:58:00 Final reckonings --- Summary: Set within a ballet company, Ballettratten follows the daily discipline, ambitions, and social hierarchies surrounding young dancers—the so‑called “ballet rats”—and the figures who guide or control them. Through rehearsals, backstage episodes, and performance set‑pieces, the drama observes the pressures of achievement and reputation on stage and off. Anchored by performances from Carl de Vogt, Cläre Lotto, and Victor Varconi, and centered on the troupe’s ballet master and his circle, the film presents a backstage portrait characteristic of Weimar‑era melodramas about art and aspiration. --- Background: Produced and distributed by Arthur Günsburg-Film, the picture was photographed by Otto Kanturek and Károly Vass, two cinematographers active across German and Central European studios in the 1920s. The title references the French term petit rat for young corps de ballet students, signaling the film’s focus on training and company life within the Weimar cultural milieu. --- Trivia: A surviving circulating print originates from Brazil and features Portuguese intertitles, reflecting the film’s international distribution footprint in the silent era. Victor Varconi, billed here early in his international career, later worked in Hollywood for Cecil B. DeMille and others throughout the late silent and early sound periods. The film’s runtime is approximately 66 minutes in extant sources, aligning with the 1:05:35 length of the commonly available print. Cinematography is credited jointly to Otto Kanturek and Károly Vass, a pairing also seen on other mid‑1920s German productions. --- Public Domain / Rights: Original Release: 11 May 1925. Original Studio / Distributor: Arthur Günsburg-Film. Copyright Status: Public Domain. Renewal: No. --- Hashtags: Ballettratten 1925 SilentFilm WeimarCinema GermanCinema ArthurGunsburg VictorVarconi PublicDomain Ballet FilmHistory Source page: https: //commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ballettratten_(1925).webm Direct media URL: https: //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/Ballettratten_%281925%29.webm