Kohlhiesel's Daughters | 1920 | Romantic Comedy

Title: Kohlhiesel's Daughters | 1920 | Romantic Comedy Director: Ernst Lubitsch. Studio: Messter Film. Starring: Henny Porten, Emil Jannings, Jakob Tiedtke, Gustav von Wangenheim. Based on: Kohlhiesels Töchter by Hanns Kräly; reworking of The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare. Release Date: March 9, 1920. Runtime: 64 minutes. Format: Silent, black-and-white, 35mm, 1.33:1. Country: Germany. Language: Silent (German intertitles). Genres: Comedy, Romance. --- Summary: In a Bavarian village, innkeeper Mathias Kohlhiesel insists that his gentle daughter Gretel cannot marry until her older sister Liesel—a fearsome shrew—finds a husband. Xaver, who loves Gretel, agrees to wed Liesel first, intending to secure Gretel later. The marriage sets off a battle of wills that gradually remakes tempers and affections, as Liesel’s rough exterior softens and the family’s romantic entanglements resolve. Adapted from Hanns Kräly’s popular stage play and reframed as a rustic variation on Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, the film blends slapstick with character comedy, showcasing Henny Porten in a dual role as the contrasting sisters. --- Background: Produced by Messter Film and distributed by UFA, Kohlhiesel's Daughters was shot in January–February 1920 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and at the Ufa-Messter-Atelier in Berlin-Tempelhof, premiering at Berlin’s Ufa-Palast am Zoo on March 9, 1920. Henny Porten’s dual performance anchors Ernst Lubitsch’s rural reworking of Shakespeare, part of his late German period before departing for Hollywood; Porten would reprise the twin roles in a 1930 sound remake. --- Trivia: Henny Porten plays both Liesel and Gretel; she later reprised the twin roles in the 1930 sound version directed by Hans Behrendt. The film premiered at the Ufa-Palast am Zoo in Berlin on March 9, 1920. Location shooting took place in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, with studio work at the Ufa-Messter-Atelier in Berlin-Tempelhof. Surviving versions vary in length due to silent-era projection speeds; documented runtimes range from about 58 to 64 minutes, while a restored digital version runs approximately 68 minutes. The film is a screen adaptation of Hanns Kräly’s hit play and a rural reworking of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. A print is held by the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung, which circulates the film for screenings. --- Hashtags: KohlhieselsDaughters KohlhieselsToechter ErnstLubitsch HennyPorten EmilJannings SilentFilm WeimarCinema GermanCinema PublicDomain 1920s Film