Romeo und Julia im Schnee | 1920 | Comedy

Title: Romeo und Julia im Schnee | 1920 | Comedy Director: Ernst Lubitsch Studio: Maxim-Film Ges. Ebner & Co. Starring: Lotte Neumann, Gustav von Wangenheim, Jakob Tiedtke, Marga Köhler, Julius Falkenstein Based on: William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet Release Date: March 12, 1920 Runtime: 45 Format: Silent, black-and-white, 35 mm, 1.33:1 Country: Germany Language: Silent with German intertitles Genres: Comedy (en.wikipedia.org) --- Summary: In a snowy Bavarian mountain village, two farming families—the Capulethofers and the Montekugerls—nurse a long-running feud sparked by a farcical court case and attempted bribes of the local judge. Amid the skirmishes and snowball fights, Julia Capulethofer falls for Romeo Montekugerl, newly returned from military service. Their romance, modeled on Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers, veers into broad comedy: a masquerade mix-up, parental opposition, and a trip to the apothecary for “poison” that proves to be harmless sugar water. The lovers ultimately stage their own “tragedy,” prompting a communal reconciliation and a happily-ever-after. (viennale.at) --- Background: Romeo und Julia im Schnee is a silent burlesque of Shakespeare directed by Ernst Lubitsch, co-written with Hanns Kräly and photographed by Theodor Sparkuhl. Produced by Maxim-Film Ges. Ebner & Co., it premiered in Berlin on March 12, 1920, and belongs to Lubitsch’s “mountain” cycle that transposes classical material to rustic Alpine settings. Studio work took place at Maxim’s Berlin facilities, with location shooting reported in the Black Forest. (de.wikipedia.org) --- Trivia: The family names Capulethofer and Montekugerl are playful Germanic transformations of Shakespeare’s Capulet and Montague, underscoring the film’s parodic tone. (de.wikipedia.org) The feud begins when both clans try to sway a local judge with sausages, a gag resolved when the “scales of justice” literally weigh the bribes. (viennale.at) Multiple authoritative sources list different runtimes—about 40, 45, or 48 minutes—reflecting silent-era projection speeds and variant prints. (de.wikipedia.org) The apothecary’s “poison” is revealed to be sugar water, allowing the lovers’ mock-tragic ruse to end in reconciliation rather than death. (de.wikipedia.org) Often screened by film archives and festivals, the film is cited as a pastiche within Lubitsch’s early oeuvre, highlighting his transition from German comedies to the sophistication later known as the “Lubitsch touch.” (cinematheque.fr) --- Hashtags: RomeoundJuliainSnow ErnstLubitsch SilentFilm GermanCinema Shakespeare 1920sCinema Restoration FilmHistory