The Wandering Jew

Unrated

1/11/19351h 50m

Theatrical (limited) Release (US)

Overview:

Old Jerusalem: Matathias, spiteful over his lover's illness, spits on Jesus along the road to Calvary, and is cursed to live endlessly until His return. The Crusades, 1150: Matathias, now an anonymous knight, competes for glory in combat and for the wife of a soldier. Palermo, 1290: Matteos Battadios witnesses the death of his young son, leading to conflict with his wife over whether to take comfort in Christianity. Seville, 1560: Dr Matteos Battadios dedicates himself to the treatment and comfort of the poor, but his life and work are endangered by the arrival of the Spanish Inquisition.

Director:

Maurice Elvey

Status:

Released

Language:

English

Buget:

$0.00

Revenue:

$0.00

Key words:

christianity
judaism
antisemitism
christ allegory
spanish inquisition

Cast

Conrad Veidt

~ as ~

Matathias / The Unknown Knight / Dr Matteos Battadios

Marie Ney

~ as ~

Judith (Phase I)

Basil Gill

~ as ~

Pontius Pilate (Phase I)

Cicely Oates

~ as ~

Rachel (Phase I)

Anne Grey

~ as ~

Joanne de Beaudricourt (Phase II)

Bertram Wallis

~ as ~

Boemund, Prince of Tarentum (Phase II)

Hector Abbas

~ as ~

Isaachar (Phase II)

Dennis Hoey

~ as ~

Lord de Beaudricourt (Phase II)

Jack Livesey

~ as ~

Godfrey, Duke of Normandy (Phase II)

Kiyoshi Takase

~ as ~

Phirous (Phase II)

View full cast & crew

Reviews (1)

CinemaSerf
Written 3 year(s) ago
7
Told in an historically episodic fashion, Conrad Veidt depicts the Jewish man "Matathias", who helped to convince Pilate to crucify Jesus. By way of punishment, he is condemned to walk the Earth facing, enduring and surviving many of the trials that faced his race as history marched on. It is a history, of sorts. Many of the events depicted are reflections of true events - pogroms, the Spanish inquisition etc., but it's the way in which he lives his life, yearning for release - however that may manifest itself - that makes this a decent film to watch and Veidt manages this amalgam of roles quite skilfully. You can see a few short cameos from Peggy Ashcroft and Francis L. Sullivan that help to enhance this depiction of the chronology of the persecution - and persevenence - of his race, too. I don't take this film as a seriously evaluative (of religion) piece of cinema. Though overtly Christian in outlook, it is not a ram-it-down-your throat type of production. It has enough romance and adventure to keep it from moralising too much - and to keep it enjoyable to watch. I found the use of light especially effective throughout, but potently when inflicting and then rescinding his punishment and although the ending spoils it somewhat - it is abrupt, and asks way more questions than it answers - I suspect it pleased our immortal pilgrim.