While I wasn't overly impressed with Mr. George Arliss and his interpretation of Nathan Rothschild (in a very stilted theatrical manner)--nor the film itself--I was very impressed by the blonde beauty of LORETTA YOUNG as his Jewish daughter in love with a Gentile, ROBERT YOUNG. Told against the background of Napoleon's rise to power, it's a lavishly produced historical yarn that is short of producing a powerful effect when it tells the tale of the Rothschild's struggle to become a banking empire.
TCM showed a print which did not include the Technicolor ending, a reasonable looking print otherwise. The good cast includes ALAN MOBRAY, C. AUBREY SMITH, REGINALD OWEN and others from Hollywood's British colony.
It tells the story of how the Rothschild established their banking empire at a time when the European bankers wanted nothing to do with Jews and their enterprising ways. BORIS KARLOFF is anything but subtle as a Prussian Count who admits that Arliss is not even being considered when bids are made "because of a technicality"--that technicality being because he is a Jew.
Since this was made at a time when the world was indeed experiencing the sort of prejudices in Germany that would eventually lead to The Holocaust, this was a brave film for Hollywood to tackle. Sadly, the result is a film lacking in dramatic intensity.
There is nothing powerful in the presentation, and not even the performance of the much revered George Arliss can overcome the script weaknesses and direction that prevent it from being little more than average in effect.
TCM showed a print which did not include the Technicolor ending, a reasonable looking print otherwise. The good cast includes ALAN MOBRAY, C. AUBREY SMITH, REGINALD OWEN and others from Hollywood's British colony.
It tells the story of how the Rothschild established their banking empire at a time when the European bankers wanted nothing to do with Jews and their enterprising ways. BORIS KARLOFF is anything but subtle as a Prussian Count who admits that Arliss is not even being considered when bids are made "because of a technicality"--that technicality being because he is a Jew.
Since this was made at a time when the world was indeed experiencing the sort of prejudices in Germany that would eventually lead to The Holocaust, this was a brave film for Hollywood to tackle. Sadly, the result is a film lacking in dramatic intensity.
There is nothing powerful in the presentation, and not even the performance of the much revered George Arliss can overcome the script weaknesses and direction that prevent it from being little more than average in effect.