Opium (1920) - full transcript
A Chinese opium dealer takes revenge on Westerners who have corrupted his wife.
The first version of Robert Reinert's
monumental large-scale film OPIUM,
which premiered in Munich on
January 7, 1919, is no longer preserved
It is said to have been 2,486 meters
long and was created in autumn 1918,
when German film censorship was
abolished after the end of the World War
It was not until June 10, 1921 that the
reintroduced censorship examined the film
and released it with a length of 2,282 meters
Unfortunately, the censorship files are lost
The present version, digitally reconstructed
in 2018 by the Film museum Munich
and the Film museum Düsseldorf,
corresponds to a length of around
2,100 meters and is more complete
than all previous versions of the film,
that survived in the archives
with poor image quality
Since no script has been found so far
and no detailed synopses are available,
the film could only be reconstructed by
comparing the original nitrate film fragments
obtained from the Film museum Munich,
the Film museum Düsseldorf and
the Film archive Austria. However, these
materials showed significant differences
in the shots and editing sequences used,
which suggests that there were at least
two different negatives at the time
For the reconstruction, it was necessary
to identify alternative shots and to
sort the better shots and colorings
in the film positive material
according to plot logic
In the process, age-related color
changes in the lighting were compensated
ROBERT REINERT'S
MONUMENTAL FILM-WORK
OPIUM
Professor Gesellius
Eduard Von Winterstein
Maria, his wife - Hanna Ralph
Nung-Chiang - Werner Krauss
Sin, later Magdalena - Sybill Morel
Dr. Armstrong - Friedrich Kuhne
Dr. Richard Armstrong, his son
Conrad Veidt
Ali - Alexander Delbosq
The opium girl - Sigrid Hohenfels
Writer and director: Robert Reinert
Cameraman: Helmar Lerski
OPIUM - 1st ACT
Opium, strangest
of all poisons,
benefactor of sufferers
of illness and pain
both benevolent and terrible!
Woe to those who
succumb to it ...
For more than a year Professor Gesellius,
the famous doctor had been in China,
the homeland of opium,
in order to study this mysterious poison
Ali, his faithful Indian servant,
who makes final preparations
for their return home
"If your ship didn't
leave so early in the morning,
I could take you back to Nung-Chiang"
"Due to its special preparation,
his opium produces terrific sensations,
though I admit it destroys
mind and body like no other"
The Opium den of Nung-Chiang
Professor Gesellius recognizes the girl
from Nung-Chiang's opium den
"If you are a man, RESCUE ME!
Shall I stay here and be destroyed?"
"I will wait for you
in front of the house"
"You will never leave
this room alive ..."
"Smoke! You will no longer
feel pain nor hunger, nor despair"
"My opium carries you over
all the hardships of death!"
The love of the Malayan
"Let me out!"
"You should understand
my love for Europeans"
"I lived happily for 17 years
with Sin's mother, my wife ..."
"Among our guests was
a noted European doctor"
"... He had a wife and child in his
own country, but despite that ..."
"... All was destroyed,
happiness and honor ..."
"I didn't strangle him
nor did I stab him!
Oh no! Opium, my opium
would be my revenge"
"The scoundrel deteriorated
quickly and disappeared.
My wife paid with her life"
"The child -
her child and his -
remained in my hands"
"Relax and smoke the opium.
It is the same as
I gave to that scoundrel"
"You are just like your mother!"
Opium, strangest of all poisons,
benefactor of sufferers of illness and pain
Both benevolent and terrible!
Woe to the unlucky one who succumbs.
Through all the dreams,
his longing for his wife and child,
who he loved above all,
pulled him back toward his home
Night
"HELP ME! Guard —"
"... Hold him back ...!"
"Quickly! We must run for our lives!
In a quarter of an hour
the ship puts out to sea"
"You will pass only over
my dead body"
Death to the European
"They will not escape my revenge!"
"As he, that scoundrel,
once took my love from me,
so will I take yours
that which is dearest to you"
End of the 1st act
OPIUM - 2nd ACT
Home
On the same day, Sin,
under the name of Magdalena
was enrolled as a nurse in
the sanatorium of the professor
Dr. Richard Armstrong, the favourite
student and assistant of the professor
Richard Armstrong is the son of a doctor
who has been missing in China for 17 years
"You seem so depressed, Richard.
Is something worrying you?"
"I don't deserve your kindness ..."
In the evening
"Pardon me, Marie, I must prepare
my lecture for tomorrow"
"I have so much to say that is vital
for the happiness of all mankind"
"... for the happiness of all mankind ..."
All of the work and all of the success
in the world means nothing
if one doesn't bring the condition
of mankind nearer to happiness
...every single one of us dreads
the happiness of others...
The next morning
An instinctive aversion
"... it is as if at this terrible time,
all the happy feelings
of the world would come to depend ..."
"... a terrifying absence of joy
thrusts people back down to earth"
"... So it is, that many,
some of the best and finest
rouse their weary soul with poison,
the smoke of joy — Opium!"
"You poor souls who secretly
indulge in these vices ...
Your souls and bodies are ravaged
A horrifying torment,
a miserable infirmity is their lot
You are lost"
"I will create an asylum in my house
for these unfortunates"
"My house will be a house of joy"
"Do you recognize me,
my old school friend?
I have wandered restlessly
through the world for 17 years"
"Richard Armstrong!
What has become of you?"
"I have paid for
the heavenly pleasures
and delights of smoking opium"
"Do you know
what is the worst thing? ...
That I can never allow
myself to do it again"
"I can't even allow
myself to see my son"
Dr. Armstrong was admitted to the
Sanatorium under an assumed name
"It is not possible!"
"What has become
of my son?"
"Your son is my pride and joy.
How I love him!"
"What a terrible disaster
hangs over us ...
He is a saint ... and we ..."
Prof. Gesellius had passionately
undertaken a war against Opium.
His "House of Joy"
was filled with the sick,
who sought cure and
protection from this poison
For the sake of his son,
Dr. Armstrong
with superhuman efforts
overcame terrible sufferings and pain
which the withdrawal
from opium causes
"Great God, my son
didn't recognize me!"
Help me to become a new man!
I want to face my son without
being ashamed Help me!
But Richard neglected his profession,
for reasons which no one suspected
In a foolhardy ride alone, he
sought forgetfulness and - an end
"I came across the sea
to be where you are -
until my hour strikes"
End of the 2nd act
OPIUM - 3rd ACT
Having heard of your
investigations in China
we would like to help you in
fighting the opium problem in India
"His father must of
course know nothing"
"Don't leave me alone!
Why should I live without you?
" ...alone for 6 years..."
"The happiness of the world
was all that counted in your life.
Where is our happiness?"
"I have gone to ruin
by your side!"
Robbed of speech
"You do not know what he is.
You see, he is in your hands"
"His wounds are not fatal.
He will live"
"Do you know what
is the most bitter?
When the one you love
is taken away from you"
The next day, Prof. Gesellius
gave one of his famous lectures
...each of us is afraid of
the other's happiness...
Despair
"I have only done good
to both of them ..."
"I have lost faith in mankind"
"I am at the end of my powers"
My poor Maria, Farewell
I leave of my own
free will this life
which is so
miserable to me.
Give her this...
"Your writing is so unclear.
I can't read it"
Robbed of his vigor,
confused by the blow of fate
which dashed him down,
the professor grasped at the poison,
the fight against which
had been his life's work
"My peace, my happiness,
destroyed by him - He must die!"
"What a terrible
Opium dream!"
"He is dead!"
"I didn't do it, so help me God,
I didn't do it"
"Because of you, my son,
I wanted to begin life anew,
now I see you as a corpse"
"Do you recognize me?"
The doubt,
the terrible doubt ...
... we would like to help you in
fighting the opium problem in India
End of the 3rd act
OPIUM - 4th ACT
At India
Since that dreadful night,
mixing dreams and reality,
the Professor was tormented.
Had he really killed Richard Armstrong?
And there was the
accusation of Maria.
So he took up the
offer to go to India
Despite his outward calm,
Magdalena guessed at
the true state of his soul.
The colorful splendour
of the Orient
was not able to erase
the past from his memory.
A shadow-like figure
followed him there...
the sinister Chinese
Tormented memories
"Can't you leave
the dead in peace?"
"I didn't kill him!"
"There is a way to forget,
to save yourself ..."
"Don't do it!
It is the terrible
poison of Nung-Chiang"
"I would give my
life for you"
"I know, Magdalena,
but I don't love you,
I only love one"
From then on, Professor Gesellius
was addicted to Opium
In the Indian Opium den
The unfortunate man
succumbs to the lure ...
... the terrible memory of the
dead mingles in all dreams .....
The one I killed won't leave
me in rest any more, day or night!
What have I done?
In order to save her beloved,
Magdalena decided
to sacrifice herself
"No, you unhappy man,
I did it"
"I killed him because
he destroyed your life"
"I killed him because I believed
his death would save you..."
"Because of you I have
lost her — lost everything"
At an Indian festival
the professor was
introduced to the
Prince and Princess
The Princess takes a fancy
to the famous man
"What do you want with him?
He doesn't love you"
"To my last breath,
I will be true to him"
Good, then today he will die
The Professor leaves the feast
disgusted: there is only one way
to fill his nerves, devastated
by the poison, with tension
Excited from the poison,
Gesellius allows himself an
adventure with the Princess
The sinister stimulation
of the Opium
"Maria! Is that you?
My love, my wife!"
Ali and Magdalena
search for their master
"Your wife and
the European —"
The faithful servant overhears
the plot against his master
"Seize his accomplice!"
Intoxication weakens
his hold on reality
"Sir, save yourself!"
"Bring me dead or alive
the one who
disgraced my honor!"
End of the 4th act
OPIUM - 5th ACT
For God's sake, get away
from it. You are lost in Abyss
"Opium! Give me opium—
so that I forget and save myself
A boyish prank
The burning city
While ruin and devastation
raged over him,
Gesellius wandered
in the Elysian Fields
"... Oh, wonderful
land of dreams ..."
Magdalena and Ali search
in despair for their master
The deadly enemies
"The European has
set fire to your holy city!"
A sense of despair
In the meantime, the Professor
is captured by the Prince's men
"Strap him to a horse
and drive him into the
lion-infested jungle!"
A bold decision
In the jungle of the Maharajah
The faithful servant knows
the terrible dangers of
of the Indian wilderness
"You are best and truest of
all men, we will never part!"
"Soon my revenge
will be completed"
End of the 5th act
OPIUM - 6th ACT
After unspeakable
strains & privations,
Gesellius and Magdalena
arrived in Europe
"Daddy! Daddy!"
"You, you alone
recognize me —"
"Is there room in
the House of Joy
for one in despair?"
"You killed my son!"
"Not him...
I... I did it!"
... Fate ...
In the "House of Joy" which
he founded, the famous Doctor
now resides, himself a victim
of opium, in loving care
"I won't hurt you
anymore, you fool—"
"The one who killed your
son is your daughter"
"Yes, you fool,
your only daughter!"
"... And you, her father,
have delivered your only
daughter to the executioner"
"I am avenged!"
"For the sake of your late
mother, whom I always loved,
I will save you"
The Professor knows
that he is lost
His poisoned body no longer
possesses the ability to resist
the shaking, which the
withdrawal from opium causes
"Feelings no longer
oppress me —
Tell me the truth about
you and him, Maria!"
A confession
"It was your right
to love him, Maria"
My poor Maria, farewell.
I leave of my own free will
this life which is
so miserable to me
My poor Maria, farewell.
I leave of my own free will
this life which is
so miserable to me
"We know that you are
guiltless of the death,
Why did you try to take
it upon yourself?"
"To save that unhappy
man from the delusion
that he had killed
Richard Armstrong"
"You saint"
"My child, can you forgive
a miserable wretch?"
Mysterious poison, deliver me forever
from all the lust and all the torment
that you have so
abundantly created for me
"To end everything would
be merciful, Richard Armstrong!
Let me once more
dream and die
Enjoying the last
opium dream"
"Gather around me, dear ones..."
"No anxiety will obscure the
wonderful harmony of my soul"
"Is it you, the truest
of all friends?"
"Are you here
to lead me?"
"... forgive me, think
only good of me ..."
When Professor Gesellius
was escorted
into the land of eternal rest
he didn't have the desire to die
He wanted to live
... a new life
... a new life ...
THE END
monumental large-scale film OPIUM,
which premiered in Munich on
January 7, 1919, is no longer preserved
It is said to have been 2,486 meters
long and was created in autumn 1918,
when German film censorship was
abolished after the end of the World War
It was not until June 10, 1921 that the
reintroduced censorship examined the film
and released it with a length of 2,282 meters
Unfortunately, the censorship files are lost
The present version, digitally reconstructed
in 2018 by the Film museum Munich
and the Film museum Düsseldorf,
corresponds to a length of around
2,100 meters and is more complete
than all previous versions of the film,
that survived in the archives
with poor image quality
Since no script has been found so far
and no detailed synopses are available,
the film could only be reconstructed by
comparing the original nitrate film fragments
obtained from the Film museum Munich,
the Film museum Düsseldorf and
the Film archive Austria. However, these
materials showed significant differences
in the shots and editing sequences used,
which suggests that there were at least
two different negatives at the time
For the reconstruction, it was necessary
to identify alternative shots and to
sort the better shots and colorings
in the film positive material
according to plot logic
In the process, age-related color
changes in the lighting were compensated
ROBERT REINERT'S
MONUMENTAL FILM-WORK
OPIUM
Professor Gesellius
Eduard Von Winterstein
Maria, his wife - Hanna Ralph
Nung-Chiang - Werner Krauss
Sin, later Magdalena - Sybill Morel
Dr. Armstrong - Friedrich Kuhne
Dr. Richard Armstrong, his son
Conrad Veidt
Ali - Alexander Delbosq
The opium girl - Sigrid Hohenfels
Writer and director: Robert Reinert
Cameraman: Helmar Lerski
OPIUM - 1st ACT
Opium, strangest
of all poisons,
benefactor of sufferers
of illness and pain
both benevolent and terrible!
Woe to those who
succumb to it ...
For more than a year Professor Gesellius,
the famous doctor had been in China,
the homeland of opium,
in order to study this mysterious poison
Ali, his faithful Indian servant,
who makes final preparations
for their return home
"If your ship didn't
leave so early in the morning,
I could take you back to Nung-Chiang"
"Due to its special preparation,
his opium produces terrific sensations,
though I admit it destroys
mind and body like no other"
The Opium den of Nung-Chiang
Professor Gesellius recognizes the girl
from Nung-Chiang's opium den
"If you are a man, RESCUE ME!
Shall I stay here and be destroyed?"
"I will wait for you
in front of the house"
"You will never leave
this room alive ..."
"Smoke! You will no longer
feel pain nor hunger, nor despair"
"My opium carries you over
all the hardships of death!"
The love of the Malayan
"Let me out!"
"You should understand
my love for Europeans"
"I lived happily for 17 years
with Sin's mother, my wife ..."
"Among our guests was
a noted European doctor"
"... He had a wife and child in his
own country, but despite that ..."
"... All was destroyed,
happiness and honor ..."
"I didn't strangle him
nor did I stab him!
Oh no! Opium, my opium
would be my revenge"
"The scoundrel deteriorated
quickly and disappeared.
My wife paid with her life"
"The child -
her child and his -
remained in my hands"
"Relax and smoke the opium.
It is the same as
I gave to that scoundrel"
"You are just like your mother!"
Opium, strangest of all poisons,
benefactor of sufferers of illness and pain
Both benevolent and terrible!
Woe to the unlucky one who succumbs.
Through all the dreams,
his longing for his wife and child,
who he loved above all,
pulled him back toward his home
Night
"HELP ME! Guard —"
"... Hold him back ...!"
"Quickly! We must run for our lives!
In a quarter of an hour
the ship puts out to sea"
"You will pass only over
my dead body"
Death to the European
"They will not escape my revenge!"
"As he, that scoundrel,
once took my love from me,
so will I take yours
that which is dearest to you"
End of the 1st act
OPIUM - 2nd ACT
Home
On the same day, Sin,
under the name of Magdalena
was enrolled as a nurse in
the sanatorium of the professor
Dr. Richard Armstrong, the favourite
student and assistant of the professor
Richard Armstrong is the son of a doctor
who has been missing in China for 17 years
"You seem so depressed, Richard.
Is something worrying you?"
"I don't deserve your kindness ..."
In the evening
"Pardon me, Marie, I must prepare
my lecture for tomorrow"
"I have so much to say that is vital
for the happiness of all mankind"
"... for the happiness of all mankind ..."
All of the work and all of the success
in the world means nothing
if one doesn't bring the condition
of mankind nearer to happiness
...every single one of us dreads
the happiness of others...
The next morning
An instinctive aversion
"... it is as if at this terrible time,
all the happy feelings
of the world would come to depend ..."
"... a terrifying absence of joy
thrusts people back down to earth"
"... So it is, that many,
some of the best and finest
rouse their weary soul with poison,
the smoke of joy — Opium!"
"You poor souls who secretly
indulge in these vices ...
Your souls and bodies are ravaged
A horrifying torment,
a miserable infirmity is their lot
You are lost"
"I will create an asylum in my house
for these unfortunates"
"My house will be a house of joy"
"Do you recognize me,
my old school friend?
I have wandered restlessly
through the world for 17 years"
"Richard Armstrong!
What has become of you?"
"I have paid for
the heavenly pleasures
and delights of smoking opium"
"Do you know
what is the worst thing? ...
That I can never allow
myself to do it again"
"I can't even allow
myself to see my son"
Dr. Armstrong was admitted to the
Sanatorium under an assumed name
"It is not possible!"
"What has become
of my son?"
"Your son is my pride and joy.
How I love him!"
"What a terrible disaster
hangs over us ...
He is a saint ... and we ..."
Prof. Gesellius had passionately
undertaken a war against Opium.
His "House of Joy"
was filled with the sick,
who sought cure and
protection from this poison
For the sake of his son,
Dr. Armstrong
with superhuman efforts
overcame terrible sufferings and pain
which the withdrawal
from opium causes
"Great God, my son
didn't recognize me!"
Help me to become a new man!
I want to face my son without
being ashamed Help me!
But Richard neglected his profession,
for reasons which no one suspected
In a foolhardy ride alone, he
sought forgetfulness and - an end
"I came across the sea
to be where you are -
until my hour strikes"
End of the 2nd act
OPIUM - 3rd ACT
Having heard of your
investigations in China
we would like to help you in
fighting the opium problem in India
"His father must of
course know nothing"
"Don't leave me alone!
Why should I live without you?
" ...alone for 6 years..."
"The happiness of the world
was all that counted in your life.
Where is our happiness?"
"I have gone to ruin
by your side!"
Robbed of speech
"You do not know what he is.
You see, he is in your hands"
"His wounds are not fatal.
He will live"
"Do you know what
is the most bitter?
When the one you love
is taken away from you"
The next day, Prof. Gesellius
gave one of his famous lectures
...each of us is afraid of
the other's happiness...
Despair
"I have only done good
to both of them ..."
"I have lost faith in mankind"
"I am at the end of my powers"
My poor Maria, Farewell
I leave of my own
free will this life
which is so
miserable to me.
Give her this...
"Your writing is so unclear.
I can't read it"
Robbed of his vigor,
confused by the blow of fate
which dashed him down,
the professor grasped at the poison,
the fight against which
had been his life's work
"My peace, my happiness,
destroyed by him - He must die!"
"What a terrible
Opium dream!"
"He is dead!"
"I didn't do it, so help me God,
I didn't do it"
"Because of you, my son,
I wanted to begin life anew,
now I see you as a corpse"
"Do you recognize me?"
The doubt,
the terrible doubt ...
... we would like to help you in
fighting the opium problem in India
End of the 3rd act
OPIUM - 4th ACT
At India
Since that dreadful night,
mixing dreams and reality,
the Professor was tormented.
Had he really killed Richard Armstrong?
And there was the
accusation of Maria.
So he took up the
offer to go to India
Despite his outward calm,
Magdalena guessed at
the true state of his soul.
The colorful splendour
of the Orient
was not able to erase
the past from his memory.
A shadow-like figure
followed him there...
the sinister Chinese
Tormented memories
"Can't you leave
the dead in peace?"
"I didn't kill him!"
"There is a way to forget,
to save yourself ..."
"Don't do it!
It is the terrible
poison of Nung-Chiang"
"I would give my
life for you"
"I know, Magdalena,
but I don't love you,
I only love one"
From then on, Professor Gesellius
was addicted to Opium
In the Indian Opium den
The unfortunate man
succumbs to the lure ...
... the terrible memory of the
dead mingles in all dreams .....
The one I killed won't leave
me in rest any more, day or night!
What have I done?
In order to save her beloved,
Magdalena decided
to sacrifice herself
"No, you unhappy man,
I did it"
"I killed him because
he destroyed your life"
"I killed him because I believed
his death would save you..."
"Because of you I have
lost her — lost everything"
At an Indian festival
the professor was
introduced to the
Prince and Princess
The Princess takes a fancy
to the famous man
"What do you want with him?
He doesn't love you"
"To my last breath,
I will be true to him"
Good, then today he will die
The Professor leaves the feast
disgusted: there is only one way
to fill his nerves, devastated
by the poison, with tension
Excited from the poison,
Gesellius allows himself an
adventure with the Princess
The sinister stimulation
of the Opium
"Maria! Is that you?
My love, my wife!"
Ali and Magdalena
search for their master
"Your wife and
the European —"
The faithful servant overhears
the plot against his master
"Seize his accomplice!"
Intoxication weakens
his hold on reality
"Sir, save yourself!"
"Bring me dead or alive
the one who
disgraced my honor!"
End of the 4th act
OPIUM - 5th ACT
For God's sake, get away
from it. You are lost in Abyss
"Opium! Give me opium—
so that I forget and save myself
A boyish prank
The burning city
While ruin and devastation
raged over him,
Gesellius wandered
in the Elysian Fields
"... Oh, wonderful
land of dreams ..."
Magdalena and Ali search
in despair for their master
The deadly enemies
"The European has
set fire to your holy city!"
A sense of despair
In the meantime, the Professor
is captured by the Prince's men
"Strap him to a horse
and drive him into the
lion-infested jungle!"
A bold decision
In the jungle of the Maharajah
The faithful servant knows
the terrible dangers of
of the Indian wilderness
"You are best and truest of
all men, we will never part!"
"Soon my revenge
will be completed"
End of the 5th act
OPIUM - 6th ACT
After unspeakable
strains & privations,
Gesellius and Magdalena
arrived in Europe
"Daddy! Daddy!"
"You, you alone
recognize me —"
"Is there room in
the House of Joy
for one in despair?"
"You killed my son!"
"Not him...
I... I did it!"
... Fate ...
In the "House of Joy" which
he founded, the famous Doctor
now resides, himself a victim
of opium, in loving care
"I won't hurt you
anymore, you fool—"
"The one who killed your
son is your daughter"
"Yes, you fool,
your only daughter!"
"... And you, her father,
have delivered your only
daughter to the executioner"
"I am avenged!"
"For the sake of your late
mother, whom I always loved,
I will save you"
The Professor knows
that he is lost
His poisoned body no longer
possesses the ability to resist
the shaking, which the
withdrawal from opium causes
"Feelings no longer
oppress me —
Tell me the truth about
you and him, Maria!"
A confession
"It was your right
to love him, Maria"
My poor Maria, farewell.
I leave of my own free will
this life which is
so miserable to me
My poor Maria, farewell.
I leave of my own free will
this life which is
so miserable to me
"We know that you are
guiltless of the death,
Why did you try to take
it upon yourself?"
"To save that unhappy
man from the delusion
that he had killed
Richard Armstrong"
"You saint"
"My child, can you forgive
a miserable wretch?"
Mysterious poison, deliver me forever
from all the lust and all the torment
that you have so
abundantly created for me
"To end everything would
be merciful, Richard Armstrong!
Let me once more
dream and die
Enjoying the last
opium dream"
"Gather around me, dear ones..."
"No anxiety will obscure the
wonderful harmony of my soul"
"Is it you, the truest
of all friends?"
"Are you here
to lead me?"
"... forgive me, think
only good of me ..."
When Professor Gesellius
was escorted
into the land of eternal rest
he didn't have the desire to die
He wanted to live
... a new life
... a new life ...
THE END