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My Four Years in Germany
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Wikipedia article
'My Four Years in Germany' is a 1918 American silent war drama film that is notable as being the first film produced by the four Warner Brothers, Harry, Sam, Albert, and Jack, though the title card clearly reads "My Four Years In Germany Inc. Presents ...". It was directed by seasoned William Nigh, later a director at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and was based on the experiences of real life U. S. Ambassador to Germany James W. Gerard as described in his book. The film was produced while World War I was still raging and is sometimes considered a propaganda film.[http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=&Movie=17181 The AFI Catalog of Feature Films: 'My Four Years in Germany'][http://www.silentera.com/PSFL/data/M/MyFourYearsInGermany1918.html Progressive Silent Film List: 'My Four Years in Germany'] at silentera.com
Cast
*Halbert Brown as Ambassador James W. Gerard
*Willard Dashiell as Sir Edward Goschen
*Louis Dean as Kaiser Wilhelm II
*Earl Schenck as Crown Prince of Germany
*George Riddell as Field Marshall von Hindenburg
*Frank Stone as Prince Henry of Prussia
*Karl Dane as Chancellor von Bethmann-Hollweg
*Fred Hern as Foreign Minister von Jagow
*Percy Standing as Under-Secretary Zimmermann
*William Bittner as Grand Admiral von Tirpitz
*Arthur C. Duvel as Field Marshal von Falkenhayn
*Ann Dearing as Aimee Delaporte
*A. B. Conkwright as Socialist
*William Nigh as Socialist
Reception
Like many American films of the time, 'My Four Years in Germany' was subject to cuts by city and state film censorship boards. For example, the Chicago Board of Censors required cuts, in Reel 7, of the intertitle "Do you know where will be quarted tonight?", two scenes of officer entering cabin into which young woman runs and his exit, scene of young woman lying in bed with clothing disarranged after her criminal assault, scene of dead woman on ground, Reel 8, the intertitle "The first night we were quartered with the soldiers", and, Reel 10, scene of man drawing sword out of other man's body. The Chicago board's cuts totaled twenty feet of film.
Preservation
A copy of 'My Four Years in Germany' is held in the Turner Entertainment film library.[http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.mbrs.sfdb.1438/default.html The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: 'My Four Years in Germany']'Catalog of Holdings The American Film Institute Collection and The United Artists Collection at The Library of Congress', p. 123 c.1978 by The American Film Institute
References
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