Der Graf von Cagliostro

Der Graf von Cagliostro is a 1920 silent film directed and co-written by Reinhold Schünzel and starring Schünzel, Anita Berber and Conrad Veidt. It depicts the life of the eighteenth century Italian mesmerist and occultist Alessandro Cagliostro, who called himself Cagliostro.^[3] The film is considered a lost film.^[1]

Der Graf von Cagliostro
Directed by	Reinhold Schünzel
Screenplay by	Robert Liebmann Reinhold Schünzel[1]
Produced by	Victor Micheluzzi Reinhold Schünzel[2]
Starring	Reinhold Schünzel Anita Berber Conrad Veidt Carl Goetz
Cinematography	Kurt Lande Carl Hoffmann[1]
Production companies	Lichtbild-Fabrikation Schünzel-Film Vereinigte Filmindustrie Micheluzzi & Co
Release dates	21 December 1920 (1920-12-21) (Vienna) 17 February 1921 (1921-02-17) (Berlin)
Countries	Austria Germany[2]

Cast

• Reinhold Schünzel as Cagliostro
• Anita Berber as Lorenza, Cagliostro's slave
• Conrad Veidt as the Minister
• Carl Goetz as the Prince
• Hugo Werner-Kahle as Cagliostro's servant
• Hanni Weisse as the Favorite of the Prince
• Hilde Wörner [de] as the Maid of the Favorite
• Walter Huber
• Heinrich Jensen
• Armin Seydelmann
• Ferry Sikla

Release and reception

Der Graf von Cagliostro has its world premiere on 21 December 1920 at Busch-Kino, Vienna. It was later shown in Germany on 17 February 1921 at the Marmorhaus in Berlin.^[1]

Der Kinematograph declared the film as "marvelously effective cinema" while the script is "the weakest element in the entire production."^[4] The review also praised Carl Goetz who "gives the best performance of all" and Conrad Veidt as "very effective in his opulent costumes".^[4] A review in Film-Kurier stated that the film "could have been a masterpiece", blaming Robert Liebmann's script which "didn't expend any extra energy and what he did manage doesn't come close to the demands of this subject."^[4] The review echoed Der Kinematograph's review stating "Carl Goetz and Conrad Veidt are the only actors whose every gesture is perfect."^[4]