Product Review

The Life and Works of Richard Wagner, directed by Carl Fröhlich, was first
released on 20th November 1913. It was the first ever 'bio-pic', and as such
about who else but Wagner? What is extraordinary, however, is that it
predates D.W.Griffiths and Birth of a Nation, usually described as the first
'long' silent, at a time when most silents ran for 10 minutes at most.
Fröhlich's film runs for over 80 minutes ! Made when Cosima Wagner was very
much in the ascendance, and newly restored with English inter-titles, but
preserving the original 1913 tinting, this film is a revelation about many
aspects of Wagner's life.