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Directed by Georg Wilhelm Pabst
Germany 1943

 

A physician, alchemist, and spiritual guru, Paracelsus (1493-1541) was one of the most enigmatic figures in the history of science. And, like its subject, this 1943 film is shrouded in mystery, even though it was directed by one of the supreme stylists of the German cinema: G.W. Pabst. Werner Krauss (The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari) stars as the Swiss-born scientist, who faces the seemingly impossible task of protecting the German people from a coming plague, and calming a rising tide of mass hysteria. Despite being called “a remarkably interesting film” by The New York Times’s Vincent Canby (when it received its belated U.S. premiere in 1974), Paracelsus continues to be overlooked, along with most all of the films made in Germany during World War II. With fresh eyes, however, we can see that Paracelsus is not a propaganda film, but the work of an oppressed artist attempting to convey a humanist, possibly subversive message under the gaze of Reich Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels.

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A 1943 German drama film directed by Georg Wilhelm Pabst based on the life of Philippus von Hohenheim (Paracelsus). The film is one of several big nazi era productions with main characters regarded as propaganda-parables to Adolf Hitler (see also Ohm Krüger and Der grosse König).

Posters

Theatrical Release: March 12th, 1943

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Review: Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

Box Cover

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Distribution Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Runtime 1:45:17.978        
Video

1.33:1 1080P Single-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 23,570,246,410 bytes

Feature: 23,463,803,712 bytes

Video Bitrate: 26.32 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate Blu-ray:

Audio

LPCM Audio German 1536 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps / 16-bit
Commentary:

Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps

Subtitles English, None
Features Release Information:
Studio:
Kino

 

1.33:1 1080P Single-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 23,570,246,410 bytes

Feature: 23,463,803,712 bytes

Video Bitrate: 26.32 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Edition Details:

Audio commentary by film historian Samm Deighan


Blu-ray Release Date:
June 30th, 2020
Standard Blu-ray Case

Chapters 11

 

 

Comments:

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Kino Blu-ray (June 2020): Kino have transferred Georg Wilhelm Pabst's Paracelsus to Blu-ray. The film starts with the "Friederich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung" logo signifying the restoration would have come from them. Aside from an occasional light vertical scratch throughout much of the film, speckles and infrequent frame-specifci damage (see sample below) - it looked very strong. There are sequences that the contrast appears compromised but often detail is exceptional. It is generally bright and very sharp. Taking the condition into account the 1080P transfer is quite remarkable.  

On their Blu-ray, Kino use a DTS-HD Master dual-mono track (16-bit) in the original German language (with some Latin.) It is has a score by Herbert Windt (Leni Riefenstahl's Olympia, Triumph of the Will) and there were a few instances of inconsistency but they were the exception.  Kino offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

We are privileged to have another excellent audio commentary by film historian Samm Deighan who focuses much of her discussion on Pabst she ventures into Paracelsus as a Nazi film, the lead Werner Krauss and much more. Samm imparts a wealth of valuable information and she isn't afraid to draw some conclusions and make analysis. I thought this commentary significantly increased the value of the Kino Blu-ray. It is the only supplement.  

Georg Wilhelm Pabst's Paracelsus has unjustly been out of the conversation for far too long. We can view it now produced under the aegis of the Third Reich and Nazi influence. I thoroughly enjoyed the Kino Blu-ray with the Samm Deighan commentary adding further layers of appreciation. It's a fascinating G.W. Pabst film on its own but in this Blu-ray package - it moves toward essential cinephile viewing. Strongly recommended!  

Gary Tooze

 


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Distribution Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray


 


 

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