Der Kaiser von Kalifornien (1936)
22KDer Kaiser von Kalifornien (1936). 1h 37m
“Germany has produced its fair share of westerns, most of which appeared in the 1960s based on the books of the popular late-19th-century author Karl May. Compared to that kind of stuff, u0026#39;Der Kaiser von Kalifornienu0026#39; is pure gold. It is of course a Nazi film. There is a clear, if relatively subtle element of propaganda: Every positive character is a German (the main protagonist Johann August Suter (Luis Trenker), who really was Swiss, appears as a German, too), whereas every negative one is an American. Moreover, the rule of law in the US is presented as a sham. There is also an (admittedly relatively unobtrusive) element of racism, which is directed not against the Indians appearing in the film but against blacks and Chinese. Leaving these issues aside, u0026#39;Der Kaiseru0026#39; is excellent. Photography – strongly influenced by German expressionism – is far ahead of that of American 1930s westerns. Watch out for the dream-like sequences where Suter is shown the world and the future by the strange, ghostly character he meets at the beginning and the end, or for how the scenes in the prairy and the desert have been filmed (on location, by the way). The mass scenes are impressive. Indians are shown in a positive light. The acting is good, and the plot is exciting (it does of course deviate from what really happened, but Hollywood mythologized the past no less). All in all, u0026#39;Der Kaiser von Kalifornienu0026#39; easily holds its ground next to other westerns of the period. I was impressed.”
