I seem to remember that Sessue Hayakawa spent some time in France and Germany after leaving the US. but I only see French film titles on IMDB. Lola.<br>.<br><div class="gmail_quote">On 18 January 2011 17:44, <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:mccaskem@georgetown.edu">mccaskem@georgetown.edu</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 1ex;">Dear Friederike Felbeck & Katherine Mezur,<br>
<br>
If you are looking for the oldest one on film, it's likely to be<br>
<br>
Atarashiki tsuchi/Die Tochter des Samurai 1937<br>
<br>
It was directed by Arnold Fanck. Fanck made very realistic mountain-climbing<br>
movies, etc. Some starring Leni Riefenstahl, whom Fanck "discovered," and who<br>
became a director perhaps partly inspired by him.<br>
<br>
Fanck seems basically to have been a fairly nice person. He did not capitalize on<br>
"NS Film" very much, and was more successful before 1933 than he ever was<br>
afterward. LR probably used her influence, and helped him get this 1937 film<br>
project.<br>
<br>
It was billed as an international film. It was Hara Setsuko's first big role in film.<br>
Sessue Hayakawa was in it, though not in a leading part. A Japanese actor<br>
named Kosugi Isamu played in a sort of romantic triangle with Hara Setsuko and<br>
Ruth Eweler. Eweler was the German lead actress. Like Fanck, she did not thrive,<br>
and she died in her early 30s, probably of illness, a couple of years after WWII.<br>
Kosugi Isamu had a fairly long film career, but this 1937 film may have been the<br>
peak for him.<br>
<br>
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028028/combined" target="_blank">http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028028/combined</a><br>
<br>
The YouTube extract below will provide a very good idea of the film. Hara and<br>
Hayakawa spoke their own lines in German, I believe. There is also a version with<br>
a fully Japanese sound track.<br>
<br>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idpN4wBgpSc" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idpN4wBgpSc</a><br>
<br>
Best Regards,<br>
<br>
Michael McCaskey<br>
Georgetown Univ.<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
</blockquote></div><br>