Recently, the Hong Kong Arts Centre and the Goethe-Institut Hongkong presented a film festival “When Humanity Shines: The World of Stefan Zweig in Film”, showcasing a series of films inspired by the Western literary giant Stefan Zweig, aiming to inherit his idealism and commemorate the literary shining moments he created for humanity. Let us introduce the screening details of these 7 selected films:
“Goodbye Vienna
(Vor der Morgenröte – Stefan Zweig in America)”
Maria Schade intermittently depicts the life of Stefan Zweig, a world-class writer, who had to leave Austria to escape the Nazis at the peak of his career. Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, New York, and Petropolis were his places of exile. Despite finding safe refuge, friendly reception, and vast nature, none of these could bring him peace or replace his homeland.
Chagall was a desperate, wandering man, always on the road, with no final destination. An epic visual film that tells the story of a great artist’s wandering life in Europe during the occupation – this is a refugee story, as well as a biography of finding a new home.
Screening time: July 21, 2022 at 7:45 PM
“The Royal Game”
(Chess Story)
In 1942, shortly after handing over the manuscript of “The Chess Story,” Stefan Zweig chose to commit suicide with his wife. This posthumous work is also his most famous, a lament for the decline of the proud European cultural values he once held. The adaptation focuses on the story of Dr. B and his time being held in solitary confinement at the Gestapo headquarters in Vienna. There, by a stroke of luck, he discovered an international chess book and dedicated himself to learning the game.
Unlike previous adaptations, this work is not so meticulous about the original work: director Schrader depicts the mental and physical breakdown of an elite class, believing that they will not be affected by the siege until the end, which is a twist in this new work.
Screening time: July 22, 2022 at 7:45 PM
“White Roses
(Valkoiset Ruusut)”
“I only did one thing,” the female protagonist confessed to her secret crush, “on your birthday, I always gave you a bouquet of white roses, just like the ones you gave me on our first night together. In these ten… eleven years, have you ever wondered who it was from?” He hadn’t, because to the writer, she was just a brief thrill like many others.
“The White Rose” is one of the five adapted films from Chugwig’s “Letter from an Unknown Woman” that has yet to be discovered. Director Laimining has a distinctive style, with sharp scenes and heavy shadows. Speculating whether director Marx Ovus, a famous Hollywood adapter in 1948, really knows that this Finnish wartime work is meaningless: the two coexist prominently, with Tauno Palo and Louis Jourdan holding equally high positions.
Screening time: July 23, 2022 at 2:15 PM
“A Letter from a Stranger”
The snowy city scenery, like a dream, is immersed in melancholy, with the looming sign of rest: around 1900, female student Lisa hopelessly fell in love with Stefan, a piano player who was indulged in his own corruption. A love affair that would accompany her for a lifetime, even though she could only find satisfaction in the nights they once spent together.
“The Letter from an Unknown Woman” is not just an adaptation of “that” Stefan Zweig, but is also considered a classic of literary adaptation, and is still a fascinating film.
Screening time: July 23, 2022 at 4:45 PM
“The Grand Budapest Hotel”
（The Grand Budapest Hotel）
Four Oscars and numerous international film awards have crowned this film with respect. Inspired by the character and atmosphere of Chuwig, directed by the versatile set design master Wes Anderson. Against the backdrop of war spreading in the 1930s, conspiracy, deception, and even murder – as well as the theft of a precious painting – connect the two.
The title refers to the Grand Budapest Hotel located in the fictional Republic of Zubrowka, situated at the “farthest eastern point of the European continent,” still exuding its former charm: concierge Gustave H. and his apprentice Zero Moustafa unwittingly become embroiled in a complex and high-stakes inheritance battle.
The film screening was followed by a discussion, inviting Andreas Dahn, the visual effects artist of “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” to share the magical images that appeared in the work.
Screening time: July 23, 2022 at 7:45 PM
“Extramarital Affairs”
(Angst, The Weak Hour of a Woman)
The film adds a sense of suspense to the original tone, making the story more mysterious: Inge’s husband is a career-driven lawyer, causing Inge to feel unhappy in the marriage. Their planned trip together falls through, so she sets off alone to the French coast, where her lonely heart meets a young artist from a foreign country, and she quickly falls in love. She thinks this extramarital affair is a secret, but upon returning to Berlin, someone uses it to blackmail her. Stanhope’s adaptation focuses more on the characters’ backgrounds, posing deeper questions about the meaning of marital loyalty.
Screening time: July 24, 2022 at 2:30 PM
Fear
（La Paura）
Irene married a well-known scientist, and although her marriage seemed happy, her heart belonged to someone else, a composer with whom she had an affair. The rumors reached the composer’s girlfriend, who threatened Irene to expose their relationship, shamelessly using it to extort money. Irene’s life was on the verge of falling apart… Renowned for works like “Germany Year Zero” (1948), director Rossellini collaborated for the last time with his then-wife Ingrid Bergman. The dark and rainy post-war Munich, reflecting the hidden turmoil of marriages everywhere, perhaps also mirrors the disintegration of the silver couple relationship between Rossellini and Bergman.
Screening time: July 24, 2022 at 4:45 PM
Ticket details: Click here
Image source and learn more: Hong Kong Arts Centre
