Agnes Günther’s heart-rending fairy tale dazzled turn-of-the-century German audiences and sold hundreds of thousands of copies before being adapted into this tale of timeless passion, the beautiful The Saint and the Fool. The unapologetically sentimental classic was directed by Wilhelm Dieterle, who launched a successful career in Weimar cinema before becoming known for romantic, lush melodramas and technicolor extravaganzas, including 1945′s Marlene Dietrich unforgettable Love Letters. The dashing Dieterle himself plays Harrogate, Earl of Torstein, whose star-crossed love for the luminous Rosemarie of Brauneck (Lien Deyers, discovered by Fritz Lang) is further doomed by royal heroes and villains, the requisite evil stepmother, and fantastical elements that channel the intoxicating romance of Camille through the magic of the Brothers Grimm.
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Cast
15 people
William Dieterle
Harro, Graf von Torstein
Known for
Faust
Waxworks
Lien Deyers
Rosemarie von Brauneck
Known for
Spies
Frederik Fuglsang
Agnes Günther
Gina Manès
Fürstin von Brauneck
Known for
Cœur fidèle
Napoleon
Curt J. Braun
Sophie Pagay
Tante Uli
Also in
Carmen
The Son of the White Mountain
Charlotte Hagenbruch
Also in
The Costume Falls
The Holy Flames
Camilla von Hollay
Also in
Superfluous People
The Tempter
Félix P Soler
Fürst von Brauneck
Mathilde Sussin
Also in
The Waltz Dream
The House Without Laughter
Heinrich Gotho
Known for
Woman in the Moon
William Dieterle Director · Curt J. Braun Writer Charlotte Hagenbruch Writer
First release October 3, 1928 · Produced in Germany · Original title Die Heilige und ihr Narr
Production
Deutsche Film-Union AG (Defu) (Berlin)
Production
Germany
Produced in
Languages
Original title
Die Heilige und ihr Narr
Original language
German
Release dates
Germany · October 3, 1928
Theatrical
No release date listed for United States.
Denmark
November 5, 1928
Finland
August 19, 1929 · Theatrical
Hungary
November 29, 1928
Portugal
February 4, 1931
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Some details come from TheTVDB.