There were Eleven Nominations for Best Picture of the Year in 1934. This was One of them. The Decade did Love the Costume Drama and here it is the Beginning of the Rothschild Family who Eventually Became Masters of the Universe Bankers. The Period is the Napoleonic Wars.
The Theme is Also Anti-Semitism a Time when there were Jewish Ghettos and the Chosen People could not be Choosy in Professions. Money was Their Power, as We are Reminded throughout the Film, and Oy Vey did They use it and at the Same Time Trying to Remain "Dignified".
After a Stereotypical Beginning when the Bankers were just Babes, Grandfather Rothchilde Scurries about the House and Hides the Ledgers, the Silver, and the Beef Roast to "Cheat" the Tax Collector (this is justified because they were being treated unfairly and discriminated against, so all's fair in Love and Money).
Things Move Forward Decades and the Rothschild Children are Now Bankers to Nations and They can Make or Break Countries, Wars, and People. The Movie is a Glossy Production that Glosses Over Any and All Flaws the Family Might have had for the Sake of Early Thirties Messaging to what was Happening in Germany at the Time (Nazis).
Overall, Worth a Watch for Pre-Code Inclusions of Religion and Prejudice that would soon be Banned in Hollywood by Hays/Breen and for the Fine Acting of Richard Arliss and Boris Karloff.
Note...Beware inferior murky prints floating about and be on the lookout for the original Three-Strip-Technicolor ending.
The Theme is Also Anti-Semitism a Time when there were Jewish Ghettos and the Chosen People could not be Choosy in Professions. Money was Their Power, as We are Reminded throughout the Film, and Oy Vey did They use it and at the Same Time Trying to Remain "Dignified".
After a Stereotypical Beginning when the Bankers were just Babes, Grandfather Rothchilde Scurries about the House and Hides the Ledgers, the Silver, and the Beef Roast to "Cheat" the Tax Collector (this is justified because they were being treated unfairly and discriminated against, so all's fair in Love and Money).
Things Move Forward Decades and the Rothschild Children are Now Bankers to Nations and They can Make or Break Countries, Wars, and People. The Movie is a Glossy Production that Glosses Over Any and All Flaws the Family Might have had for the Sake of Early Thirties Messaging to what was Happening in Germany at the Time (Nazis).
Overall, Worth a Watch for Pre-Code Inclusions of Religion and Prejudice that would soon be Banned in Hollywood by Hays/Breen and for the Fine Acting of Richard Arliss and Boris Karloff.
Note...Beware inferior murky prints floating about and be on the lookout for the original Three-Strip-Technicolor ending.