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by Ignaz Reinthaler
grade: 7.5
In Osijek zur Zeit der Österreichisch-Ungarischen Monarchie, Ignaz Reinthaler’s camera focuses mainly on the individual, on the human being, placing itself at his level, while devoting very little space to panoramas of the city and to the highlighting of the places depicted.
From Austria to Croatia
A documentary like Osijek zur Zeit der Österreichisch-Ungarischen Monarchie is a particularly interesting product within the early Austrian cinema. And to better understand its significance, one must first make a short digression.
When we think back to the pioneers of Austrian cinema, we cannot fail to recall the extraordinary figure of Louise Kolm-Fleck, founder of the first official production company in Austria and the second female director in film history. Yet, nowadays, few people remember the name of Ignaz Reinthaler, who – coming from the Balkans – moved his production company to Austria as early as the 1910s and, in the course of his long and prolific career, made numerous documentaries that testified to life not only in Austria itself, but also in the many other lands of the Empire.
Among his works, therefore, is Osijek zur Zeit der Österreichisch-Ungarischen Monarchie (“Osijek in the time of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy”), made in 1913 and recently re-presented to the audience by the Filmarchiv Austria (which bought the rights to Reinthaler’s works in 1998), on the occasion of the online retrospective Kino auf Sommerfrische.
This documentary, therefore, shows us some aspects of everyday life in the Croatian town of Osijek, where particular attention is paid to its inhabitants and to little religious rituals and events. While, in fact, the documentary opens with a close-up of the entrance to a small shop, we soon see several people strolling along the avenues of the park, until we see the Pentecost celebrations and a group of little girls celebrating their first communion.
It is interesting to observe, in Osijek zur Zeit der Österreichisch-Ungarischen Monarchie, how Ignaz Reinthaler’s camera concentrates mainly on the individual, on the human being, placing itself at his level and, at the same time, devoting very little space to views of the city and the highlighting of the places depicted.
Such an approach strongly departs from the majority of tourist documentaries shot in Austria since the early 20th century, where, on the other hand, the landscapes were the real protagonists of the films, while the human being was considered almost as a transitory element, who could do nothing more than admire the natural beauties with an extremely reverent attitude.
But Ignaz Reinthaler had, in fact, his own way of conceiving cinema. And his sharp and attentive gaze was able to give us true gems in Austrian cinema, many of which have unfortunately been lost today. But what has come down to us, at the same time, maintains its fascination even after more than a century.
Original title: Osijek zur Zeit der Österreichisch-Ungarischen Monarchie
Directed by: Ignaz Reinthaler
Country/year: Austria, Croatia / 1913
Running time: 18’
Genre: documentary
Screenplay: Ignaz Reinthaler
Cinematography: Ignaz Reinthaler
Produced by: Ignaz Reinthaler