Arzen von Cserépy′s "Fridericus Rex"
1 September 2001 - 3 December 2001

With his four-part silent film Fridericus Rex, Hungarian-born Arzen von Cserépy wrote film history. The film about Prussian King Friedrich II that was shot at the beginning of the 1920s divided domestic and foreign audiences alike: While some criticised the film as a glorification of monarchic, Prussian and military values, others acclaimed its appreciation of the Prussian leader with the modern means of filmic images. Critics debated in the press, spectators argued heatedly in the cinemas. The attracted public attention paid off for many of those who participated in the film: Cserépy was called to Hollywood, main actor Otto Gebühr became the sole personification of the Prussian king.
Filmmuseum Potsdam owns the estate of Arzen von Cserépy. Working materials, correspondence, personal documents – most notably from the time between the early 1920s and the 1930s – give evidence of the life and works of the director, author, and film producer Arzen von Cserépy. Exhibits from the estate were presented in a foyer exhibition.