The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-12-16
- DRAMA IN
Moissi Superb as Everyman
"Jedermann," Rheinhardt Perfection Of
Medieval Church Propaganda n

Aside from Rheinhardt's magnifi-
cent lighting effects, and perfect cos
tuning, the thing that thrills in
"Jedermann" is the Interpretation of
the title role by Moissi. A somewhat
dull and long winded and bloodless
character is Everyman in the original.
A somewhat shallow, slight puppet-
like effect it must have had with any
ordinary person acting it,
But Moissi, with his genius for rep
resenting a butterfly, flutters around
in his yellow coat and furs, dimes in
his furs, makes love boisterously in
his furs, and with fluttering fingers
and fine voice, turns all those long
rulity of a self satisfied rich man.
Moissi is delightful. His half conf
cal collapse into abject fear when
Death lays hand on his heart at the
banquet is perfect His rally into
hopeless dignity and his testing of all
his light companions is all that could
be desired, and accomplishes the
Church's purpose of good will towards
the rulers Of earth, as long as they
remember that The Pope is supreme.
For "Everyman" is propaganda. It
is ruling class propaganda. As Rhein-
hardt dishes it up, it is technically
perfect, technically revolutionary
even, and therefore extra good propa-
ganda. 1t is standing proof, along
with metropolis" the Ufa class col
laboration film, and "Potemkin," the
Russian revolutionary film, that prop
uganda and art are quite capable of
combination, with startling results.
The propaganda angle is this: The
Church found the rich in the Middle
Ages developing kind of happy pag-
anism. 1t produced morality play,
"Everyman," that is, every Rich
Man." showing a wealthy burgher
boasting of his gold and the excellence
of his house and refusing clarity to
debtors and poor neighbors, but
brought to virtue and Paradise in the
end.
At feast in honor of his tenants
birthday, Death seats himself in
Eyeryman's chair, at first unnoticed
by the rest of the guests. This is an
excellent scene as Rheinhardt produces
it: the tipsy, good-natured, rollicking
dinner guests have such jovial time
until Everyman feels the icy fingers,
and begins to give evidence of both
auditory and visual Authorizations.
Finally Death becomes apparent to
all, but gives Everyman an hour to
find some one to go with him along
the road, and keep him clear from the
Devil. None will go. Mammon will
not go, and scornfully informs him
that gold is good for this world alone.
The best thing that can be done with
gold, the Church wishes the world to
know, is to build cathedrals with it.
Everyman's poor crippled good
works are personified as a female,
willing to walk with him, but of little
use. Faith appears, drives the devil
away, and leads Everyman to Heaven
thru the grave.
Church propaganda. Ruling class
propaganda.
Soioloff plays both Death and the
Devil. His marvellous acrobatic skill,
which gave an original if un-Shake-
spearean touch to Puck" in "Mid-
summer Nights Dream" is hampered
III Death by many robes, and in the
Devil by a heavy wooden union suit
and pinned-on tail. But he portrays
the medieval church's self confidence
about the Devil as scrawny, power
less creature - greater than man, but
helpless against Mother Church. In
the Middle Ages the audience poked
fun at him when he came on the
stage, showered him with rubbish and