Salamander' is loosely based on the life of Paul Kammerer, a biologist who advocated for Lamarckian evolution. The Lamarckians believed that acquired traits can be inherited. For example, if you work out in the gym your children will be born muscle bound. Evolution doesn't really work that way, of course.
In his most famous experiments, Kammerer made midwife toads breed in water, something that was difficult for the males. Kammerer reported that the females developed black pads on their feet to give the males more traction during the underwater mating process.
This was an astounding claim, and Kammerer was accused of fraud when another researcher discovered the black pads had been painted on with India ink. A few weeks later, Kammerer committed suicide.
This brings us to 'Salamander'. Like 'Occult forces', the Vichy government's 1943 pro-Nazi film, 'Salamander' is propaganda based on a bizarre conspiracy theory. Professor Zange (the Kammerer character) is portrayed as a heroic loner, whose search for truth is brought down by the Catholic Church, the nobility, bankers and the Nazis.
The producers wanted to mold Kammerer's story into a struggle between scientific truth and religious superstition- with the Communists on the side of truth, of course. Little matter this had nothing to do with reality. At the time, the Church was agnostic about evolution, the Nazis regarded the Catholics with suspicion, and bankers and the remnants of the nobility had no interest in the matter.
The real debate was between the Lamarkians and the Mendelian geneticists- 'Salamander', ironically, is a story about truth that is entirely untrue.
But a good story it is, and well told. The pacing is fast, and 'Salamander' demonstrates a silent film can have a complicated plot with numerous subplots. Father Bsheshinski, a murderous priest, conspires with Prince Ruprecht Karlstein, Zange's traitorous assistant, to not merely discredit Zange but to destroy his life entirely. Even though bad guys are stereotyped, the acting is superb throughout- with the exception of the lumpen portrayal of Zange's wife.
But it's production that makes 'Salamander' stand out. 'Salamander' is produced by two Russian and German production companies (Mezhrabpomfilm and Prometheusfilm), and it combines constructivist and expressionist sensibilities. Lighting, composition, and camerawork are remarkable throughout. The debate scene sets remind one of Piranesi. Near the 45 minute mark, there is a location shot of Berlin's legendary cabaret district. The filmmakers undoubtedly intended it to symbolize capitalist decadence, but the effect is expressive, haunting, and fantastic. (One can only wonder what Russian audiences thought of it- there was nothing at all like this in the workers' paradise.) Near the end of the film, Zange is caught stealing kerosene. The brief montage that follows is worthy of Eisenstein.
-->Warning: spoilers follow: The film ends with Zange departing for the Soviet Union, where his creative thinking will be appreciated. Unfortunately, it was.
The greatest danger of totalitarian propaganda was not that the masses believed it, but that the leaders believed their own lies. A few years after 'Salamander' was made, Stalin endorsed Trofim Lysenko's brand of Lamarckism. Lysenko was promoted to director at the Institute of Genetics of the USSR's Academy of Sciences, and oversaw the disaster that was Soviet agriculture. Without Lysenko many who starved might have survived- at least among those who were starved unintentionally.
And with Lysenko's ascent, the Soviet secret police were all too happy to detain the Mendelians (who had the right idea). By 1938, most of Mezhrabpomfilm's actors and crew had also vanished into Lubyanka and the gulags.
None were ever seen again.
In his most famous experiments, Kammerer made midwife toads breed in water, something that was difficult for the males. Kammerer reported that the females developed black pads on their feet to give the males more traction during the underwater mating process.
This was an astounding claim, and Kammerer was accused of fraud when another researcher discovered the black pads had been painted on with India ink. A few weeks later, Kammerer committed suicide.
This brings us to 'Salamander'. Like 'Occult forces', the Vichy government's 1943 pro-Nazi film, 'Salamander' is propaganda based on a bizarre conspiracy theory. Professor Zange (the Kammerer character) is portrayed as a heroic loner, whose search for truth is brought down by the Catholic Church, the nobility, bankers and the Nazis.
The producers wanted to mold Kammerer's story into a struggle between scientific truth and religious superstition- with the Communists on the side of truth, of course. Little matter this had nothing to do with reality. At the time, the Church was agnostic about evolution, the Nazis regarded the Catholics with suspicion, and bankers and the remnants of the nobility had no interest in the matter.
The real debate was between the Lamarkians and the Mendelian geneticists- 'Salamander', ironically, is a story about truth that is entirely untrue.
But a good story it is, and well told. The pacing is fast, and 'Salamander' demonstrates a silent film can have a complicated plot with numerous subplots. Father Bsheshinski, a murderous priest, conspires with Prince Ruprecht Karlstein, Zange's traitorous assistant, to not merely discredit Zange but to destroy his life entirely. Even though bad guys are stereotyped, the acting is superb throughout- with the exception of the lumpen portrayal of Zange's wife.
But it's production that makes 'Salamander' stand out. 'Salamander' is produced by two Russian and German production companies (Mezhrabpomfilm and Prometheusfilm), and it combines constructivist and expressionist sensibilities. Lighting, composition, and camerawork are remarkable throughout. The debate scene sets remind one of Piranesi. Near the 45 minute mark, there is a location shot of Berlin's legendary cabaret district. The filmmakers undoubtedly intended it to symbolize capitalist decadence, but the effect is expressive, haunting, and fantastic. (One can only wonder what Russian audiences thought of it- there was nothing at all like this in the workers' paradise.) Near the end of the film, Zange is caught stealing kerosene. The brief montage that follows is worthy of Eisenstein.
-->Warning: spoilers follow: The film ends with Zange departing for the Soviet Union, where his creative thinking will be appreciated. Unfortunately, it was.
The greatest danger of totalitarian propaganda was not that the masses believed it, but that the leaders believed their own lies. A few years after 'Salamander' was made, Stalin endorsed Trofim Lysenko's brand of Lamarckism. Lysenko was promoted to director at the Institute of Genetics of the USSR's Academy of Sciences, and oversaw the disaster that was Soviet agriculture. Without Lysenko many who starved might have survived- at least among those who were starved unintentionally.
And with Lysenko's ascent, the Soviet secret police were all too happy to detain the Mendelians (who had the right idea). By 1938, most of Mezhrabpomfilm's actors and crew had also vanished into Lubyanka and the gulags.
None were ever seen again.
