Workers of All Lands, Unite! (1919)

Overview

Dedicated to the history of the international labour movement. It consists of a series of episodes that are not narratively connected. Scenes from the history of the French Bourgeois Revolution are interspersed with footage showing Karl Marx calling for the unity of the proletariat across all nations. Inspired by the call to action, the workers rise up to fight for freedom. An escape is organised from the fortress wherein political prisoners are held. The revolutionaries print and distribute leaflets. They are pursued and arrested. But the struggle continues. The film’s visual material serves as an illustration for the captions, which present brief summaries of the history of the revolutionary movement. The film marks the first attempt to create a screen portrait of Karl Marx. Partially lost film.

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