Joseph Roth's Grosse-Welt-Bioskop-Theater

The Austrian writer-journalist Joseph Roth (1894-1939) travelled criss-cross through Europe. Hans Keller visited the same countries and places in order to make a film about the life and work of this man, who could only live in hotels. Roth was unable to settle anywhere, yet wherever he came was his home. He was a keen observer: thanks to hundreds of reports for various newspapers, he achieved fame as a chronicler of the interbellum period. He saw the big threat of the twenties and thirties reflected in small events. Keller creates a beautiful synthesis between Europe as Roth knew it and the present-day Europe. In the loving look at the different locations, the continuity of past and present reveals itself. Intermittently, tableaux in a copied 'Bioskoptheater' show scenes from the author's life. Finally, a film script which was once rejected by Hollywood yet comes alive. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)