Mr. Veidt’s acting is itself a complete exposition of the theory that he puts forward so ably in this article. Although his own formidable personality is impressed upon everything he does, he invariably persuades us, by the feeling and force of his performance, that the thoughts and emotions transmitted to us are those of the character he is portraying, not of Conrad Veidt.
We are subconsciously aware of the actor behind the German Commandant of “I Was a Spy” and the Jew of “The Wandering Jew”. But it is the disciplined and Prussianised humanity of the Commandant, the mental torture of the Jew, that impressed itself upon us and holds our interest in the characterization.
That is surely a proof of great acting.
I regard Conrad Veidt as one of the half-dozen leading exponents of his art in the world, and if pressed to discriminate among them, I would probably put him in front of most of the others. I look forward with confidence to his performance in the title role of “Jew Süss” and to his forthcoming appearance in “Bella Donna.”
Conrad Veidt Forever 