Illich family activities in 1936
Creator(s)
- Yvonne Illich
- Ellen R. Illich (Camera Operator)
Biographical History
Ellen (Maexie) Regenstreif Illich (1901-1965) came from a family of converted Sephardic Jews who had settled in Germany. Her industrialist father, Fritz (Pucki) Regenstreif (1868-1941), had a lumber business in Bosnia where he owned a sawmill at Zavidovic and an Art Nouveau villa on the outskirts of Vienna in Pötzleinsdorf built by Friedrich Ohmann. Piero Ilic (1890-1942) came from a landed family in Dalmatia, Yugoslavia with property in Split and extensive wine and olive oil producing estates on the island of Brac. Ellen and Piero married in 1925 and established a home in Split. There was a resurgence of anti-foreign and anti-Jewish sentiment in Yugoslavia, so in 1932, Ellen returned to her father's villa in Vienna with their three children: Ivan (1926-2002), Michael (Micha) (b. 1928), and Alexander (Sascha) (1928-2009). Piero died of natural causes in Split in July 1942 (the boys never saw their father after they moved to Vienna). After the death of Fritz Regenstreif on May 8, 1941, the splendid home was taken by the Nazis in a forced sale, and Maexie moved into a pension in Vienna with the children. In Nazi Austria, Maexie was considered an ethnic Jew although she was a baptized Christian, and the children were classified as half-Jewish. In 1942, they made their way to Florence by way of Split, where they lived for three months. Later, Maexie made her way to the United States, where she died in 1965.
Scope and Content
Family activities in the year 1936. Introduced with German titles throughout, some are comical. The Illich boys play-act for the camera and take a walk through a park in April 1936 with their grandfather, Fritz Regenstreif. CUs of the spring blossoms and the boys getting into a car. A religious procession for communion on May 21, 1936. The twins are part of the ceremony, parade in the square in front of the Maria Treu Piarist Church, and gather with classmates for a group photograph. Ellen (Maexie), Ivan, Sascha, and Micha depart by foot and car. They speak with a priest and plant a tree on the Villa Regenstreif grounds. The family dons driving goggles and takes an expedition in a convertible car, visiting Langenlois and other places in Lower Austria. 01:25:01 The children take a school trip to Schneeberg in the Alps on June 9, 1936. Views of the boys inside the train and of the pastoral countryside. The children exit the train, and then board another up the mountain ["Mit Volldampf auf den Schneeberg" - "With full steam ahead off to Schneeberg"] Panoramic shots of the snowy mountain. The children gather around a lookout at the top, hike, and return to the train platform. 01:29:09 A grand parade for the feast of Corpus Christi in the streets of Vienna, including military troops and religious clergy. The family attends Turnfest, a sport and cultural display of gymnasts, at an outdoor arena on June 14, 1936. Crowds gather at the stadium, "Reichspost" balloon lift, demonstrations with flags and calisthenics, dancing, acrobatics, and track races. 01:33:44 The family takes another vacation in Austria in September 1936 to the villages of Moenichkirchen, Burgland, and Bernstein.
Note(s)
There is no burn-in time code on the DVD (user copy).
Subjects
- SPORTS/GAMES
- ALPS MOUNTAINS
- SCHOOLS
- FAMILIES
- DEMONSTRATIONS
- RELIGIOUS SERVICES
- AUTOMOBILES
- VACATIONS
- STADIUMS
- PARADES
- PERFORMANCES
- ALPS
- CLERGY
- SPRING
- CHURCHES
- PHOTOGRAPHS
- TRAINS
- JEWISH LIFE (PRE-WAR)
- PLAYING
- SNOW
- PARKS
- CALISTHENICS
Places
- Vienna, Austria
- , Austria
Genre
- Film
- Amateur.