The film "Der Kaufmann von Venedig" ( The Jew Of Mestri ) was written, produced and directed by Peter Paul Felner in the silent year of 1923 and is a free adaptation of "Merchant of Venice" written by Herr William Shakespeare. It is an elegant and expensive German film production that was shot on location in beautiful and decadent Venice with some of the most important Teutonic actors of the time: Henny Porten, Harry Liedtke und Werner Krauss and even the mysterious Max Schreck.

Memorably set between the two world wars, this adaptation of Trevor Nunn's award-winning 1999 Royal National Theatre production of The Merchant of Venice features a superlative performance from Henry Goodman as Shylock.

Venice, 1596. Bassanio begs his friend Antonio, a prosperous merchant, to lend him a large sum of money so that he can woo Portia, a very wealthy heiress; but Antonio has invested his fortune abroad, so they turn to Shylock, a Jewish moneylender, and ask him for a loan.