The Polish Jew (film)
1931 film by Jean Kemm

The Polish Jew (French: Le Juif polonais) is a 1931 French historical drama film directed by Jean Kemm and starring Harry Baur, Mady Berry and Simone Mareuil. It is based on the 1867 play The Bells by Alexandre Chatrian and Emile Erckmann.
The film's sets were designed by the art director Jean d'Eaubonne.
Synopsis
In Alsace in the 1830s, an innkeeper and burgomaster is haunted by the memories of a Polish Jew he robbed and murdered fifteen years before.
Cast
Harry Baur as Mathias
Mady Berry as Catherine
Georges La Cressonnière as Christian
Simone Mareuil as Annette
Lucien Dayle as Walter
Geo Laby as Richter Fils
Louis Pré Fils as Muller
Mlle Rivière as Loïs, la servante
Raymond Gardanne as Franz
Raymond Turgy as Nicolas
Jules Maurier as Le Juif polonais
References
Bibliography
Limbacher, James L. . Haven't I seen you somewhere before?: Remakes, sequels, and series in motion pictures and television, 1896-1978. Pierian Press, 1979.
“The Polish Jew (film)” enters the record as 1931 film by Jean Kemm. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Polish, film and Jean can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 31, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3223817. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1931, 1867, 1896 and 1978.
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This entry incorporates text from “The Polish Jew (film)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.