Alfred Nobel & Bertha von Suttner (2025)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alfred Nobel & Bertha von Suttner: Ein Preis für den Frieden is a docudrama which premiered in 2025. 

 

In that year it was shown on French and German television (arte). In that year it was also shown on Swedish television.

 

The topic of this docudrama is the life and work of the famous Swedish entrepreneur Alfred Nobel (1833-1896) as well as the life and work of the famous Austrian peace activist Bertha von Suttner (1843-1914).

 

In this docudrama, the lives of Alfred Nobel and Bertha von Suttner are covered in great detail.

 

Here is some basic information about this docudrama:

 

** Directors: Daniel Skogström and David Walter Bruckner

** Writers: Daniel Skogström and Mathieu Schwartz

** Run time: 92 minutes

 

Several persons are interviewed in the docudrama. Here are the names of the participants. Listed in alphabetical order:

 

** Ingrid Carlberg – author of a biography about Alfred Nobel

** Bruno Fuligni - historian

** Jean Michel Guieu – historian – Université Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne

** Georg Hamann – historian

** Gustav Källstrand – historian – the Nobel Prize Museum in Stockholm

 

** Hope Elizabeth May – Professor of Philosophy – Central Michigan University

** Ulrike Neidhöfer – historian – the Industrial Museum in Geesthacht, Germany

** Robin Olovsson - historian

** Carolina Wählby – member of the Nobel family

** Martina Winkelhofer – historian

 

Many historical moments have been recreated by actors who act but almost never speak.

 

I do not want to spoil the viewing for anyone. This is why I am not going to offer any details about what happens in this docudrama.

 

If you wish to know what happens to Alfred Nobel, to Bertha von Suttner, and to the people around them, you must watch the docudrama all the way to the end.

 

What do reviewers say about this docudrama?

 

On IMDb it has a rating of 70 percent. As you can see, the rating is good, but in my opinion, it is not good enough.

 

The topic is important. The story of Alfred Nobel and Bertha von Suttner deserves to be told, and in this docudrama, it is done very well.

 

I want to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars (100 percent).

 

REFERENCES

 

# 1. Books

 

The Legacy of Alfred Nobel:

The Story behind the Nobel Prizes

By Ragnar Sohlman

(1983 – English version)

(1950 – original Swedish version)

 

Nobel: The Enigmatic Alfred and his Prizes

By Ingrid Carlberg

(2023 – English version)

(2019 – original Swedish version)

 

Suffragette for Peace:

The Life of Bertha von Suttner

By Beatrix Kempf

(1972)

 

Bertha von Suttner: A Life for Peace

By Brigitte Hamann

(1996)

 

# 2. Film and video

 

Eine Liebe für den Frieden:

Bertha von Suttner und Alfred Nobel

This historical drama premiered in 2014

Rating on IMDb = 68 percent

 

The Nobel Brothers

This three-part docudrama premiered in 2024

Rating on IMDb = 77 percent

 

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The famous Swedish entrepreneur

Alfred Nobel

(1833-1896)

 

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The famous Austrian peace activist

Bertha von Suttner

(1843-1914)

 

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The Swedish chemical engineer

Ragnar Sohlman

(1870-1948)

was Alfred Nobel's assistant 

during his final years and 

the creator of the Nobel Foundation 

 

*****

 

 

In Search of Walt Whitman (2020)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Search of Walt Whitman is a two-part documentary film which premiered in 2020.

 

The title explains the topic: this film is about the life and work of the famous American poet Walt Whitman (1819-1892). 

 

Here is some basic information about it:

 

** Writer and director: Andrew D. Kaplan

** Historical consultant: Alfred Robert Hogan

** The voice of Walt Whitman: Richard S. Rose

** Part 1 = 1 hour 27 minutes

** Part 2 = 1 hour 29 minutes

 

Four historical and literary experts are interviewed in this film. Here are the names of the participants. Listed in alphabetical order:

 

** Ed Folsom - Professor of English, University of Iowa

** Garrett Peck – Author, historian and tour guide, Washington, DC

** Kenneth M. Rice – Professor of American Literature, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

** Rosemary Winslow – Retired Associate Professor of English Literature, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC

 

This film covers the life and work of the famous American poet in great detail, from the beginning in 1819 to the end in 1892.

 

The first part covers the early years (1819-1860), while the second part covers the civil war and the years beyond (1861-1892)

 

How many poems did Walt Whitman write?

 

According to the Whitlam Archive, he published 160 poems in 48 periodicals (newspapers and magazines) from 1838 until his death in 1892.

 

A collection of his poems titled Leaves of Grass was published in several editions.

 

The first edition published in 1855 has 12 poems. Over time, the number of poems in the collection increased with each new edition.

 

The final edition published shortly before his death in 1892 has 389 poems.

 

What about his personal life? Was he married? Did he have any children? The answer to these questions is no: he was not married. He did not have any children.

 

Apparently, the famous poet was a gay man. His partner in life was Peter Doyle (1843-1907). Many people knew this. But he could not make a public announcement about this fact because of the times in which he lived. American society was not ready to accept a gay couple at that time.

 

Some indications about the fact that he loved men and not women are mentioned in his poems.

 

When these indications were discovered, some people wanted him to delete the passages which were regarded as offensive. He refused to do that.

 

Some people wanted to ban his collection Leaves of Grass because of this. But the attempt to ban the book backfired. It only made it more interesting! Sales increased after an attempt to ban the book and his poems became more famous than they were before!

 

What do reviewers say about this film?

 

On IMDb part one has a rating of 76 percent, while part two has a rating of 84 percent.

 

In my opinion, these ratings are very appropriate. I think this product deserves a rating of four stars (80 percent).

 

REFERENCES

 

Walt Whitman: A Life

By Justin Kaplan

(1980)

 

Walt Whitman’s America:

A Cultural History

By David S. Reynolds

(1995)

 

Walt Whitman: A Gay Life

By Gary Schmidgall

(1997 = hardcover)

(1998 = paperback)

 

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Walt Whitman (1819-1892)

and his partner in life 

Peter Doyle (1843-1907) 

 

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Leaves of Grass

by Walt Whitman

The final edition 1891-1892 

 

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