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.
There is no burn-in time code on the DVD (user copy).
Introduced with German titles throughout, beginning with"Kamera Regie Schnitt Maexi". Blurry at first. Extreme CUs of the three boys (shot individually). On August 8, 1936, the family loads into a car and drives away with Leithner as the help waves goodbye. They visit the grave of Johanna Regenstreif in Poetzleinsdorf. The car moves along the city streets before the boys exit at the train station, purchase a newspaper, and board the train. Fritz Regenstreif and Leithner shake hands at the railcar door. The boys and their grandfather wave goodbye to Leithner and others on the platform. Majestic views of the countryside, castles, and riverside from the train window. They eat in the dining car. The boys pose on the platform in Linz with their grandfather Fritz. View of Salzburg, a mountain pass, castles, and the countryside from the train window. The family stops to visit Bad Gastein. The boys and their grandfather pose for the camera in front of the Hotel Germania (seen later at 04:20:56). They walk and talk with their grandfather on a path in the mountains. Waterfall. The boys (with a nanny?) walk through the country town, meeting people and children along the way. They become friendly with one boy and tour/play in the forest with him. Maexie distributes goodies to eat. Views of the countryside. The boys play in a stream. More mountain views as the boys continue along in the countryside. View from the top of a mountain of the surrounding peaks.
Illich family visits Bad Gastein, 1936