Carl Lutz Film Collection

Film Collection | Accession Number: 2017.95

Overview

Collection Summary: Private films of Carl Lutz, a Swiss Vice-Consul in Budapest from 1942-1945. Lutz was involved in the rescue of tens of thousands of Jews. He was a passionate filmmaker and photographer. The film collection contains approximately 41 black and white and color films relating to Carl Lutz's family as well as his diplomatic career in the United States (St. Louis, Chicago, Washington), Palestine (Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Tel Aviv, Haifa), Switzerland (Lauterbrunnen, St. Moritz, Lugano, Interlaken), and Hungary (Budapest).

Administrative Notes

Legal Status: Permanent Collection
Film Provenance: The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s International Archives Project acquired a copy of this archival collection in March 2017 from the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, Archiv für Zeitgeschichte (AfZ), Switzerland under archival signature NL Carl Lutz.
Note: List of films:
296 Hochzeit [no date, damaged]
297 Amerika (Film Nr. 8) [1934]
298 Chicago Weltausstellung (Film Nr. 3) [1934]
299 Eine Reise nach den Vereinigten Staaten - Carl Lutz (Film Nr. 24) [ca. 1930]
300 Reise nach Amerika IV (Film Nr. 25) [1933]
301 St. Louis - Schweiz (Film Nr. 2) [ca. 1933 - 1934]
302 Besuch im St. Louis Zoo (Film Nr. 1) [ca. 1933 - 1934]
303 Bethlehem, Jerusalem (Film Nr. 26) [ca. 1936]
304 Washington - Schweiz (Film Nr. 23) [1920s - 1930s]
305 Palästina 3 (Film Nr. 10) [1935]
306 Palästina (Film Nr. 22) [1935 - 1936]
307 Palestine, the land of the bible (Film Nr. 21) [1937]
308 Tel Aviv, Hafen (Film Nr. 18) [1936 - 1937]
309 Palästina 1951 (Film Nr. 13) [1951]
310 Palästina 1951 (Film Nr. 14) [1951]
311 Ägypten (Film Nr. 4) [ca. 1935]
312 Palästina 4 (Film Nr. 11) [ca. 1935]
313 Palästina (Film Nr. 12, I) [ca. 1935]
314 Palästina (Film Nr. 19, II) [ca. 1935]
315 Palästina privat I (Film Nr. 15) [1930s]
316 Beduinen II - Palästina (Film Nr. 7) [ca. 1936]
317 Bethlehem; barmherziger Samariter (Film Nr. 16) [ca. 1935]
318 Palästina (Film Nr. 20) [ca. 1936]
324 Palästina (Film Nr. 9) [ca. 1935]
295 A Swiss Travel Film by Charles R. Lutz (Film Nr. 35) [ca. 1933]
319 Trachtenfest 1939 (Film Nr. 32) [1939]
320 In the Bernese Oberland (Film Nr. 17) [ca. 1935]
321 A Swiss Travel Film - From Lauterbrunnen to Jungfraujoch I (Film Nr. 29) [ca. 1935]
322 From Lauterbrunnen to Jungfraujoch Part II (Film Nr. 30) [ca. 1935]
323 Jakob Künzler (Film Nr. 6) [ca. 1935]
325 Winzerfest Lugano - Skiferien (Film Nr. 34) [ca. 1949 - 1950]
326 Narcissus Festival Montreux - Jodelfest Interlaken (1933) - Winzerfest Neuenburg (1932) (Film Nr. 31) [1932 - 1933]
327 Mein Heimatland, die Schweiz (Film Nr. 27) [1932 - 1933]
328 St. Moritz Urlaub (Film Nr. 36) [1936]
329 Glimpses of East Switzerland and a trip through the Canton of Appenzell by Charles Lutz (Film Nr. 33) [ca. 1935]
330 Schweiz, Zusammengesetzt P-5006 (Film Nr. 37) [1930s]
331 Budapest wie es war! (Film Nr. 38) [ca. 1942]
332 Heimreise von Budapest, April/Mai 1945 (Film Nr. 5) [1945]
333 Kurzfilme zu Carl Lutz und Familie [4 parts, no date]
334 Kurzfilme zu Palästina und der Schweiz [ca. 1935 - 1956]
335 St. Moritz (Wintersport, Videokopie) [ca. 1928]
336 USA (Washington DC, New York), Videokopie [1930s]

The films are available online at the Archiv für Zeitgeschichte catalog: https://www.archives-quickaccess.ch/search/35

Additional notes:
296: The film entitled "Hochzeit" (wedding) unfortunately had been heavily damaged by vinegar syndrome and could not be recovered.
335: The promotion film for winter Saint Moritz was not made by Carl Lutz, but was found in the video copies in his papers (see also file 336).
336: This film entitled "USA (Washington DC, New York)" had been copied to videotapes around 1990, which are the only copies of the original film roll which is not in possession of the Archives of Contemporary History. The poor quality of the video is due to poor transfer from film to video tape at that time.
Film Source: Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich. Archiv für Zeitgeschichte - Archivleitung
Special Collection: Steven Spielberg Film and Video Archive