(Slight Spoilers) Lavish historical epic of the Rothschild family's rise from the Jewish ghetto of Frankfurt in Prussia to become the most powerful banking institution in Europe. Thoward the end of the movie "House of Rothschild" things weren't at all looking good for the family of banking brothers with all of them, and their banks securities, buying up British bonds on the London Stock Exchange for cut-rate prices with rumors going around that the Battle of Waterloo in Belgium was lost to Napoleon's forces. It was the old stock market saying that "information is the most valuable commodity" that rescued the Rothschild's vast money holdings. That commodity in the end not only saved the Rothschild fortune, and more then doubled it, but also saved those investors who were wise enough to follow Nathans lead in not abandoning the allies financially at their most critical time of need when everything looked as if it were lost.
The film mostly concentrates on how the Rothschilds, namely Nathan and his brothers, despite the anti-Jewish prejudices that they faced in early 19th Century Europe prevailed in the end to overcome the slings and arrows as well as the anti-Semitic riots incited by the likes of Prussian Count Ledrantz, Boris Karloff, to become the richest and most powerful bankers in the world.
Besides the historical facts in the movie there's also a fictitious sub-plot involving Nathan's daughter Julie, Loretta Young, having a love affair with the handsome and dashing British calvary officer Captain Frizroy, Robert Young,that her father had a hard time accepting Since Fitzroy wasn't Jewish or a Rothschild. But in the end everything was ironed out, by the script writers, to make the affair between the two lovebirds a joyous and successful one.
Nathan who was earlier sandbagged by Count Ledrantz and his fellow bankers when a loan that he expected his bank to float involving the restoration of France, after Napoleon's exile on the Island of Elba, was rejected. This came about because of what Ledrantz smugly called a "technicallity"! The unforgivable "technicallity" being that Nathan was Jewish! This sleazy and despicable act on the part of Ledrantz & Co. had an outrage and indignant Nathan get back at Ledrantz and his gang of banker cut-throats.
Nathan thus, using financial guerrilla-like tactics, undercut the bonds that they were to float and sell to the British public representing the French loan. In the end this forced Ledrantz & Co. to come to the Rothschild Bank hat in hand begging for Nathan to become a partner. Even if Nathans partnership cost these rascals and unscrupulous financial manipulators as much as 50 million British pounds for them to do it.
Smarting from the beating his and his cohorts took at the hands of the witty and clever Nathan sore loser Ledrantz started to foment anti-Jewish riots all over his native Prussia, which included the Rothschild family home "The Red Shield" in the Jewish ghetto of Frankfurt. This was Ledrantz way to get back at Nathan but that quickly came to an end with the startling news of Napoleon escaping from his exile in Elba and regaining power in France. This meant that they, Ledrantz & Co, would need the Rothschild money again to finally stop Napoleons determined attempt to conquer all of Europe. Like the bankers did before in needing the Rothschild's banks money to defeat Napoleon after his massive June 21,1812 eastern invasion that lead to his disastrous withdrawal from Czarist Russia back in the winter 1812-1813.
With news hard to come by back then it was Nathan's ingenious and secret way of using carrier pigeons from the battlefield that gave him the edge in knowing that the Duke of Wellingtons, C. Aubrey Smith, forces checked and repulsed Napoleon's big offensive at the battle of Waterloo! That happened as rumors were abound on the floor of the London Stock Exchang that just the opposite happened. This timely information had Nathan and his brothers buy up all the British Government Securities that were being sold off and bid down by panicked stock brokers and investors. In the end Nathan not only saved the London Exchange from total collapse but made himself and the Rothschild Bank, or banks, the financial powerhouse that it became and is, after some 200 years later, even now.
George Ariss plays both the elder Mayer and his son Nathan Rothschild in the movie with both Robert and Loretta, no relations, Young as the star-struck lovers Fitzroy and Julie in small but very important supporting roles in the film.
The film mostly concentrates on how the Rothschilds, namely Nathan and his brothers, despite the anti-Jewish prejudices that they faced in early 19th Century Europe prevailed in the end to overcome the slings and arrows as well as the anti-Semitic riots incited by the likes of Prussian Count Ledrantz, Boris Karloff, to become the richest and most powerful bankers in the world.
Besides the historical facts in the movie there's also a fictitious sub-plot involving Nathan's daughter Julie, Loretta Young, having a love affair with the handsome and dashing British calvary officer Captain Frizroy, Robert Young,that her father had a hard time accepting Since Fitzroy wasn't Jewish or a Rothschild. But in the end everything was ironed out, by the script writers, to make the affair between the two lovebirds a joyous and successful one.
Nathan who was earlier sandbagged by Count Ledrantz and his fellow bankers when a loan that he expected his bank to float involving the restoration of France, after Napoleon's exile on the Island of Elba, was rejected. This came about because of what Ledrantz smugly called a "technicallity"! The unforgivable "technicallity" being that Nathan was Jewish! This sleazy and despicable act on the part of Ledrantz & Co. had an outrage and indignant Nathan get back at Ledrantz and his gang of banker cut-throats.
Nathan thus, using financial guerrilla-like tactics, undercut the bonds that they were to float and sell to the British public representing the French loan. In the end this forced Ledrantz & Co. to come to the Rothschild Bank hat in hand begging for Nathan to become a partner. Even if Nathans partnership cost these rascals and unscrupulous financial manipulators as much as 50 million British pounds for them to do it.
Smarting from the beating his and his cohorts took at the hands of the witty and clever Nathan sore loser Ledrantz started to foment anti-Jewish riots all over his native Prussia, which included the Rothschild family home "The Red Shield" in the Jewish ghetto of Frankfurt. This was Ledrantz way to get back at Nathan but that quickly came to an end with the startling news of Napoleon escaping from his exile in Elba and regaining power in France. This meant that they, Ledrantz & Co, would need the Rothschild money again to finally stop Napoleons determined attempt to conquer all of Europe. Like the bankers did before in needing the Rothschild's banks money to defeat Napoleon after his massive June 21,1812 eastern invasion that lead to his disastrous withdrawal from Czarist Russia back in the winter 1812-1813.
With news hard to come by back then it was Nathan's ingenious and secret way of using carrier pigeons from the battlefield that gave him the edge in knowing that the Duke of Wellingtons, C. Aubrey Smith, forces checked and repulsed Napoleon's big offensive at the battle of Waterloo! That happened as rumors were abound on the floor of the London Stock Exchang that just the opposite happened. This timely information had Nathan and his brothers buy up all the British Government Securities that were being sold off and bid down by panicked stock brokers and investors. In the end Nathan not only saved the London Exchange from total collapse but made himself and the Rothschild Bank, or banks, the financial powerhouse that it became and is, after some 200 years later, even now.
George Ariss plays both the elder Mayer and his son Nathan Rothschild in the movie with both Robert and Loretta, no relations, Young as the star-struck lovers Fitzroy and Julie in small but very important supporting roles in the film.