The Magic Lantern Gazette - Library

Oberammergau Passion Play 6
One unusual feature of the casting of the play is that the role
of Mary, the mother of Jesus, traditionally was given to a relatively
young, unmarried woman. Because the same man
sometimes played the role of Jesus for 20 years, this could
result in the actress playing Mary not only being considerably
younger than the actor playing her son, but in fact, younger
than Jesus was at his death. In 1900, when Anton Lang
played the role of Jesus for the first time at age 25, his mother
was played by 18-year-old Anna Flunger. 15 In 1910, the 35-
year-old Lang was a more appropriate age to play Jesus at the
end of his life. The role of Mary was played by Ottilie Zwink,
the 30-year-old daughter of Johann Zwink, who was memorable
in his role as Judas. 16 Participation in the play often was a
family affair—there were many different Langs, Mayrs, and
Zwinks involved with the play over the years. Anton Lang’s
autobiography includes a photograph of himself with five of
his children, all costumed for parts in the play. 17
Lantern slide of Anton Lang in his pottery studio, 1910.
Photo by F. Bruckmann, Munich. Lantern slide by T.
H. McAllister, New York.
Photographs of Lang, either in his role as Jesus, or in real
life, were widely circulated through the media of lantern
slide lectures, magazine and newspaper articles, and picture
postcards, and his image became well known to people
around the world who had never been anywhere near
Oberammergau. Indeed, these became such iconic images
that many viewers probably imagined they actually were
looking at an image of Christ himself. 12 In 1910, the Rev.
William H. Crawford wrote, “if any man now living has face
and form for the part, Anton Lang would seem to be the man.
As he goes about his home he actually looks more like the
Christ than like an ordinary man...He has long waving hair
of light brown parted from a fair brow, finely chiseled features,
a delicate, sensitive mouth, and deep blue eyes of passionate
tenderness. If Raphael could have seen Anton Lang,
he would certainly have chosen him for a model.” 13 Apparently
some people thought he should behave as a Christ-like
figure as well. Lang reported in his autobiography that when
he was to be married, a French marquise wrote to protest that
he should not marry, because Christ was not married. He
also related stories of audience members asking him to bless
their children after a performance. These events, he said,
were examples of “how people are apt to get things mixed
up.” 14
Anton Lang, age 25, in the role of Jesus, with Anna
Flunger, age 18, as his mother. From the 1900 performance
of the Oberammergau Passion Play. Photo by Leo
Schweyer. From Diemer (1910).
The Myths of Oberammergau
Public interest in the Oberammergau Passion Play always has
been accompanied by an unusual degree of interest in the village
itself and the lives of its inhabitants. Invariably 19 th century
travel accounts described the appearance of the village in