Wiene's complete 'I.N.R.I.' turns up

1923 silent film on the life of Christ may be the only copy

By ED MEZA

BERLIN -- Filmmakers working on a silent-movie retrospective have discovered what is thought to be the only existing complete copy of German director Robert Wiene's 1923 silent film "I.N.R.I." (Crown of Thorns).

The copy was found in the vaults of the silent-film library Cineteca del Friuli in northern Italy. Since the pic lacked opening credits, it had been labeled as an unknown film.

"I.N.R.I." was one of the first big-screen adaptations of the story of Christ, with Gregori Chmara as Jesus, Werner Krauss as Pontius Pilate and Asta Nielsen as Maria Magdalena.

Wiene revolutionized German cinema with his 1919 surrealist film "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari."