Fritz Lang: METROPOLIS (1927, 153M) the Version of This Goldenrod Handout Sent out in Our Monday Mailing, and the One Online, Has Hot Links
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
September 3, 2019 (XXXIX: 2) Fritz Lang: METROPOLIS (1927, 153m) The version of this Goldenrod Handout sent out in our Monday mailing, and the one online, has hot links. Spelling and Style—use of italics, quotation marks or nothing at all for titles, e.g.—follows the form of the sources. Directed by Fritz Lang Written by Thea von Harbou & Fritz Lang Produced by Erich Pommer Cinematography by Karl Freund, Walter Ruttmann, Gunther Rittau Art Direction by Otto Hunte, Erich Kettelhut, Karl Vollbrecht Costume Design by Aenne Willcomm Special Effects supervised by Ernst Kunstmann Music Composed by Gottfried Huppertz (1927) and Benjamin Speed (2005/2011) Alfred Abel… Joh Fredersen Gustav Fröhlich… Freder, Joh Fredersen's son Rudolf Klein-Rogge… C. A. Rotwang, the inventor Siegfried (1924), Die Nibelungen: Kriemhild's Revenge Fritz Rasp… The Thin Man (1924), Spies (1928), The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933), Theodor Loos… Josaphat The Last Will of Dr. Mabuse (1933), Fury (1936), You Only Erwin Biswanger… 11811 - Georgy Live Once (1937), You and Me (1938), The Return of Frank Heinrich George… Grot, the guardian of the Heart Machine James (1940), Western Union (1941), Man Hunt (1941), Brigitte Helm… The Creative Man/The Machine Hangmen Also Die! (1943), Ministry of Fear (1944), The Man/Death/The Seven Deadly Sins/Maria Woman in the Window (1944), Scarlet Street (1945), Cloak and Dagger (1946), Secret Beyond the Door... (1947), House FRITZ LANG (b. December 5, 1890 in Vienna, Austria- by the River (1950), American Guerrilla in the Philippines Hungary [now Austria]—d. August 2, 1976 (age 85) in (1950), Rancho Notorious (1952), Clash by Night (1952), Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California) was an Austrian- The Blue Gardenia (1953), The Big Heat (1953), Human German-American filmmaker (47 credits), screenwriter (40 Desire (1954), Moonfleet (1955), While the City Sleeps credits), and occasional film producer and actor. One of the (1956), Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (1956), Tiger of Bengal best-known émigrés from Germany's school of (1959), The Indian Tomb (1959), The 1,000 Eyes of Dr. Expressionism, he was dubbed the "Master of Darkness" by Mabuse (1960), and Journey to the Lost City (1960). the British Film Institute. Lang's most famous films include the groundbreaking futuristic Metropolis (1927) and the also THEA VON HARBOU (b. December 27, 1888 in influential M (1931), a film noir precursor that he made Tauperlitz, Döhlau, Bavaria, Germany—d. July 1, 1954 (age before he moved to the United States. He also, famously, 65) in Berlin, Germany) was a German screenwriter (78 appeared as himself in Jean-Luc Godard’s 1963 film Le credits), novelist, film director, and actress. She is especially Mépris. These are some other films he directed: Halbblut known as the screenwriter of the science fiction film classic (1919), Der Herr der Liebe (1919), The Wandering Image 1927 film Metropolis and the story on which it was based. (1920), Dr. Mabuse the Gambler (1922), Die Nibelungen: Harbou collaborated as a screenwriter with film director Fritz Lang—METROPOLIS—2 Lang, her husband, during the period of transition from was nominated for Best Cinematography for Blossoms in the silent to sound films. She began her writing career primarily Dust (1941) and The Chocolate Soldier (1941). He also won as an author of epic myths and legends with an overtly a Technical Achievement Award at the 1955 Academy nationalistic tone. Her first close interaction with cinema Awards for the “design and development of a direct reading came when German director Joe May decided to adapt a brightness meter.” These are some other films and television piece of her fiction, Die heilige Simplizia. From that moment series he did cinematography for: Gipsy Blood (1911 Short), forward, "Her fiction output slowed down. In short order she Der Liebling der Frauen (1911 Short), A Militant Suffragette would become one of Germany's most celebrated film (1913), Zapata's Gang (1914 Short), A Venetian Night writers, not only because of her partnership with Fritz Lang, (1914), Die ewige Nacht (1916), Die Faust des Riesen but also for writing scripts for F. W. Murnau, Carl Dreyer, E. (1917), Emerald of Death (1919), Die letzten Menschen A. Dupont, and other German luminaries” (McGilligan). (1919), The Hunchback and the Dancer (1920), The Head Thea von Harbou's first collaboration with Fritz Lang was of Janus (1920), Catherine the Great (1920), The Golem marked by a common interest in India. As Harbou worked (1920), Das Dynamitduell (1920 Short), The Lost Shadow on an adaptation of her 1918 novel (1921), Der Roman der Christine Das indische Grabmal (The Indian von Herre (1921), Lucrezia Tomb), Joe May assigned Lang to Borgia (1922), Tiefland (1923), help her write the screenplay and The Last Laugh (1924), Tartuffe work out production details. These (1925), Manon Lescaut (1926), are some other films she wrote for: Berlin: Symphony of a Great City Die Legende von der heiligen (1927 Documentary), All Quiet Simplicia (1920), The Wandering on the Western Front (1930), Image (1920), Frauen vom The Bad Sister (1931), Murders Gnadenstein (1920), Destiny in the Rue Morgue (1932), Air (1921), Dr. Mabuse the Gambler Mail (1932), The Great Ziegfeld (1922), The Princess Suwarin (1936), Camille (1936), Three (1923), Die Nibelungen: Siegfried Comrades (1938), Port of Seven (1924), Die Nibelungen: Seas (1938), Letter of Kriemhild's Revenge (1924), The Introduction (1938), Rose of Chronicles of the Gray House Washington Square (1939), (1925), M (1931), The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933), Golden Boy (1939), We Who Are Young (1940), Pride and The Last Will of Dr. Mabuse (1933), What Am I Without Prejudice (1940), Tortilla Flat (1942), Du Barry Was a Lady You (1934), Prinzessin Turandot (1934), The Making of a (1943), Cry 'Havoc' (1943), A Guy Named Joe (1943), The King (1935), Turandot, princesse de Chine (1935), An Ideal Seventh Cross (1944), The Thin Man Goes Home (1944), Spouse (1935), The Broken Jug (1937), The Tiger of Undercurrent (1946), Key Largo (1948), South of St. Louis Eschnapur (1938), Das indische Grabmal (1938), Le tigre du (1949), Montana (1950), Bright Leaf (1950), Willy (1954- Bengale (1938), Le tombeau hindou (1938), Jugend (1938), 1955 TV Series), Our Miss Brooks (1952-1956 TV Series), Die Frau am Scheidewege (1938), Covered Tracks (1938), and Open Windows (1960 TV Movie). Annelie (1941), The Genius and the Nightingale (1943), Kolberg (1945), Via Mala (1945), Life Goes On (1945), GÜNTHER RITTAU (b. August 7, 1893 in Königshütte, Affairs of Dr. Holl (1951), and Dein Herz ist meine Heimat Upper Silesia, Germany [now Chorzów, Slaskie, Poland]—d. (1953). August 6, 1971 (age 77) in Munich, Bavaria, Germany) was a German cinematographer (70 credits) and film director. After KARL FREUND (b. January 16, 1890 in Königinhof, studying science in Berlin, Rittau began his career in 1919 Bohemia, Austria-Hungary [now Dvur Kralove, Czech with the documentary-film department of Decla, later at Republic]—d. May 3, 1969 (age 79) in Santa Monica, Universum Film AG. He learned the job of camera operator California) was a German cinematographer (163 credits) and on the side. In 1924, he became active as a feature film director (20 credits) best known for photographing cameraman. Metropolis (1927, as camera operator) and a Metropolis (1927), Dracula (1931), and television's I Love propaganda movie U-Boote westwärts! (1941, as director) are Lucy (1951-1957). Freund was an innovator in the field of considered his best artistic achievements. His film The cinematography and is credited with the invention of the Eternal Tone (1943) about two brothers (a violinist and a unchained camera technique. He won an Oscar for Best violin maker) was considered "artistically valuable" the Cinematography in 1938 for The Good Earth (1937). He Reichsfilmkammer, a statutory corporation controlled by the Lang—METROPOLIS—3 Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda that Riefenstahl on Triumph of the Will (1935). He died in regulated the film industry in Nazi Germany between 1933 Berlin of wounds sustained when he was working on the and 1945. These are some other films he did cinematography front line as a war photographer. These are some other films for: Der Eisenbahnkönig, 2. Teil - Lauernder Tod (1921), he directed: The Victor (Short) (1921), Das Wunder (Short) Der Eisenbahnkönig, 1. Teil - Mensch und Mammon (1922), Dream Play (1925), Des Haares und der Liebe (1921), Der steinerne Reiter (1923), Die Nibelungen: Wellen (Short) (1929), Schiff in Not (Documentary short) Siegfried (1924), Die Nibelungen: Kriemhild's Revenge (1936), Düsseldorf (Documentary) (1936), Deutsche Panzer (1924), The Tower of Silence (1925), Die gefundene Braut (Documentary short) (1940), and Aberglaube (Short) (1940). (1925), Prince or Clown (1928), Homecoming (1928), KARL FREUND Asphalt (1929), The Blue (Cinematographer. January 16, Angel (1930), Murder for Sale 1890, Koniginhof, Austria- (1930), Her Grace Commands Hungary [now Dvur Kralove, (1931), Bombs Over Monte Czech Republic] – May 3, 1969, Carlo (1931), Monte Carlo Santa Monica, CA) won a best Madness (1932), A Blonde cinematography Oscar for The Dream (1932), F.P.1 Doesn't Good Earth (1938). He did 143 Answer (1933), Gold (1934), other films and tv series, among Le secret des Woronzeff them “I Love Lucy” (1951-1956), (1935), The Gypsy Baron “Our Miss Brooks” (1952-1956), (1935), Winter in the Woods “December Bride” (1955), (1936), Ride to Freedom “Willy” (1954-1955), I Love Lucy (1937), Lady Killer (1937), Strong Hearts in the Storm (1953), Montana (1950), Key Largo (1948), The Thin Man (1937), S.O.S. Sahara (1938), Nordlicht (1938), Nightclub Goes Home (1945), The Seventh Cross (1944), A Guy Hostess (1939), The Curtain Falls (1939), Sons, Mothers and Named Joe (1943), Cry ‘Havoc’ (1943), Du Barry Was a a General (1955), Die fidelen Detektive (1957), Aus meiner Lady (1943), Tortilla Flat (1942), Pride and Prejudice Waldheimat (1963), and Als ich beim Käthele im Wald war (1940), Parnell (1937), The Good Earth (1937), Camille (1963).