Henrik Galeen (7 January 1881 – 30 July 1949) was an Austrian-born actor, screenwriter and film director considered an influential figure in the development of German Expressionist cinema during the silent era. He wrote the screenplay for Nosferatu (1922).
Henrik Galeen | |
---|---|
Born | Heinrich Wiesenberg 7 January 1881 |
Died | 30 July 1949 | (aged 68)
Occupation(s) | Actor, screenwriter, film director |
Years active | 1913–1935 (film) |
Early years
editConsiderable mystery exists about Galeen's early life, and for many years it was uncertain where exactly he was born. Galeen came from a Jewish family in Lemberg, Galicia, which was then part of the Austrian Empire. He moved from Austria to Germany before the First World War, and became assistant to the leading theatre figure Max Reinhardt. Galeen subsequently became an actor in Berlin and touring other German-speaking cities.[1]
German silent films
editGaleen first became involved in film in 1913 when he worked on the screenplays for several uncredited films. In 1914, he wrote, directed and acted in The Golem the first of several depictions of the mythical figure The Golem. Following the First World War, he went to work for a branch of the major German studio UFA. He worked as a screenwriter on films such as Ruth's Two Husbands (1919) and Waxworks (1924).
In 1922, he was engaged to write a version of Dracula, however producers had not obtained the rights to the novel from the copyright holder. Names of characters and the locations of the story were changed and the script was retitled Nosferatu (1922).[2] The film has come to be regarded as a classic of German expressionist cinema. Along with two of his later films, The Student of Prague (1926) and Alraune (1928), Nosferatu serves as the basis for Galeen's reputation.[3] He also worked on a number of less-remembered films, including a series of thrillers starring Harry Piel[4].
Later career
editFrom 1928 to 1931, he lived in Britain, where he directed a feature film After the Verdict (1928) which was the first film to be shot at Wimbledon.[5] He also worked on a number of short films.[6] He returned to Germany in 1931 and directed a final film there, entitledThe House of Dora Green (1933). Following the Nazi Party's rise to power in 1933, Galeen went into exile in Sweden before moving on to the United Kingdom and eventually to the United States. He died in Vermont in 1949, at age 68.
Selected filmography
editTitle | Year | Credited as | Notes | Ref(s) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Director | Screenwriter | Actor | Other | ||||
The Golem | 1915 | Yes | Yes | Yes | as Trödler | [7] | |
The Spinning Ball | 1919 | Yes | [8][9] | ||||
Ruth's Two Husbands | Yes | [10] | |||||
The Forbidden Way | 1920 | Yes | Yes | [11] | |||
The Golem: How He Came into the World | Yes | [12] | |||||
Judith Trachtenberg | Yes | [13] | |||||
Roswolsky's Mistress | 1921 | Yes | [14] | ||||
Nosferatu | 1922 | Yes | [15] | ||||
City in View | 1923 | Yes | Yes | [16] | |||
The House Without Laughter | Yes | as William Brent | [17] | ||||
Dangerous Clues | 1924 | Yes | Yes | as Francis Margreit | [18] | ||
Waxworks | Yes | [19] | |||||
Die Liebesbriefe der Baronin von S... | Yes | Yes | [20] | ||||
Zigano | 1925 | Yes | [21] | ||||
The Telephone Operator | Yes | [22] | |||||
Eyes Open, Harry! | 1926 | Yes | [23] | ||||
The Student of Prague | Yes | Yes | [24] | ||||
Alraune | 1928 | Yes | Yes | [25] | |||
His Greatest Bluff | Yes | [26] | |||||
The Lady with the Mask | Yes | Yes | Screen story writer | [27] | |||
Shadows of the Underworld | 1931 | Yes | [28] | ||||
Bobby Gets Going | Yes | [29] | |||||
L'Auberge du père Jonas | 1932 | Yes | [30] | ||||
Ombres des bas fonds | Yes | [31] | |||||
The House of Dora Green | 1933 | Yes | [32] | ||||
Nosferatu the Vampyre | 1979 | Yes | Film credits "Based on Nosferatu by Henrik Galeen and Dracula by Bram Stoker" | [33] |
References
edit- ^ Bock & Bergfelder p.145
- ^ Boch & Bergfelder p.146
- ^ Boch & Bergfelder p.146
- ^ The following link lists all seven titles they both are credited for: IMDB Advanced collaboration search
- ^ "WIMBLEDON, FOR THE FIRST TIME FORMS BACKGROUND TO MOTION PICTURE". Werribee Shire Banner. August 21, 1930. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
- ^ Bock & Bergfelder p.145-146
- ^ "Der Golem". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 11 May 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
- ^ "Die rollende Kugel". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 13 November 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
- ^ Bock, Hans-Michael; Borgfelder, Tim (2009). The Concise Cinegraph. Berghahn Books. p. 146. ISBN 978-0857455659.
- ^ "Die beiden Gatten der Frau Ruth". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 13 January 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
- ^ "Der verbotene Weg". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 13 January 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
- ^ "Der Golem, wie er in die Welt kam". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 15 August 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
- ^ "Judith Trachtenberg". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 28 April 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
- ^ "Die Geliebte Roswolskys". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 28 April 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
- ^ "Nosferatu". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 4 July 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
- ^ "Stadt in Sicht". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 13 January 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
- ^ "Das Haus ohne Lachen". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 17 May 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
- ^ "Auf gefährlichen Spuren / Harry Piel in falschem Verdacht". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 13 January 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
- ^ "Das Wachsfigurenkabinett". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 18 September 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
- ^ "Die Liebesbriefe der Baronin von S..." Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 8 October 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
- ^ "Zigano, der Brigant von Monte Diavolo / Zigano". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 13 January 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
- ^ "Das Fräulein vom Amt". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 13 January 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
- ^ "Achtung Harry! Augen auf!". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 13 January 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
- ^ "Der Student von Prag". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 12 November 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
- ^ "Alraune". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 12 July 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
- ^ "Sein größter Bluff". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 13 January 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
- ^ "Die Dame mit der Maske". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
- ^ "Schatten der Unterwelt". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 26 September 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
- ^ "Bobby geht los". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 24 April 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
- ^ "L'Auberge du père Jonas". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 22 November 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
- ^ "Ombres des bas fonds". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 26 September 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
- ^ "Salon Dora Green". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 2 May 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
- ^ "Nosferatu - Phantom der Nacht". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
Sources
edit- Isenberg, Noah William. Weimar Cinema: An Essential Guide to Classic Films of the Era. Columbia University Press, 2009.
- Bock, Hans-Michael & Bergfelder, Tim. The Concise CineGraph. Encyclopedia of German Cinema. Berghahn Books, 2009.