Max Mack (1884–1973) was a German
screenwriter
A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...
,
film producer and
director
Director may refer to:
Literature
* ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine
* ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker
* ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty
Music
* Director (band), an Irish rock band
* ''D ...
during the
silent era
A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, wh ...
. He is particularly known for his 1913 film ''
The Other''. He directed, and co-starred in, an early film adaptation of ''Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'' in 1914, called ''Ein Seltsamer Fall'', written by
Richard Oswald
Richard Oswald (5 November 1880 – 11 September 1963) was an Austrian film director, producer, screenwriter, and father of German-American film director Gerd Oswald.
Early life and career
Richard Oswald, born in Vienna as Richard W. Ornstein, ...
.
During the 1910s, he directed nearly a hundred films in a variety of different
genres
Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other form ...
.
[Elsaesser & Wedel p.205]
Born as Moritz Myrthenzweig in
Halberstadt
Halberstadt (; Eastphalian dialect, Eastphalian: ''Halverstidde'') is a town in the state of Saxony-Anhalt in central Germany, the capital of Harz (district), Harz district. Located north of the Harz mountain range, it is known for its old town ...
, the
Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
Mack was later forced to emigrate to escape
Nazism
Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During Hitler's rise to power, it was fre ...
, and settled in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
. His final film was the 1935
quota quickie ''
Be Careful, Mr. Smith''.
Selected filmography
Director
* ''
The Other'' (1913)
* ''
The Blue Mouse'' (1913)
* ''
Where Is Coletti?'' (1913)
* ''
A World Without Men'' (1914)
* ''Ein Seltsamer Fall'' (1914) A film adaptation of ''Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde''
* ''
Robert and Bertram'' (1915)
*
Adamants letztes Rennen (1916)
* ''
The Confessions of the Green Mask
''The Confessions of the Green Mask'' () is a 1916 German silent film directed by Max Mack and starring Alfred Abel and Reinhold Schünzel.
The film's sets were designed by the art director Heinrich Richter.
Cast
* Alfred Abel
*Reinhold Schü ...
'' (1916)
* ''
The Maharaja's Favourite Wife
''The Maharaja's Favourite Wife'' () is a silent adventure film directed by Max Mack and starring Gunnar Tolnæs, Fritz Kortner, and Erna Morena. Originally produced in Denmark by Nordisk Film, whose German branch was taken over during the Fi ...
'' (1921)
* ''
Quarantäne'' (1923)
* ''
The Beautiful Girl'' (1923)
* ''
Father Voss'' (1925)
* ''
The Uninvited Guest'' (1925)
* ''
The Girl with a Patron'' (1925)
* ''
The Wooing of Eve
''The Wooing of Eve'' or ''Journey into Adventure'' () is a 1926 German silent film directed by Max Mack and starring Ossi Oswalda, Willy Fritsch and Agnes Esterhazy.
The film's sets were designed by the art director Rudi Feld. It was shot ...
'' (1926)
* ''
Fight of the Tertia'' (1929)
* ''
Only on the Rhine'' (1930)
* ''
A Thousand for One Night
''A Thousand for One Night'' (German: ''Tausend für eine Nacht'') is a 1933 Czech-German comedy film directed by Max Mack and starring Claire Rommer, Trude Berliner and Harald Paulsen. A separate Czech-language version was also produced.
Th ...
'' (1933)
* ''
Be Careful, Mr. Smith'' (1935)
Actor
* ''Japanisches Opfer'' (1910) - Der Edelmütige
* ''Die Pulvermühle'' (1910)
* ''Dienertreue'' (1911)
* ''Ihr Jugendfreund'' (1911)
* ''Madame Potiphar'' (1911)
* ''Die Ballhaus-Anna'' (1911)
* ''Opfer der Untreue'' (1911)
* ''Gehirnreflexe'' (1911)
* ''Coeur-As'' (1912)
* ''Dämon Eifersucht'' (1912) - Max
* ''Das Bild der Mutter'' (1912) - Max
* ''Ein Kampf im Feuer'' (1912) - Egon
* ''Das Ende vom Liede'' (1912)
* ''Ein seltsamer Fall'' (1914) - Selbst / Himself
* ''Hans und Hanni'' (1915)
* ''Der Sturz des Hauses Macwell'' (1918)
* ''
You Belong to Me'' (1934) - Jack Mandel (final film role)
References
Bibliography
* Elsaesser, Thomas & Wedel, Michael. ''A Second Life: German Cinema's First Decades''. Amsterdam University Press, 1996.
* Ragowski, Christian. ''The Many Faces of Weimar Cinema: Rediscovering Germany's Filmic Legacy''. Camden House, 2010.
External links
*
1884 births
1973 deaths
Film people from Saxony-Anhalt
People from Halberstadt
Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United Kingdom
Jewish British film people
Jewish German film people
{{Germany-film-director-stub