Robert Wiene

Robert Wiene (; 27 April 1873 – 17 July 1938) was a film director of the silent era of German cinema. He is particularly known for directing the German silent film '' The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'' and a succession of other expressionist films. Wiene also directed a variety of other films of varying styles and genres. Following the Nazi rise to power in Germany, Wiene, who was of Jewish descent, fled into exile.

Biography

Early life

Robert Wiene was born in Breslau, in the German Province of Silesia (now the city of Wrocław in Poland), as the elder son of the successful theatre actor Carl Wiene. His younger brother Conrad also became an actor, but Robert Wiene at first studied law at the University of Berlin.

Career in Germany

In 1908 he also started to act, at first in small parts on stage. His first involvement with film was in 1912, writing and (possibly) directing '' Die Waffen der Jugend''.

His most memorable feature films are the horror film '' The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'' (1920) and '' Raskolnikow'' (1923), an adaptation of Dostoyevsky's ''Crime and Punishment'', both of which had a deep influence on the German cinema of that time.

Exile and death

Four months after the Nazis took power, Wiene's latest film, ''Taifun'', was banned on 3 May 1933. A Hungarian film company had been inviting German directors to come to Budapest to make films in simultaneous German/Hungarian versions, and given his uncertain career prospects under the new German regime Wiene took up that offer in September to direct "One Night in Venice" (1934). Wiene went later to London, and finally to Paris where together with Jean Cocteau he tried to produce a sound remake of ''The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari''.

Wiene never returned to Germany, although the reason is unclear. He had no connection to left-wing politics, and had collaborated with Nazi favorite Richard Strauss on "Der Rosenkavalier" in 1925. Although one German obituary identified him as a Jew, he had identified himself as a Protestant in Viennese university and residence records from 1894 through 1925. In addition, Wiene had adapted from a novel and directed the 1923 silent religious film '' I.N.R.I.'', depicting in a conventional way the events preceding the crucifixion of Christ.

Wiene died in Paris ten days before the end of production of a spy film, ''Ultimatum'', after having suffered from cancer. The film was finished by Wiene's friend Robert Siodmak.

Selected filmography

Only about 20 of the more than 90 movies in which Robert Wiene collaborated still exist:Uli Jung, Walter Schatzberg: ''Beyond Caligari – The Films of Robert Wiene.'' Berghahn Books, p. vi.

Director

* 1912 '' Die Waffen der Jugend (The Weapons of Youth)''
* 1914 ''Er rechts, sie links ( He This Way, She That Way)''
* 1915 ''Die Konservenbraut ( The Canned Bride)''
* 1915 ''Der springende Hirsch oder Die Diebe von Günsterburg (The Leaping Stag)'' (directed together with Walter Turszinsky)
* 1916 ''Höhen und Tiefen (Highs and Lows)''
* 1916 ''Frau Eva (Mrs. Eva)''
* 1916 ''Der Liebesbrief der Königin (The Queen's Love Letter)''
* 1916 ''Der Sekretär der Königin (The Queen's Secretary)''
* 1916 ''Das wandernde Licht (The Wandering Light)''
* 1916 ''Die Räuberbraut (The Robber Bride)''
* 1916 ''Der Mann im Spiegel ( The Man in the Mirror)''
* 1916 ''Lehmanns Brautfahrt (Lehmann's Honeymoon)''
* 1917 ''Das Leben ein Traum ( Life Is a Dream)''
* 1917 ''Der standhafte Benjamin ( Steadfast Benjamin)''
* 1917 ''Veilchen Nr. 4 (Violet no. 4)''
* 1917 ''Furcht (Fear)''
* 1920 ''Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari ( The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari)''
* 1920 ''Die drei Tänze der Mary Wilford ( The Three Dances of Mary Wilford)''
* 1920 '' Genuine (Genuine)''
* 1920 ''Die Nacht der Königin Isabeau (The Night of Queen Isabeau)''
* 1920 ''Der Schrecken im Hause Ardon (Panic in the House of Ardon)''
* 1921 ''Die Rache einer Frau ( A Woman's Revenge)''
* 1922 ''Die höllische Macht (The Infernal Power)''
* 1923 ''Raskolnikow ( Raskolnikow)''
* 1923 ''Der Puppenmacher von Kiang-Ning (The Doll Maker of Kiang-Ning)''
* 1923 '' I.N.R.I. (I.N.R.I.)''
* 1924 ''Orlac’s Hände (The Hands of Orlac)''
* 1924 ''Pension Groonen ( Boarding House Groonen)''
* 1925 ''Der Leibgardist (= Der Gardeoffizier) (The Guardsman)''
* 1926 ''Der Rosenkavalier (Der Rosenkavalier)''
* 1926 ''Die Königin vom Moulin Rouge (The Queen of Moulin Rouge)''
* 1927 ''Die Geliebte ( The Mistress)''
* 1927 ''Die berühmte Frau (The Famous Woman)''
* 1928 ''Die Frau auf der Folter (The Woman on the Rack)''
* 1928 ''Leontines Ehemänner (Leontine's Husbands)''
* 1928 ''Die grosse Abenteuerin (The Great Adventuress)''
* 1928 ''Unfug der Liebe (Folly of Love)''
* 1930 ''Der Andere (The Other)''
* 1930 ''Le procureur Hallers (The Prosecutor Hallers)''
* 1931 ''Nuits de Venise (co-director Pierre Billon)''
* 1931 ''Der Liebesexpress (The Love Express)''
* 1931 ''Panik in Chicago (Panic in Chicago)''
* 1933 ''Polizeiakte 909 (= Taifun) (Typhoon)''
* 1934 ''Eine Nacht in Venedig ( One Night in Venice)''
* 1938 ''Ultimatum (Ultimatum)'' {finished after his death by Robert Siodmak)

Writer

* ''The Weapons of Youth'' (1913)
* ''The Marriage of Luise Rohrbach'' (1917)
* '' Frank Hansen's Fortune'' (1917)
* ''Imprisoned Soul'' (1917)
* ''The Princess of Neutralia'' (1917)
* ''Countess Kitchenmaid'' (1918)
* '' The Blue Lantern'' (1918)
* ''The Ringwall Family'' (1918)
* ''Put to the Test'' (1918)
* ''Precious Stones'' (1918)
* '' The Lady, the Devil and the Model'' (1918)
* ''Agnes Arnau and Her Three Suitors'' (1918)
* '' The Homecoming of Odysseus'' (1918)
* ''Her Sport'' (1919)
* '' The Man of Action'' (1919)
* '' Victim of Society'' (1919)
* ''A Drive into the Blue'' (1919)
* '' The Living Dead'' (1919)
* ''Ruth's Two Husbands'' (1919)
* ''Diamonds'' (1920)
* ''Monika Vogelsang'' (1920)
* ''The Adventure of Doctor Kircheisen'' (1921)
* ''The Power of Darkness'' (1924)
* ''The Guardsman'' (1925)
* ''Strauss Is Playing Today'' (1928)
* ''Typhoon'' (1933)

Notes

References

* Jung, Uli & Schatzberg, Walter. ''Beyond Caligari: The Films of Robert Wiene''. Berghahn Books, 1999.

External links

*
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wiene, Robert
1873 births
1938 deaths
German film directors
Film people from Wrocław
Silent film directors
Cinema pioneers
Horror film directors
Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to France
Deaths from cancer in France