Curt Courant (11 May 1899 – 20 April 1968) was a German
cinematographer
The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the c ...
who worked on over a hundred films during the
silent and early
sound
In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid.
In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by ...
eras. Courant worked in several European countries, collaborating with figures such as
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...
and
Fritz Lang
Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), known as Fritz Lang, was an Austrian film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary ''Variety'', August 4, 1976, p. 6 ...
. As he was of Jewish ancestry, Courant was forced to leave Germany in 1933 and go into exile following the
Nazi
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hit ...
takeover of power. Courant worked at several of the leading British studios during the mid-1930s. He is the uncle of
Willy Kurant
Willy Kurant (15 February 1934 – 3 April 2021) was a Belgian cinematographer.
Kurant began as a documentary cameraman before establishing himself as a director of photography for such filmmakers as Agnès Varda, Jean-Luc Godard, Orson Welles, ...
who also became a cinematographer.
Selected filmography
* ''
The Onyx Head'' (1917)
* ''
Waves of Fate
''Waves of Fate'' (German: ''Wogen des Schicksals'') is a 1918 German silent drama film directed by Joe May and starring Mia May, Erich Kaiser-Titz and Georg John. Bock, Hans-Michael & Lenssen, Claudia. ''Joe May: Regisseur und Produzent''. 1 ...
'' (1918)
*''
The Sacrifice'' (1918)
* ''
The World Champion
''The World Champion'' (German: ''Der Weltmeister'') is a 1919 German silent film directed by Erik Lund.Bock & Bergfelder p.74
Cast
In alphabetical order
* Jo Conradt
* Ria Jende
* Bruno Kastner
* Max Laurence
* Rose Lichtenstein
* Lotte M ...
'' (1919)
* ''
The Enchanted Princess
The Enchanted Princess (German: ''Die verzauberte Prinzessin'') is a German fairy tale collected by Ludwig Bechstein, first published in his book ''Deutsches Märchenbuch'' in 1845.Bechstein, Ludwig ''Deutsches Märchenbuch'' Leipzig: Verlag von G ...
'' (1919)
* ''
The Foolish Heart'' (1919)
* ''
State Attorney Jordan'' (1919)
* ''
Only a Servant'' (1919)
* ''
Irrlicht
Irrlicht may refer to:
* Irrlicht, the German name for will-o'-the-wisp, the ghostly light sometimes seen at night over bogs and swamps
* "Irrlicht", the ninth song in the '' Winterreise'' cycle by Franz Schubert
* ''Irrlicht'' (album), by Klau ...
'' (1919)
* ''
A Man's Word'' (1919)
* ''
The Heart of Casanova'' (1919)
* ''
Between Two Worlds Between Two Worlds may refer to:
Music
* ''Between Two Worlds'' (I album), 2006
* ''Between Two Worlds'', a 2009 album by Paul McKenna Band
* ''Between Two Worlds'' (Trip Lee album), 2010
* '' Between II Worlds'', a 2015 album by Nero
* ''Bet ...
'' (1919)
* ''
The Bodega of Los Cuerros
''The Bodega of Los Cuerros'' (german: Die Bodega von Los Cuerros) is a 1919 German silent film directed by Erik Lund.Bock & Bergfelder p. 74
Cast
In alphabetical order
References
Bibliography
*
External links
*
1919 films
Films of t ...
'' (1919)
* ''
The Golden Lie'' (1919)
* ''
The Commandment of Love'' (1919)
* ''
Devoted Artists'' (1919)
* ''
All Souls'' (1919)
* ''
The Fairy of Saint Ménard'' (1919)
* ''
The Last Sun Son'' (1919)
* ''
The Bride of the Incapacitated
''The Bride of the Incapacitated'' (german: Die Braut des Entmündigten) is a 1919 German silent film directed by Erik Lund.Bock & Bergfelder p. 74
The film's art direction was by Siegfried Wroblewsky.
Cast
* Wilhelm Diegelmann
* Eva May
* Herm ...
'' (1919)
* ''
Black Pearls
''Black Pearls'' is a studio album by American jazz musician John Coltrane, released in 1964 on Prestige Records. It was recorded at a single recording session on May 23, 1958, at the studio of Rudy Van Gelder in Hackensack, New Jersey.
On that F ...
'' (1919)
* ''
In the Whirl of Life'' (1920)
* ''
Forbidden Love'' (1920)
* ''
President Barrada'' (1920)
* ''
The Girl from Acker Street'' (1920)
* ''
Comrades'' (1921)
* ''
Hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depi ...
'' (1921)
* ''
Queen of the Streets
''Queen of the Streets'' (German:''Die Gassenkönigin'') is a 1921 German silent film directed by Ernst Mölter.Bock & Bergfelder p.74
Cast
* Traute Trauneck
* Else Andresen
* Arthur Beder
* Gertrude De Lalsky
* Ernst Hallenstein
* Kurt Hard ...
'' (1921)
* ''
The Stranger from Alster Street'' (1921)
* ''
Alfred von Ingelheim's Dramatic Life'' (1921)
* ''
A Day on Mars'' (1921)
* ''
The Secret of Castle Ronay'' (1922)
* ''
The Blood'' (1922)
* ''
The Anthem of Love'' (1922)
* ''
Peter the Great
Peter I ( – ), most commonly known as Peter the Great,) or Pyotr Alekséyevich ( rus, Пётр Алексе́евич, p=ˈpʲɵtr ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ, , group=pron was a Russian monarch who ruled the Tsardom of Russia from t ...
'' (1922)
* ''
Paradise in the Snow'' (1923)
* ''
The Slipper Hero
''The Slipper Hero'' (german: Der Pantoffelheld) is a 1923 Austrian-German silent comedy film directed by Reinhold Schünzel and starring Scott van Balen, Liane Haid and Paul Hartmann. The title is an expression for a hen-pecked husband.
The f ...
'' (1923)
* ''
Two Children
''Two Children'' (german: Zwei Kinder) is a 1924 German silent film directed by Richard Clement Hilber and starring Alexander Murski, Olga Belajeff and Suzanne Marwille.Bock & Bergfelder p. 74
The film's sets were designed by the art director K ...
'' (1924)
* ''
Comedians of Life'' (1924)
* ''
Quo Vadis
''Quō vādis?'' (, ) is a Latin phrase meaning "Where are you marching?". It is also commonly translated as "Where are you going?" or, poetically, "Whither goest thou?"
The phrase originates from the Christian tradition regarding Saint Pet ...
'' (1924)
* ''
Fire of Love'' (1925)
* ''
The Island of Dreams'' (1925)
* ''
The Brothers Schellenberg'' (1926)
* ''
The Flight in the Night'' (1926)
* ''
When She Starts, Look Out'' (1926)
* ''
The Little Variety Star'' (1926)
* ''
The Wooing of Eve'' (1926)
* ''
The World Wants To Be Deceived
''The World Wants To Be Deceived'' (German: ''Die Welt will belogen sein'') is a 1926 German silent film directed by Peter Paul Felner and starring Harry Liedtke, Georg Alexander and Mady Christians.Bock & Bergfelder p.397
The film's art direct ...
'' (1926)
* ''
Countess Ironing-Maid'' (1926)
* ''
Family Gathering in the House of Prellstein'' (1927)
* ''
The Trial of Donald Westhof'' (1927)
* ''
The Csardas Princess'' (1927)
* ''
The Dashing Archduke'' (1927)
* ''
Secrets of the Orient'' (1928)
* ''
Guilty'' (1928)
*''
Woman in the Moon'' (1929)
* ''
The Woman One Longs For'' (1929)
* ''
The Burning Heart'' (1929)
* ''
The Singing City'' (1930)
* ''
The King of Paris'' (1930, German)
* ''
The King of Paris'' (1930, French)
* ''
The White Devil
''The White Devil'' (full original title: ''The White Divel; or, The Tragedy of Paulo Giordano Ursini, Duke of Brachiano. With The Life and Death of Vittoria Corombona the famous Venetian Curtizan'') is a tragedy by English playwright John We ...
'' (1930)
*''
City of Song'' (1931)
* ''
My Cousin from Warsaw'' (1931)
* ''
The Man Who Murdered'' (1931)
* ''
Who Takes Love Seriously?'' (1931)
* ''
The Unknown Singer'' (1931)
* ''
Rasputin, Demon with Women
''Rasputin, Demon with Women'' (German: ''Rasputin, Dämon der Frauen'') is a 1932 German drama film directed by Adolf Trotz and starring Conrad Veidt, Paul Otto and Hermine Sterler.
It portrays the influence wielded by Grigori Rasputin ove ...
'' (1932)
* ''
His Highness Love'' (1931)
* ''
This One or None'' (1932)
* ''
Gitta Discovers Her Heart'' (1932)
* ''
Scampolo'' (1932)
* ''
A Son from America'' (1932)
* ''
Thea Roland'' (1932)
* ''
Ciboulette'' (1933)
*''
Perfect Understanding
''Perfect Understanding'' is a 1933 British comedy film directed by Cyril Gardner and starring Laurence Olivier, Gloria Swanson and John Halliday. The film was an independent production made at Ealing Studios, conceived as an attempt to revive ...
'' (1933)
*' (1934)
*''
The Iron Duke'' (1934)
*''
The Man Who Knew Too Much'' (1934)
*''
Amok'' (1934)
* ''
The Higher Command
''The Higher Command'' (german: Der höhere Befehl) is a 1935 German historical film directed by Gerhard Lamprecht and starring Lil Dagover, Karl Ludwig Diehl and Heli Finkenzeller. Produced and distributed by UFA, it was shot at the company ...
'' (1935)
*''
Me and Marlborough
''Me and Marlborough'' is a 1935 British comedy film, directed by Victor Saville, and starring Cicely Courtneidge, Tom Walls, Barry MacKay, Peter Gawthorne, Henry Oscar and Cecil Parker.
Plot
Sergeant Cummings searches Kit Ross's pub for ...
'' (1935)
*''
The Passing of the Third Floor Back'' (1935)
*''
She Knew What She Wanted'' (1936)
*''
Man in the Mirror
"Man in the Mirror" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson. It was written by Glen Ballard and Siedah Garrett and produced by Jackson and Quincy Jones. It was released on February 6, 1988, as the fourth single from Jacks ...
'' (1936)
*''
Broken Blossoms
''Broken Blossoms or The Yellow Man and the Girl'', often referred to simply as ''Broken Blossoms'', is a 1919 American silent drama film directed by D. W. Griffith. It was distributed by United Artists and premiered on May 13, 1919. It stars L ...
'' (1936)
*''
Spy of Napoleon
''Spy of Napoleon'' is a 1936 British historical drama film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Richard Barthelmess, Dolly Haas, Frank Vosper, Henry Oscar and James Carew. It is based on the 1934 novel ''A Spy of Napoleon'' by Baroness Em ...
'' (1936)
* ''
Cheer Up
Cheering involves the uttering or making of sounds and may be used to encourage, excite to action, indicate approval or welcome.
The word cheer originally meant face, countenance, or expression, and came through Old French into Middle English ...
'' (1936)
*''
Dusty Ermine'' (1936)
* ''
The Lie of Nina Petrovna
''The Lie of Nina Petrovna'' (French: ''Le mensonge de Nina Petrovna'') is a 1937 French drama film directed by Viktor Tourjansky and starring Isa Miranda, Fernand Gravey and Aimé Clariond.Gundle p.131 It is a remake of the 1929 silent film '' ...
'' (1937)
* ''
Clothes and the Woman'' (1937)
* ''
Princess Tarakanova'' (1938)
*''
La Bête Humaine'' (1938)
* ''
Lights of Paris'' (1938)
*''
Le Jour Se Lève'' (1939)
*''
Louise'' (1939)
* ''
Monsieur Brotonneau'' (1939)
*''
Sarajevo
Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see names in other languages'') is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area including Sarajev ...
'' (1940)
*''
Monsieur Verdoux'' (1947) uncredited
*''
It Happened in Athens'' (1962)
Bibliography
*Bock, Hans-Michael & Bergfelder, Tim. ''The Concise Cinegraph: Encyclopaedia of German Cinema''. Berghahn Books, 2009.
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Courant, Curt
1899 births
1968 deaths
German cinematographers
Film people from Berlin
Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United Kingdom