Kurt Maetzig
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Kurt Maetzig (25 January 1911 – 8 August 2012) was a German film director who had a significant effect on the film industry in
East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
. He was one of the most respected filmmakers of the GDR. After his retirement he lived in Wildkuhl,
Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin, Neubrandenburg, Wismar and Güstrow. ...
, and had three children.


Early life

Kurt Maetzig was the son of Robert Maetzig and Marie Maetzig (née Lyon). He was born and grew up in the
Charlottenburg Charlottenburg () is a Boroughs and localities of Berlin, locality of Berlin within the borough of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. Established as a German town law, town in 1705 and named after Sophia Charlotte of Hanover, Queen consort of Kingdom ...
borough of Berlin. His mother came from a wealthy family of tea merchants. He gained an insight into the film industry from an early age as his father was the proprietor of a factory that produced film copies there. During the
First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, he stayed with his grandmother in
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
. After the end of the war, he moved back to Berlin, where he completed his secondary education at the Leibniz-Oberrealschule. He then enrolled at the
Technical University of Munich The Technical University of Munich (TUM or TU Munich; ) is a public research university in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. It specializes in engineering, technology, medicine, and applied and natural sciences. Established in 1868 by King Ludwig II ...
(TUM), where he studied chemistry, engineering and political and business economics. He also studied sociology, psychology and law for a year at the Sorbonne in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
. In the late 1920s, Maetzig worked at his father's factory during the holidays, gaining experience in all areas of film production. He began shooting his own films in 1932, and three years later he ran his own cartoon workshop, where he also worked on titles and opening credits for short films.


Career

He received his
PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...
from TUM in 1935 after he had completed his dissertation entitled "The accountancy of a film-copying institution." He then worked for various firms, including his father's, where he worked on film technology and
photochemistry Photochemistry is the branch of chemistry concerned with the chemical effects of light. Generally, this term is used to describe a chemical reaction caused by absorption of ultraviolet (wavelength from 100 to 400 Nanometre, nm), visible ligh ...
, and also gave lessons on copying techniques and problems with sound and colour in films. However, following the
Nuremberg Laws The Nuremberg Laws (, ) were antisemitic and racist laws that were enacted in Nazi Germany on 15 September 1935, at a special meeting of the Reichstag convened during the annual Nuremberg Rally of the Nazi Party. The two laws were the Law ...
of 1935, his work permit was revoked by the Film Chamber of the Reich in 1937 due to his mother's
Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...
ish heritage. Maetzig then ran a small photochemical laboratory in Berlin and gave lectures on film technology. During the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Maetzig became a member of the illegal Communist Party in 1944. After the war, he moved back to Berlin, where he co-founded a group called "''Filmaktiv''" in 1945, whose aim was to organise a resumption of film production. He joined the newly founded state-owned film studio,
DEFA DEFA (''Deutsche Film-Aktiengesellschaft'') was the state-owned film studio of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) throughout the country's existence. Since 2019, DEFA's film heritage has been made accessible and licensable on the PR ...
, in 1947, where he worked as a director both of documentaries and feature films. He became DEFA's artistic director in 1946. He was also the first director and editor of the weekly newsreel "'' Der Augenzeuge''" ( English: ''The Eyewitness''). Maetzig's first feature film was '' Ehe im Schatten'' (''Marriage in the Shadows''), released in 1947. It was the most successful film of the post-war period, attracting over 12 million viewers in total. His other notable films include '' Die Buntkarierten'' (1949), which was entered into the
Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...
, the '' Ernst Thälmann films'' (1954–55), and the science fiction film '' Der schweigende Stern'' (1960). Some of Maetzig's work has been described as East German propaganda particularly his two part series on Ernst Thalman ( Ernst Thälmann - Sohn seiner Klasse, Ernst Thälmann - Führer seiner Klasse), though nearly all his films in production from 1965–66 were banned by East German authorities. He also directed the film '' Das Kaninchen bin ich'' (''The Rabbit is Me'') (1965), which was one of twelve films that were banned in East Germany after the 11th plenum of the SED's Central Committee for being too critical of the internal social problems within the country.Berghahn, Daniela (2004), ‘Film Censorship in a “Clean State”: The Case of Klein and Kohlhaase’s Berlin um die Ecke’, in ''Critical Studies'', 22, pp. 111–139. He retired as a film director in 1976. He died on 8 August 2012 in Wildkuhl,
Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin, Neubrandenburg, Wismar and Güstrow. ...
.


Other commitments

From 1954 to 1964, Maetzig was the first president of the German University of Cinema in
Potsdam-Babelsberg Babelsberg () is the largest quarter (urban subdivision), quarter of Potsdam, the capital city of the Germany, German state of Brandenburg. The neighbourhood is named after a small hill on the Havel river. It is the location of Babelsberg Palace an ...
, where he also held the post of Professor of Stage Direction. From 1967 to 1988 he was an executive member of the Verband der Film- und Fernsehschaffenden der DDR (GDR Federation of Film and Television Producers). He then became the vice-president of the Fédération Internationale des Ciné-Clubs (International Federation of Cinema Clubs) (FICC) in 1974. He was also president of the Nationales Spielfilmfestival der DDR (English: GDR National Film Festival) on four separate occasions between 1980 and 1990, and he has been a member of the
Academy of Arts, Berlin The Academy of Arts () is a state arts institution in Berlin, Germany. The task of the Academy is to promote art, as well as to advise and support the states of Germany. The academy's predecessor organization was founded in 1696 by Elector F ...
since 1950, where a considerable archive of his works is located. In 1973 he was a member of the jury at the
8th Moscow International Film Festival The 8th Moscow International Film Festival was held from 10 to 23 July 1973. The Golden Prizes were awarded to the Soviet film '' That Sweet Word: Liberty!'' directed by Vytautas Žalakevičius and the Bulgarian film '' Affection'' directed by ...
. In 1979 he was a member of the jury at the 11th Moscow International Film Festival. In 1983 he was a member of the jury at the 33rd Berlin International Film Festival.


Filmography

* 1946: '' Der Augenzeuge'' (weekly newsreel) * 1946: '' Berlin im Aufbau'' (documentary) * 1946: ''Musikalischer Besuch'' (documentary) * 1946: ''1.Mai 1946'' (documentary) * 1946: ''Leipziger Messe 1946'' (documentary) * 1946: ''Einheit SPD – KPD'' (documentary) * 1947: '' Marriage in the Shadows'' * 1949: '' Girls in Gingham'' * 1950: ''
The Council of the Gods ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...
'' * 1950: ''Immer bereit'' (documentary) * 1950: '' The Benthin Family'' (co-directors:
Slatan Dudow Slatan Theodor Dudow (, Zlatan Dudov; 30 January 1903 – 12 July 1963) was a Bulgarian-born German film director and screenwriter who made a number of films during the Weimar Republic and in East Germany. Biography Early life and career Dud ...
, Richard Groschopp) * 1951: '' Die Sonnenbrucks'' * 1952: '' Story of a Young Couple'' * 1954: '' Ernst Thälmann - Sohn seiner Klasse'' * 1955: '' Ernst Thälmann - Führer seiner Klasse'' * 1957: '' Castles and Cottages'' * 1957: '' Don't Forget My Little Traudel'' * 1958: '' The Sailor's Song'' * 1960: '' First Spaceship on Venus'' * 1961: '' September Love'' * 1961: ''Der Traum des Hauptmann Loy'' * 1961: ''Der Schatten'' * 1963: ''An französischen Kaminen'' * 1964: ''Preludio 11'' * 1965: '' The Rabbit Is Me'' * 1967: '' Das Mädchen auf dem Brett'' * 1967: '' The Banner of Krivoi Rog'' * 1970: ''Aus unserer Zeit'' * 1972: ''Januskopf'' * 1976: ''Mann gegen Mann''


Awards

* 1949 Bambi (prize) for '' Ehe im Schatten'' * 1949 National Preis II. Klasse for '' Ehe im Schatten'' and '' Die Buntkarierten'' (with others) * 1950 National Preis I. Klasse for '' Der Rat der Götter'' (with others) * 1954 National Preis I. Klasse for '' Ernst Thälmann - Sohn seiner Klasse'' (with others) * 1959 National Preis II. Klasse for '' Das Lied der Matrosen'' (with others) * 1961
Vaterländischer Verdienstorden The Patriotic Order of Merit (German: ''Vaterländischer Verdienstorden'', or VVO) was a national award granted annually in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). It was founded in 1954 and was awarded to individuals and institutions for outstanding ...
in Silver * 1968 National Preis I. Klasse for '' Die Fahne von Kriwoj Rog'' (with others) * 1986 Findling Award for his life's work * 1986
Vaterländischer Verdienstorden The Patriotic Order of Merit (German: ''Vaterländischer Verdienstorden'', or VVO) was a national award granted annually in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). It was founded in 1954 and was awarded to individuals and institutions for outstanding ...
in Gold


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Maetzig, Kurt 1911 births 2012 deaths Cinema of East Germany Politicians from Berlin German people of Jewish descent Communist Party of Germany politicians German men centenarians People from East Berlin Recipients of the Patriotic Order of Merit Recipients of the National Prize of East Germany Technical University of Munich alumni Jewish centenarians German propagandists German propaganda film directors