Max Mack (1884–1973) was a German
screenwriter
A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based.
...
,
film producer
A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...
and
director during the
silent era
A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, 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) ...
. 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.
During the 1910s, he directed nearly a hundred films in a variety of different
genres
Genre () is any form or type 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 for ...
.
[Elsaesser & Wedel p.205]
Born as Moritz Myrthenzweig in
Halberstadt
Halberstadt ( Eastphalian: ''Halverstidde'') is a town in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, the capital of Harz district. Located north of the Harz mountain range, it is known for its old town center that was greatly destroyed by Allied bom ...
, the
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
Mack was later forced to emigrate to escape
Nazism
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
, 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 Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
. His final film was the 1935
quota quickie
The Cinematograph Films Act of 1927 ('' 17 & 18 Geo. V'') was an act of the United Kingdom Parliament designed to stimulate the declining British film industry. It received Royal Assent on 20 December 1927 and came into force on 1 April 1928.
De ...
''
Be Careful, Mr. Smith
''Be Careful, Mr. Smith'' is a 1935 British comedy film directed by Max Mack and starring Bobbie Comber, Bertha Belmore and Cecil Ramage.Wood p.88
The film's sets were designed by the art director John Mead.
Cast
* Bobbie Comber as Geoffr ...
''.
Selected filmography
Director
* ''
The Other'' (1913)
* ''
The Blue Mouse
''The Blue Mouse'' (german: Die blaue Maus) is a 1928 German silent comedy film directed by Johannes Guter and starring Jenny Jugo, Harry Halm, and Brita Appelgren.
The film's sets were designed by the art director Jacek Rotmil
Jacek Rot ...
'' (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)
* ''
The Confessions of the Green Mask'' (1916)
* ''
The Maharaja's Favourite Wife'' (1921)
* ''
Quarantäne'' (1923)
* ''
The Beautiful Girl'' (1923)
* ''
Father Voss'' (1925)
* ''
The Uninvited Guest'' (1925)
* ''
The Girl with a Patron
''The Girl with a Patron'' (german: Das Mädchen mit der Protektion) is a 1925 German silent comedy film directed by Max Mack and starring Ossi Oswalda, Willy Fritsch, and Nora Gregor. It was shot at the Babelsberg Studios in Berlin. It was on ...
'' (1925)
* ''
The Wooing of Eve'' (1926)
* ''
Fight of the Tertia'' (1929)
* ''
Only on the Rhine
''Only on the Rhine'' (german: Nur am Rhein...) is a 1930 German comedy film directed by Max Mack and starring Daisy D'Ora, Igo Sym, and Truus Van Aalten.Bock & Bergfelder p. 302
The film's sets were designed by Otto Erdmann and Hans Sohnle ...
'' (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.
The ...
'' (1933)
* ''
Be Careful, Mr. Smith
''Be Careful, Mr. Smith'' is a 1935 British comedy film directed by Max Mack and starring Bobbie Comber, Bertha Belmore and Cecil Ramage.Wood p.88
The film's sets were designed by the art director John Mead.
Cast
* Bobbie Comber as Geoffr ...
'' (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
{{Germany-film-director-stub