Paul Merzbach (27 November 1888 – September 1943) was an

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

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 ...

and

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

. Merzbach worked in the Austrian and Germany film industries during the early stages of his career. He worked initially on scripts, but in 1924 he directed his first film. During the late 1920s, Merzbach worked in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

before returning to Germany. Following the

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

rise to power in 1933, Merzbach went into exile in Britain.Brinson, Dove & Taylor p.139 He worked in the British film industry for the remainder of his career. His final contribution was the screenplay for ''

Hatter's Castle ''Hatter's Castle'' (1931) is the first novel of author A. J. Cronin. The story is set in 1879, in the fictional town of Levenford, on the Firth of Clyde. The plot revolves around many characters and has many subplots, all of which relate to ...

'' (1942), directed by

Lance Comfort Lance Comfort (11 August 1908 – 25 August 1966) was an English film director. He was a prolific maker of B movies from 1945 to 1965. Early life Lance Comfort was born in Harrow, London on 11 August 1908. Career In a career spanning over ...

Selected filmography

Director

* '' The Hobgoblin'' (1924) * ''

Old Mamsell's Secret ''Old Mamsell's Secret'' (German:''Das Geheimnis der alten Mamsell'') is a 1925 German silent film directed by Paul Merzbach and starring Frida Richard, Guido Parish and Marcella Albani.Nelmes & Selbo The film's art direction was by Andrej ...

'' (1925) * ''

The Bank Crash of Unter den Linden ''The Bank Crash of Unter den Linden'' () is a 1926 German silent film directed by Paul Merzbach and starring Alfred Abel, Hans Albers, and Margarete Schlegel.Bock & Bergfelder p. 8 It was produced by the German subsidiary of the Fox Film Compa ...

'' (1926) * '' For Her Sake'' (1930) * ''

Dante's Mysteries ''Dante's Mysteries'' (Swedish: ''Dantes mysterier'') is a 1931 Swedish drama film written and directed by Paul Merzbach and starring Dante, Elisabeth Frisk and Zarah Leander.Bock & Bergfelder p.279 It was shot at the Råsunda Studios in Stockhol ...

'' (1931) * ''

The False Millionaire ''The False Millionaire'' (Swedish: ''Falska millionären'') is a 1931 French-Swedish comedy film directed by Paul Merzbach and starring Fridolf Rhudin, Zarah Leander and Annalisa Ericson.Wallengren p.53 It was shot at the Råsunda Studios in S ...

'' (1931) * ''

Mother-in-Law's Coming ''Mother-in-Law's Coming'' (Swedish: ''Svärmor kommer'') is a 1932 Swedish comedy film directed by Paul Merzbach and starring Karin Swanström, Nils Wahlbom and Magda Holm.Larsson & Marklund p.130 It was shot at the Råsunda Studios in Stockh ...

'' (1932) * ''

Love at Second Sight '' Love at Second Sight'' may refer to: * ''Love at Second Sight'' (1934 film), a British film * ''Love at Second Sight'' (1999 film), an Israeli film (Hebrew title: אהבה ממבט שני, romanized as Ahava Mimabat Sheni) * ''Love at Second ...

'' (1934) * '' Invitation to the Waltz'' (1935) * '' A Star Fell from Heaven'' (1936)

Screenwriter

* ''

The House in Dragon Street ''The House in Dragon Street'' (German: ''Das Haus in der Dragonerstrasse '') is a 1921 German silent crime film directed by Richard Oswald and starring Edmund Löwe, Werner Krauss and Lilly Flohr. The film premiered in Berlin on 24 June 1921 ...

'' (1921) * '' The Golden Plague'' (1921) * ''

Lola Montez, the King's Dancer ''Lola Montez, the King's Dancer'' () is a 1922 German silent historical drama film directed by Willi Wolff and starring Ellen Richter, Arnold Korff, and Fritz Kampers. It portrays the life of Lola Montez. The film was produced by Richter' ...

'' (1922) * ''

The Lady and Her Hairdresser ''The Lady and Her Hairdresser'' (German: ''Die Dame und ihr Friseur'') is a 1922 German silent comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in thi ...

'' (1922) * '' The Great Unknown'' (1924) * ''

Letters Which Never Reached Him ''Letters Which Never Reached Him'' (German: ''Briefe, die ihn nicht erreichten'') is a 1925 German silent film directed by Frederic Zelnik and starring Albert Bassermann, Marcella Albani and Mia Pankau. The film's sets were designed by the ...

'' (1925) * '' A Sister of Six'' (1926) * ''

Only a Dancing Girl ''Only a Dancing Girl'' (, ) is a 1926 German-Swedish silent drama film directed by Olof Molander and starring Lil Dagover, Walter Janssen and Harry Halm. It is based on the novel '' Pierre and Jean'' by Guy de Maupassant. The film's sets ...

'' (1926) * ''

Sealed Lips ''Sealed Lips'' is a 1942 American film noir crime film directed by George Waggner and starring William Gargan, June Clyde and John Litel.Gates p.145 Plot Main cast * William Gargan as Lee Davis * June Clyde as Lois Grant * John Litel ...

'' (1927) * '' Parisiennes'' (1928) * ''

Sin In religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law or a law of the deities. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered ...

'' (1928) * '' The Triumph of the Heart'' (1929) * ''

Say It with Music Say or SAY may refer to: * Speech, the production of a spoken language Music * ''Say'' (album), by Misono, 2008 * Scottish Album of the Year Award Songs * "Say" (The Creatures song), 1999 * "Say" (John Mayer song), 2007 * "Say" (Method Man song ...

'' (1929) * ''

Father and Son Father and Son or Fathers and Sons may refer to: Literature * ''Father and Son'' (Gosse book), a 1907 memoir by Edmund Gosse *Father and Son (comics), cartoon characters created by E. O. Plauen * ''Fathers and Sons'' (novel), an 1862 novel by Iv ...

'' (1930) * ''

'' (1931) * ''

The Secret of Johann Orth ''The Secret of Johann Orth'' (German: ) is a 1932 German historical drama film directed by Willi Wolff and starring Karl Ludwig Diehl, Ellen Richter and Paul Wegener.Grange p.398 It was shot at the Johannisthal Studios in Berlin and on locatio ...

'' (1932) * ''

Temptation Temptation is a desire to engage in short-term urges for enjoyment that threatens long-term goals.Webb, J.R. (Sep 2014). Incorporating Spirituality into Psychology of temptation: Conceptualization, measurement, and clinical implications. Sp ...

'' (1934) * '' Mimi'' (1935) * '' Hail and Farewell'' (1936) * ''

It Happened to One Man ''It Happened to One Man'' (also known as ''Gentleman of Venture'') is a 1940 British drama film directed by Paul L. Stein and starring Wilfrid Lawson (actor), Wilfrid Lawson, Nora Swinburne and Marta Labarr. The screenplay was by Paul Merzbach a ...

'' (1940) * ''

'' (1942)

References

Bibliography

* Bergfelder, Tim & Cargnelli, Christian. ''Destination London: German-speaking emigrés and British cinema, 1925-1950''. Berghahn Books, 2008. * Brinson, Charmian, Dove, Richard & Taylor, Jennifer. ''Immortal Austria?: Austrians in Exile in Britain''. Rodopi, 2007.

External links

* 1888 births 1943 deaths Austrian Jews Austrian film editors Austrian male screenwriters Austrian film directors Film people from Vienna Jewish emigrants from Austria after the Anschluss to the United Kingdom 20th-century Austrian screenwriters 20th-century Austrian male writers {{Austria-film-director-stub