Curt Siodmak

Curt Siodmak (born the August 10th 1902 with Dresden, Germany; deceased the September 2nd 2000 with Three Rivers, California, the United States) was a writer of horror and Science-fiction and an American scenario writer of German origin.

Biographical note

Curt Siodmak, brother of the realizer Robert Siodmak, studied until 1930 initially with Dresden, then with Berlin, Stuttgart and Zurich, the Physique, the Mathématiques and the Engineerings, while writing - most of the time under the pseudonym Curt Baron - fantastic news like Helene droht zu platzen ( Helene threatens to explode ). As of 1926, whereas he exerts in the medium of journalism, he came into contact with the cinema world, being interested of close with turning of the film Metropolis of Fritz Lang. It took part besides in this film like appear, in company of his wife. In 1928, it turned to the cinema. the Men Sunday ( Menschen amndt Sonntag , 1930), the first great cinematographic success of his/her brother, is based on an idea of Curt Siodmak. The scenario had been written by Billy Wilder and Fred Zinnemann. Der Mann, DER seinen Mörder sucht and Die unsichtbare Front belong also at that time. In 1930, it takes for topic the cinema world in Schuss im Tonfilmatelier ( a shot in the workshop of cinema ).

In 1931, it marries the baroness Henrietta Erna de Perrot, an architect. In 1932, the novel of Science fiction of Curt Siodmak, “ F.P.1 antwortet nicht ” ( F.P. 1 does not answer any more ) is carried to the screen with in the first roles Hans Albers, Peter Lorre and Sybille Schmitz. One year later, he flees the Nazi Germany, horrifé by the speech of Goebbels on the future of German film, goes in Suisse - which refuses it -, passes by the France where he does not succeed in being integrated fault of sufficient knowledge of languages and arrives finally in Great Britain, where he writes the scenario of the film the Tunnel , according to the novel éponyme of Bernhard Kellermann. In 1933, he becomes father of small Geoffrey Curt. Meanwhile, the Nazis had confiscated all its goods on the German territory and the Great Britain did not wish that Curt Siodmak prolong its stay. During several days, it made the shuttle between France and England on the ferries to escape this situation and spent even some time in Belgium. Several of the scenarios which he wrote at that time - of which some for Alfred Hitchcock - were never carried to the screen. In 1937, it emigrates with the the United States and succeeds in being made engage by the Paramount and then by the studios Universal. Specialist in the horror and the Science fiction, it is at the film origin become of traditional of the kind like The Invisible Man Returns , The Invisible Woman or The Wolf Man (1941) - the title is due to the actor Boris Karloff -, and then The Beast With Five Fingers and Its off Dracula .

Its novel entitled the Brain of the Nabob ( Donovans Brain ), gone back to 1942, was several times carried at the screen and was even adapted in radiophonic part by Orson Welles. Having acquired meanwhile American nationality, Curt Siodmak accepted a formation of secret agent and wrote lampoons against the Nazi Germany.

Curt Siodmak becomes realizer only after the return of his/her brother in Europe, in 1951. It made its last film, Ski Fever , in 1966 in Czechoslovakia.

Starting from 1957, Curt Siodmak lived with his wife in a farm with Three Rivers, in California, where he died of one cancer at the 98 years age. In the last decade of its life, it was devoted especially to its autobiography, some novels, musicals of horror and conferences which it gave inter alia to the Université of Stanford.

Works

Novels

F.P.1 antwortet nicht (1932);
Donovan' S Brain (1942) (in the Magazine Appearances );
the brain of the nabob ( Donovan' S Brain , 1950), complete novel;
Riders to the Stars (1954);
Skyport (1959);
Hauser' S Memory (1968);
The Third Ear (1971);
the city of the sky ( City in the Sky , 1974) - Super-Fiction N°11.

Catalog of films

as a realizer

1930 : Men Sunday ( Menschen amndt Sonntag )
1951: Support off the Gorilla
1953: the magnetic Monster ( The Magnetic Monster )
1956: Curucu, Beast off the Amazon
1957: Coils off Slavic the Amazons
1958: Bruise off Frankenstein (TV)
1961: The Devil' S Messenger
1966: Ski Fever

as a scenario writer

1929 : Mascottchen
1929 : the Legionary 67.82 ( Flucht in die Fremdenlegion )
1930: Men Sunday ( Menschen amndt Sonntag )
1930: Der Schuß im Tonfilmatelier
1930: Der Kampf put dem Drachen oder: Die Tragödie of Untermieters
1931: Der Mann, DER seinen Mörder sucht
1931: DER Ball
1931: the Ball
1932: Die Unsichtbare Face
1934: Girls Will Be Servant boys
1935: It' S.A. Study Bureau
1935: The Tunnel
1937: Not-Stop New York
1940: the Return of the invisible man ( Invisible The Man Returns )
1940: Friday the 13th ( Black Friday )
1940: The Ape
1941 : the Werewolf ( The Wolf Man )
1942: the invisible Agent ( Invisible Agent )
1943: London Blackout Murders
1943 : Frankenstein meets the werewolf ( Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man )
1943: The Purple V
1943: Mantrap
1943 : Voodoo ( I Walked with has Zombie )
1943: False Faces
1944: The Climax
1945: Frisco Sal
1945 : Shady Lady
1946: the Animal with the five fingers ( The Beast with Five Fingers )
1949: Tarzan' S Magic Fountain
1951: Support off the Gorilla
1953: the magnetic Monster ( The Magnetic Monster )
1954: Riders to the Stars
1955: Creature with the Atom Brain
1956: Curucu, Beast off the Amazon
1957: Coils off Slavic the Amazons
1958: Bruise off Frankenstein (TV)
1961: The Devil' S Messenger
1962: Sherlock Holmes and the collar of dead the ( Sherlock Holmes und das Halsband of Todes )
1963: Das Feuerschiff
1966 : The Wolfman
1966 : Doom off Dracula
1966: Ski Fever

See too

Internal bonds

Science fiction of German language
German Price of science fiction
Price Kurd-Laßwitz
Price Curt-Siodmak

External bond

Curt Siodmak on Internet Movie Database

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