See also: Lang
Fritz Lang (December 5th, 1890 - August 2nd, 1976) is a German realizer of origin Austrian, naturalized American in 1935, and film producer famous like M Cursed the , Metropolis , or the series of the Doctor Mabuse . Scenario writer adulated by criticisms of the New wave, in particular Claude Chabrol and Jean-Luc Godard which requested it to play its own part in the Contempt , he is the author of a crossed work of many topics such as revenge, death, the superman, the thirst for being able and especially the double, set of themes presents in the near total of its work. It also signed the red street and human Désirs , according to two films of Jean Renoir, the bitch and the human animal . It is important to announce that Metropolis is the only film of the history to being classified with the inheritance of UNESCO.
It decides to break with its family and starts a round the world tour which will last, according to its dires, of 1908 to 1913. He travels to the Far East, Europe and North Africa. On its return in Europe, it leaves for the Belgium where it discovers the cinema, then for Paris, capital of arts at the time, where it earns with difficulty its living as painter. The declaration of war of 1914 and the assassination of Jean Jaurès push it to leave France. It engages in the Austrian army then is hospitalized in Vienna after being wounded on the face Is. It then meets the scenario writer and producing Joe May to which it proposes scenarios, but it is the producer Erich Pommer who inserts it in the company of German production Decla (Deutsche Eclair), then at the company UFA (Universum Film AG) and which enables him to carry out its first films.
Thea von Harbou was actress then author of literary serials. Its success the growth with becoming scenario writer. She Marie with Fritz Lang, and marks the German career of the scenario writer. In 1920, it turns Das Wandernde Bild and Vier um die Frau or ( Kämpfende Herzen ), before being essential on criticism with the Three Lights ( DER müde Tod , 1921).
Become one of the most important scenario writers of the country, Fritz Lang signs a fresco of mystery and adventures which has as a decoration the Weimar Republic, Doctor Mabuse the player ( Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler , 1922), then carries out a diptych on the great Germanic legends, Nibelungen ( Die Nibelungen , 1924). It makes then a humanistic science fiction film, Metropolis (1926). Supported by spectacular special effects and completely news at the time, the vision with many regards premonitory of a futuristic city cut in two parts distinct according to the social status from its inhabitants impresses today still. It is on the turning of this film that Lang loses an eye. It returns to film of mystery and espionage with the Spies ( Spione , 1928), whose esthetics is very voluntarily abstract, then again explores the science fiction with the Woman on the Moon ( Die Frau im Mond , 1929).
The films of this period fall under the mobility of the Cinéma German expressionnist, in particular Doctor Mabuse with the use of decorations painted bright colors (although that is not seen black and white, that undoubtedly influenced the play of the actors) and representing strongly improbable prospects.
Its first talking film is M curses it , ( M is the original title), realized in 1931. The scenario of Fritz Lang and his wife Thea von Harbou, specialist in the popular serial, refers to the murders in series characteristic of this disturbed time of the German history. They are the “drama of the destiny” and the topic of the Good and the Evil which interest the scenario writer, author of an attractive reflection on the procedures of judgment: one of the strongest scenes of film is indeed the lawsuit of the murderer, whom Peter Lorre interprets, by a court consisted the underworld organized and in which some wanted to see a parabola of the movement Nazi. In fact, it is the pourrissante Weimar company which is depicted here. The country east took out of vice by rising nationalism and unemployment, consequence more or less direct of the crisis of 1929. It should be noted that Fritz Lang used criminal and delinquent truths, left prison for the occasion. One can notice that for its first talking film, it uses already the band its like dramatic element, with the clock evoking waiting and the concern of the mother of Elsie Beckman (the first victim), or the use of the Hall of King of the Mountain ( Peer Gynt of Edvard Grieg) like Leitmotiv whistled by the assassin before passing to the act.
Contrary to what was often said, M curses it is not inspired solely by the business Peter Kürten (the “vampire of Düsseldorf”). The first title was to be Mörder unter ones ( the assassins are among us ), but the Nazis there transfers a criticism and ended up prohibiting it later a few years. This film is also the greatest business success of the scenario writer. No5el Simsolo, film, author historian and critic of many studies whose one on Fritz Lang, brings back an interesting anecdote: one day, whereas Lang went to the Staaken studios to continue the setting in scene of its film, a director Nazi refuses the entry to him because the title of film was still the assassins are among us . He thought that Lang made a film against the Nazi regime. It is only during turning that Lang changes the title into M , after having carried out the scene where Peter Lorre is made register a M with chalk by a delinquent.
Lastly, it should be noted that it is about preferred film of its author: “my entire film is a report. M my is preferred”, will not cease it repeating throughout its life, in each written or audio-visual maintenance. He says it to Brigitte Bardot in the Contempt of Jean-Luc Godard, film where he plays his own part at the request of the French scenario writer.
Anxious of the growing rise of the Nazism, it turns a new adventure of Mabuse, the Will of Doctor Mabuse ( Das Testament of Doctor Mabuse , 1933) and will say to have attacked the Nazis indirectly later there. Thea von Harbou collaborates in the scenario. The character of Dr. Mabuse returns directly to the Surhomme. He is often interpreted like the portrait of Adolf Hitler. But 1st of the series of the Dr. Mabuse does not contain any element going in this direction, faithful to Fu Manchu, Fantomas and other large criminals plotters. It is only with the Will of Doctor Mabuse , turned into 1932 little before the seizure of power by Hitler, that Lang made a bringing together which he will say later, in 1941, at the exit of Chasse for the man , its first film anti-nazi, intentional, while making repeat by its character of alluring criminal of many sentences which are as much of call to the crime!
When Adolf Hitler arrives at the capacity, Thea von Harbou joined the rows Nazis. No5el Simsolo, in his study on Lang, note that Thea von Harbou injects into its characters of the nationalist components and provoquatrices. It included monologs or judgments pseudo-philosophical. In short, the wife of Lang is kneaded nationalist ideas of III Reich. Joseph Goebbels, Minister for Propaganda, convenes Lang to propose to him to be with the head of the department cinema of its ministry, therefore German cinema. At that time, Lang is the most popular of Germany, and universally known scenario writer. According to its dires, Fritz Lang declines politely the offer by specifying that his/her mother is Jewish. Goebbles answers him: “what is Jewish, we will decide some”. It leaves Germany a few hours after this maintenance because it knows very well that a refusal would have very serious consequences. It is exiled in Paris, where it finds Erich Pommer for which it carries out Liliom (1934). June 6th, 1934, it leaves for the United States, in order to go on the traces of Friedrich Murnau, Ernst Lubitsch, Josef von Sternberg and Erich Von Stroheim, other German scenario writers and Vienneses, exiled in Hollywood.
Fritz Lang also approaches the Psychanalyse in black films tinted of onirism, such the Woman with the portrait ( The Woman In The Window , 1944), the red Street ( Scarlet Street , 1945), remake of the Bitch of Jean Renoir, the Secrecy behind the door ( The Secret beyond the Door… , 1948), an intrigue in psychoanalytical matter, and House by to rivet (1950). Except for a film of war, Guerillas ( American Guerilla in Philippines , 1950), of a romantic western with Marlene Dietrich, the Angel of cursed the ( Rancho Notorious , 1952) and of a film of adventures, the Smugglers of Moonfleet ( Moonfleet , 1954), it turns especially of the melodramas, suspense films and black films: the demon wakes up the night ( Clash By Night , 1952), the Woman with the gardénia ( The Blue Gardenia , 1953), Settling of score ( The Big Heat , 1953), human Désirs ( Human Desire , 1954), according to the human Animal of Emile Zola, remake of Renoir éponyme, the Fifth Victim ( While The City Sleeps , 1956) and ItIncredible Truth ( Beyond has Reasonable Doubt , 1956).
In the Smugglers of Moonfleet , Lang turns in Cinémascope. This experiment is not its taste and the realizer goes even until affirming, in the film the Contempt of Jean-Luc Godard, that this process “is good only to film the burials or the snakes”.
Fritz Lang dies on August 2nd, 1976, it rests with the cemetery of Forest Lawn Memorial Park of the hills of Hollywood to Los Angeles in California.
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