For us in Bremen, Fritz Lang month started with a screening of M (1931)
at Kino 46 on Feb 1st. Film critic Peter W. Jansen gave a brief interview about
M on Radio Bremen 2. We also got interviewed, for BBC London, about actor
Max Schreck, accompanying the British release of Shadow of a Vampire
(2000) on Feb 2nd. Our main job was to tell the reporter that we don’t know
anything about Schreck (which is not exactly true, see below).
This week, of course, the Berlin film festival 2001 (Berlinale) starts with
a big Fritz Lang retrospective. All of his surviving films will be shown, many
of them in new prints or newly restored/reconstructed versions. This first edition
of our newsletter is mainly devoted to this big event. Go, see it, that Lang
guy made cool movies! We will publish follow-ups not on a regular basis, but
whenever we have the time and enough information coming up.
Below, we put together information you might find useful about all Fritz Lang
events at the Berlin film festival 2001, from ticket sales to the complete programme,
annotated by Olaf Brill.
We list all the screenings, plus events at the Filmmuseum Berlin, which include
lectures, discussions, and readings. There, at the new film museum, you can
also see a Fritz Lang exhibition which opened on January 26 and will run to
April 08. Subsequently, retrospective and exhibition will tour to Vienna, Los
Angeles, and Paris.
Official information
Berlinale Website
Filmmuseum Berlin Website
Online Ticketing
at TicketOnline
CinemaxX Website
Locations
CinemaxX Potsdamer Platz, Potsdamer Straße 5
Filmmuseum, Potsdamer Straße 2
Berlinale Palast, Marlene-Dietrich-Platz 2
Ticket Pre-Sales Offices (Zentraler Vorverkauf)
Potsdamer Platz Arkaden, Potsdamer Platz (Josef-von-Eichendorff-Gasse)
Europa-Center (first floor), Tauentzienstraße 7
Kino International, Karl-Marx-Allee 33
Tickets can be purchased daily from 10 am to 7 pm up to three days in advance
for performances at the Berlinale Palast and the CinemaxX Potsdamer Platz. At
the respective movie theatres, tickets are only available on the day of the
performance, if the performance is not sold out.
Online Ticketing
You can also purchase tickets at all of the theatre booking offices that are
part of the TicketOnline
network. Payment, plus a service fee of DM 3,00 (Euro 1,53) by credit card (Amex,
Euro/Mastercard, Visa). After the completion of the order/payment changes or
refunds are no longer possible.
Ordered tickets can be picked up at the Infocounter of the Berlinale in the
Potsdamer Platz Arkaden between 10 am and 6.30 pm not earlier than two hours
after booking.
Programme
Wednesday 07
20.00
DR. MABUSE, DER SPIELER - TEIL 1: DER GROSSE SPIELER
(Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler - Part 1) Germany 1922, Fritz Lang, restored version
2001, 155 mins., music: Aljoscha Zimmerman and Ensemble. CinemaxX 9 (part 2
Thursday 08, 20.00)
23.00
LILIOM
France 1934, Fritz Lang, 120 mins., French with German subtitles, Lang’s French
film between his German and American careers. CinemaxX 9
Thursday 08
11.00
DOCTEUR M
Germany, France, Italy 1990, Claude Chabrol, 116 mins., French, Chabrol’s homage
to Lang’s Mabuse films, filmed in the year of Lang’s 100th birthday and German
reunification. CinemaxX 9
14.00
HILDE WARREN UND DER TOD
(Hilde Warren and Death) Germany 1917, Joe May, restored version 2001, 66 mins.,
piano: Jürgen Kurz, Lang scripted and is also in the cast, highly recommended!
CinemaxX 9
17.00
DER MÜDE TOD
(The Weary Death aka Destiny) Germany 1921, Fritz Lang, 105 mins., music: Silent
Movie Music Company. CinemaxX 9
19.00
CLASH BY NIGHT USA 1952, Fritz Lang, 105 mins. CinemaxX 4 (repeat Saturday 17,
22.30)
20.00
DR. MABUSE, DER SPIELER - TEIL 2: INFERNO, EIN SPIEL VON MENSCHEN UNSERER ZEIT
(Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler - Part 2) Germany 1922, Fritz Lang, restored version
2001, 115 mins., music: Aljoscha Zimmerman and Ensemble. CinemaxX 9
21.00
WESTERN UNION
USA 1940, Fritz Lang, restored version 2001, 95 mins. CinemaxX 4 (repeat Saturday
10, 22.30)
22.30
YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE
USA 1936, Fritz Lang, 86 mins., Supporting Programme: Outtakes (ca. 10 mins.).
CinemaxX 9 (repeat Saturday 10, 21.00)
Friday 09
11.00
M
USA 1951, Joseph Losey, 86 mins., Losey’s remake of Lang’s classic (M, 1931,
see Saturday 17, 20.00). CinemaxX 9
11.00
FL - FRITZ LANG
Book presentation read by Bernhard Schütz. Filmmuseum
14.00
DAS INDISCHE GRABMAL - TEIL 1: DIE SENDUNG DES YOGHI
(The Indian Tomb - Part 1: The Indian Tomb) Germany 1921, Joe May, restored
version 1993, 131 mins., piano: Günther A. Buchwald, adventure film starring
Mia May and Conrad Veidt, scripted by Lang. CinemaxX 9 (part 2 Sunday 11, 14.00)
17.00
DIE NIBELUNGEN - 1. FILM: SIEGFRIED
(The Nibelungs - Part 1) Germany 1924, Fritz Lang, restored version 1988, 141
mins., music: Gottfried Huppertz, presented by Berndt Heller. CinemaxX 9 (part
2 Saturday 10, 17.00)
18.00
BEGEGNUNGEN MIT FRITZ LANG
Discussion hosted by Hans Helmut Prinzler, with Sabine Bethmann, Christiane
Maybach, Hanns Eckelkamp, Cornelius Schnauber, and Gero Gandert. Filmmuseum
19.00
CLOAK AND DAGGER
USA 1946, Fritz Lang, 106 mins. CinemaxX 4 (repeat Thursday 15, 17.00)
20.00
FURY
USA 1936, Fritz Lang, 94 mins. CinemaxX 9 (repeat Saturday 10, 19.00)
21.00
MOONFLEET
USA 1955, Fritz Lang, 87 mins. CinemaxX 4 (repeat Thursday 15, 22.30)
22.30
THE RETURN OF FRANK JAMES
USA 1940, Fritz Lang, restored version, 92 mins. CinemaxX 9 (repeat Sunday 11,
19.00)
Saturday 10
11.00
LA CHIENNE
France 1931, Jean Renoir, 91 mins., film remade by Lang (Scarlet Street, 1945,
see Sunday 11, 20.00). CinemaxX 9
14.00
DIE PEST IN FLORENZ
(Plague in Florence) Germany 1919, Otto Rippert, restored version 2000, 101
mins., music: Piano meets Vibes, scripted by Lang in the year he made his first
films as a director, highly recommended! CinemaxX 9
17.00
DIE NIBELUNGEN - 2. FILM: KRIEMHILDS RACHE
(The Nibelungs - Part 2) Germany 1924, Fritz Lang, restored version 1988, 148
mins., music: Gottfried Huppertz, presented by Berndt Heller. CinemaxX 9
18.00
FRITZ LANGS VERBORGENE JAHRE
Von "Halbblut" bis zum "Brillantenschiff", lecture by Georges Sturm. Filmmuseum
19.00
FURY
USA 1936, Fritz Lang, 94 mins. CinemaxX 4 (repeat from Friday 09, 20.00)
20.00
THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW
USA 1944, Fritz Lang, 99 mins. CinemaxX 9 (repeat Sunday 11, 21.00)
21.00
YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE
USA 1936, Fritz Lang, 86 mins. CinemaxX 4 (repeat from Thursday 08, 22.30)
22.30
WESTERN UNION
USA 1940, Fritz Lang, restored version 2001, 95 mins., introduction by Schawn
Belston (20th Century Fox), CinemaxX 9 (repeat from Thursday 08, 21.00)
Sunday 11
11.00
FRITZ LANG INTERVIEWED BY WILLIAM FRIEDKIN
USA 1974, William Friedkin, 140 mins., raw material of an uncomplete documentary.
CinemaxX 9
14.00
DAS INDISCHE GRABMAL - TEIL 2: DER TIGER VON ESCHNAPUR
(The Indian Tomb - Part 2: The Tiger of Eschnapur) Germany 1921, Joe May, restored
version 1993, 110 mins., piano: Günther A. Buchwald. CinemaxX 9
17.00
METROPOLIS
Germany 1927, Fritz Lang, 130 mins., Australian tinted print (1928), as far
as we know, the only original colour version, music: Piano meets Vibes. CinemaxX
9
18.00
CAESER UND CLEOPATRA
Fritz Lang und Eleanor Rosé, reading by Susanne Lothar and Udo Samel.
Filmmuseum
19.00
THE RETURN OF FRANK JAMES
USA 1940, Fritz Lang, restored version, 92 mins. CinemaxX 4 (repeat from Friday
09, 22.30)
20.00
SCARLET STREET
USA 1945, Fritz Lang, 102 mins. CinemaxX 9 (repeat Monday 12, 21.00)
21.00
THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW
USA 1944, Fritz Lang, 99 mins. CinemaxX 4 (repeat from Saturday 10, 20.00)
22.30
YOU AND ME
USA 1938, Fritz Lang, 94 mins. CinemaxX 9 (repeat Monday 12, 19.00)
Monday 12
11.00
DISCUSSION: RESTORING FRITZ LANG-FILMS
Joachim Hellwig with Schawn Belston (20th Century Fox), Grover Crisp (Sony Pictures
Entertainment), Michael Pogorzelski (Academy Film Archive), Martin Koerber (Filmmuseum
Berlin), Harald Brandes (Bundesarchiv-Filmarchiv), Peter Franz (Museen-Stiftung).
CinemaxX 9
14.00
DIE SPINNEN - 1. ABENTEUER: DER GOLDENE SEE
(The Spiders - Part 1: The Golden Lake) Germany 1919, Fritz Lang, 88 mins.,
piano: Robert Israel, the best of Lang’s early films. CinemaxX 9 (part 2 Tuesday
13, 14.00)
17.00
MAN HUNT
USA 1941, Fritz Lang, restored version, 105 mins. CinemaxX 9 (repeat Sunday
18, 21.00)
18.00
ENTDECKER, FÖRDERER, FREUND
Der Kritiker und sein Regisseur - Kurt Pinthus und Fritz Lang, lecture by Karl
Prümm. Filmmuseum
19.00
YOU AND ME
USA 1938, Fritz Lang, 94 mins. CinemaxX 4 (repeat from Sunday 11, 22.30)
20.00
THE BLUE GARDENIA
USA 1953, Fritz Lang, 90 mins. CinemaxX 9 (repeat Friday 16, 19.00)
21.00
SCARLET STREET
USA 1945, Fritz Lang, 102 mins. CinemaxX 9 (repeat from Sunday 11, 20.00)
22.30
SECRET BEYOND THE DOOR
USA 1947, Fritz Lang, 99 mins. CinemaxX 9 (repeat Tuesday 13, 21.00)
Tuesday 13
11.00
LA BÊTE HUMAINE
France 1938, Jean Renoir, 100 mins., another Renoir film remade by Lang (Human
Desire, 1954, see Wednesday 14, 20.00). CinemaxX 9
14.00
DIE SPINNEN - 2. ABENTEUER: DAS BRILLANTENSCHIFF
(The Spiders - Part 2: The Diamond Ship) Germany 1920, Fritz Lang, 129 mins.,
piano: Robert Israel. CinemaxX 9
17.00
HANGMEN ALSO DIE!
USA 1943, Fritz Lang, 131 mins. CinemaxX 9 (repeat Wednesday 14, 19.00)
18.00
BILLANCOURT - HOLLYWOOD
Fritz Lang und Jean Renoir, lecture by Rainer Rother. Filmmuseum
19.00
AMERICAN GUERRILLA IN THE PHILIPPINES
USA 1950, Fritz Lang, restored version 2001, 105 mins. CinemaxX 4 (repeat Wednesday
14, 22.30)
20.00
THE BIG HEAT
USA 1953, Fritz Lang, restored version 2001, 90 mins., introduction by Grover
Crisp (Sony Pictures). CinemaxX 9 (repeat Wednesday 14, 21.30)
21.00
SECRET BEYOND THE DOOR
USA 1947, Fritz Lang, 99 mins. CinemaxX 4 (repeat from Monday 12, 22.30)
22.30
HOUSE BY THE RIVER
USA 1950, Fritz Lang, 88 mins. CinemaxX 9 (repeat Saturday 17, 21.00)
Wednesday 14
11.00
MENSCHEN UNTEREINANDER (8 AKTE AUS EINEM INTERESSANTEN HAUSE)
Germany 1926, Gerhard Lamprecht, 116 mins., piano: Daniel Kothenschulte, special
screening, Lamprecht was a contemporary of Lang, film director (Emil und die
Detektive, 1931), and founder of the Berlin film archive. CinemaxX 9
14.00
HARAKIRI
(Madame Butterfly) Germany 1919, Fritz Lang, restored version 1987, 75 mins.,
with Dutch insert titles, piano: Günter A. Buchwald, one of Lang’s early
films that were long time presumed lost, highly recommended! CinemaxX 9
16.00
PRESS CONFERENCE METROPOLIS
Only for reporters, the Berlinale press conferences are being broadcasted in
the night program of ORB (Berlin regional TV station) at 1.00. Berlinale Palast
(lower level), press conference room
17.00
MINISTRY OF FEAR
USA 1944, Fritz Lang, 85 mins. CinemaxX 9 (repeat Thursday 15, 19.00)
18.00
DER EINSAME MEISTER - FRITZ LANG ALS VORBILD
Discussion hosted by Peter W. Jansen, with Volker Schlöndorff, Peter Fleischmann,
and Gordian Maugg. Filmmuseum
19.00
HANGMEN ALSO DIE!
USA 1943, Fritz Lang, 131 mins. CinemaxX 4 (repeat from Tuesday 13, 17.00)
20.00
HUMAN DESIRE
USA 1954, Fritz Lang, restored version 2001, 90 mins., introduction by Grover
Crisp (Sony Pictures). CinemaxX 9 (repeat Thursday 15, 21.00)
21.30
THE BIG HEAT
USA 1953, Fritz Lang, restored version 2001, 90 mins. CinemaxX 4 (repeat from
Tuesday 13, 20.00)
22.30
AMERICAN GUERRILLA IN THE PHILIPPINES
USA 1950, Fritz Lang, restored version 2001, 105 mins., introduction by Schawn
Belston (20th Century Fox). CinemaxX 9 (repeat from Tuesday 13, 19.00)
Thursday 15
13.00
LE TESTAMENT DU DOCTEUR MABUSE
Germany, France 1933, Fritz Lang and René Sti, 95 mins., French version.
CinemaxX 9
14.00
DAS WANDERNDE BILD
(The Wandering Image) Germany 1920, Fritz Lang, restored version 1987, 67 mins.,
piano: Jürgen Kurz, another of Lang’s long time presumed lost early films,
highly recommended! CinemaxX 9
17.00
CLOAK AND DAGGER
USA 1946, Fritz Lang, 106 mins. CinemaxX 9 (repeat from Friday 09, 19.00)
18.00
M - DIE QUADRATUR DES VERBRECHENS
Lecture by Heike Klapdor. Filmmuseum
19.00
MINISTRY OF FEAR
USA 1944, Fritz Lang, 85 mins. CinemaxX 4 (repeat from Wednesday 14, 17.00)
20.00
WHILE THE CITY SLEEPS
USA 1956, Fritz Lang, 100 mins. CinemaxX 9 (repeat Friday 16, 21.00)
21.00
HUMAN DESIRE
USA 1954, Fritz Lang, restored version 2001, 90 mins. CinemaxX 4 (repeat from
Wednesday 14, 20.00)
22.00
METROPOLIS
Germany 1927, Fritz Lang, reconstructed version 2001, 147 mins., music: Bernd
Schultheis, presented by Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin conducted by Frank
Strobel, gala performance, certainly the main attraction of this year‘s retrospective,
highly recommended! Berlinale Palast
22.30
MOONFLEET
USA 1955, Fritz Lang, 87 mins. CinemaxX 9 (repeat from Friday 09, 21.00)
Friday 16
11.00
UMETNI RAJ
(Artificial Paradise) Yugoslawia 1990, Karpo Godina, 103 mins., German, Slovenia
and English with English subtitles, a fictitious account of Lang’s early years,
starring Jürgen Morche as Lang. CinemaxX 9
14.00
KÄMPFENDE HERZEN (DIE VIER UM DIE FRAU)
(Four Around A Woman), Germany 1921, Fritz Lang, restored version 1987, 79 mins.,
piano: Robert Israel, the third of Lang’s long time presumed lost early films
that were restored in 1987, highly recommended! CinemaxX 9
17.00
SPIONE
(Spies) Germany 1928, Fritz Lang, 175 mins. piano: Jürgen Kurz, you do
not often have the opportunity to see a screening of this film, and we would
very much like to see it this time, but there’s a discussion between Patalas
and Koerber coming up... CinemaxX 9
18.00
METROPOLIS IN / AUS TRÜMMERN
Discussion between Enno Patalas and Martin Koerber, Germany’s leading men of
film reconstruction, both of them did critically acclaimed reconstructions of
Lang’s Metropolis, highly recommended! Filmmuseum
19.00
THE BLUE GARDENIA
USA 1953, Fritz Lang, 90 mins. CinemaxX 4 (repeat from Monday 12, 20.00)
20.30
BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT
USA 1956, Fritz Lang, 80 mins. CinemaxX 9 (repeat Saturday 17, 19.00)
21.00
WHILE THE CITY SLEEPS
USA 1956, Fritz Lang, 100 mins. CinemaxX 4 (repeat from Thursday 15, 20.00)
22.30
RANCHO NOTORIOUS
USA 1952, Fritz Lang, 89 mins. CinemaxX 9 (repeat Sunday 18, 19.00)
Saturday 17
11.00
SHORT FILMS (DOCUMENTARIES):
BEGEGNUNG MIT FRITZ LANG
Germany 1963, Peter Fleischmann, 14 mins.
ZUM BEISPIEL FRITZ LANG
Germany 1968, Erwin Leiser, 49 mins.
LE DINOSAURE ET LE BÉBÉ: DIALOGUE EN 8 PARTIES ENTRE FRITZ LANG
ET JEAN LUC GODARD
France 1964/88, André S. Labarthe, 61 mins.
MABUSE IM GEDÄCHTNIS
Germany 1984, Thomas Honickel, 15 mins. CinemaxX 9
14.00
FRAU IM MOND
(Woman in the Moon) Germany 1929, Fritz Lang, restored version 2001, 169 mins.,
piano: Aljoscha Zimmermann, Lang’s next science fiction film after Metropolis,
highly recommended! CinemaxX 9
17.30
DER TIGER VON ESCHNAPUR
(The Tiger of Eschnapur) Germany, France, Italy 1959, Fritz Lang, 101 mins.,
supporting programme with introduction by Sabine Bethmann, Lang’s return to
Germany, and his first of three films he did for Atze Brauner’s CCC. CinemaxX
9
18.00
DER TOD EINES KARRIERE-GIRLS
Nicht verfilmte Geschichten von Fritz Lang, lecture by Jörg Becker. Filmmuseum
19.00
BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT
USA 1956, Fritz Lang, 80 mins. CinemaxX 4 (repeat from Friday 16, 20.30)
20.00
M
Germany 1931, Fritz Lang, restored version 2001, 110 mins., introduction by
Giovanna Fossati (Nederlands Filmmuseum), according to a 1995 survey, the best
German film of the last century. CinemaxX 9
21.00
HOUSE BY THE RIVER
USA 1950, Fritz Lang, 88 mins. CinemaxX 4 (repeat from Tuesday 13, 22.30)
22.30
CLASH BY NIGHT
USA 1952, Fritz Lang, 105 mins. CinemaxX 9 (repeat from Thursday 08, 19.00)
Sunday 18
11.00
DAS INDISCHE GRABMAL
(The Indian Tomb) Germany, France, Italy 1959, Fritz Lang, 102 mins., Lang’s
second of his three films for Brauner’s CCC. CinemaxX 9
14.00
DIE 1000 AUGEN DES DR. MABUSE
(The Thousend Eyes of Dr. Mabuse) Germany, France, Italy 1960, Fritz Lang, 104
mins., the third of the CCC films, the second return of Dr. Mabuse, and Lang’s
last film as a director. CinemaxX 9
17.00
METROPOLIS
Germany 1927, Fritz Lang, reconstructed version 2001, 147 mins., piano: Aljoscha
Zimmermann, if you hadn’t the chance to see the new version on Thursday, here’s
a second screening! CinemaxX 9
19.00
RANCHO NOTORIOUS
USA 1952, Fritz Lang, 89 mins. CinemaxX 4 (repeat from Friday 16, 22.30)
20.00
DAS TESTAMENT DES DR. MABUSE
(The Last Will of Dr. Mabuse) Germany 1932, Fritz Lang, restored version 2001,
122 mins., introduction by Nikola Klein (Deutsches Filminstitut). CinemaxX 9
21.00
MAN HUNT
USA 1941, Fritz Lang, restored version, 105 mins. CinemaxX 4 (repeat from Monday
12, 17.00)
22.30
LE MÉPRIS
(Contempt) France 1963, Jean-Luc Godard, 105 mins., French with German subtitles,
Lang’s last feature film, playing a director named Fritz Lang. CinemaxX 9
Accompanying
the Berlinale retrospective, the German/French cultural channel
Arte
is broadcasting six of Lang’s films in February. Arte also co-operated on the
new reconstruction of Metropolis, shown on the Berlinale on Thursday
15 and Sunday 18. A TV transmission is scheduled for February 2002.
Monday 12
20.45
HEIßES EISEN
(The Big Heat) USA 1953, 90 mins.
Tuesday 13
22.10
DIE NIBELUNGEN - TEIL 1: SIEGFRIED
(The Nibelungs - Part 1) Germany 1924, restored version of Munich film museum
and Bundesarchiv-Filmarchiv, 143 mins., music: Sinfonieorchester des Bayerischen
Rundfunks conducted by Berndt Heller (1988). (repeat Monday 26, 16.30, only
by satellite)
Thursday 15
23.55
DIE NIBELUNGEN - TEIL 2: KRIEMHILDS RACHE
(The Nibelungs - Part 2) Germany 1924, restored version of Munich film museum
and Bundesarchiv-Filmarchiv, 152 mins., music: Sinfonieorchester des Bayerischen
Rundfunks conducted by Berndt Heller (1988). (repeat Tuesday 27, 16.30, only
by satellite)
Friday 16
23.45
BLINDE WUT
(Fury) USA 1936, 89 mins. (repeat Tuesday 20, 0.55 and Thursday 22, 17.15, only
by satellite)
Saturday 17
21.40
METROPOLIS (CULTURAL MAGAZINE)
with coverage of the Berlinale, 58 mins. (repeat Monday 19, 0.05 and 15.15,
only by satellite)
Monday 19
0.05
METROPOLIS (CULTURAL MAGAZINE)
with coverage of the Berlinale, 58 mins. (repeat from Saturday 17, 21.40)
15.15
METROPOLIS (CULTURAL MAGAZINE)
with coverage of the Berlinale, 58 mins. (only by satellite, repeat from Saturday
17, 21.40)
20.45
M - EINE STADT SUCHT EINEN MÖRDER
Germany 1931, restored version, 105 mins.
Tuesday 20
0.55
BLINDE WUT
(Fury) USA 1936, 89 mins. (repeat from Friday 16, 23.45)
Thursday 22
17.15
BLINDE WUT
(Fury) USA 1936, 89 mins. (only by satellite, repeat from Friday 16, 23.45)
Friday 23
23.40
DAS TESTAMENT DES DR. MABUSE
(The Last Will of Dr. Mabuse) Germany 1932, 100 mins.
Saturday 24
21.45
METROPOLIS (CULTURAL MAGAZINE)
with coverage of the Berlinale, 58 mins. (repeat Monday 26, 0.40 and 15.15,
only by satellite)
Monday 26
0.40
METROPOLIS (CULTURAL MAGAZINE)
with coverage of the Berlinale, 58 mins. (repeat from Saturday 24, 21.45)
15.15
METROPOLIS (CULTURAL MAGAZINE)
with coverage of the Berlinale, 58 mins. (only by satellite, repeat from Saturday
24, 21.45)
16.30
DIE NIBELUNGEN - TEIL 1: SIEGFRIED
(The Nibelungs - Part 1) Germany 1924, restored version of Munich film museum
and Bundesarchiv-Filmarchiv, 143 mins., music: Sinfonieorchester des Bayerischen
Rundfunks conducted by Berndt Heller (1988). (only by satellite, repeat from
Tuesday 13, 22.10)
Tuesday 27
16.30
DIE NIBELUNGEN - TEIL 2: KRIEMHILDS RACHE
(The Nibelungs - Part 2) Germany 1924, restored version of Munich film museum
and Bundesarchiv-Filmarchiv, 152 mins., music: Sinfonieorchester des Bayerischen
Rundfunks conducted by Berndt Heller (1988). (only by satellite, repeat from
Thursday 15, 23.55)
Along
with the Berlin retrospektive, at least these three new books have been coming
out:
Rolf Aurich, Wolfgang Jacobsen, Cornelius Schnauber (eds.): Fritz Lang, Jovis
2001 (ISBN 3931321746), the official book of retrospective and exhibition, trilingual,
with many illustrations and reproductions of original documents.
Enno Patalas: Metropolis in/aus Trümmern, Eine Filmgeschichte, Bertz 2001
(ISBN 3929470195), an account of Metropolis expert Patalas, who did the
Munich reconstruction, including a detailed annotated shot protocol and remarks
about the music by Rainer Fabich. By the way, you can see Patalas discussing
with Martin Koerber, who did the new Metropolis reconstruction, at the
Filmmuseum on Friday 16, 18.00.
Thomas Elsaesser: Metropolis, der Filmklassiker von Fritz Lang, Europa Verlag
2001 (ISBN 3203841185, in English: Metropolis, BFI 2000, ISBN 0851707777).
Look out for our reviews coming soon here
(in German language).
The Filmmuseum Berlin (formerly, Stiftung Deutsche Kinemathek) is now located
at the Potsdamer Platz, in the centre of Berlin, in the midst of cinemas, the
DFFB film school, and all kind of film related activities. If you want to do
research, go to their website
first. You will find all the information you need for preparing your visit.
We highly recommend their new Archive Newsletter (No. 1 from January 22), giving
information on items and documents of the Berlin film museum. In issue 1, there
is a lot of Fritz Lang coverage, including a list of the archive’s Metropolis
inventory! The newsletter is in English language. If you want to subscribe,
simply send an e-mail to
Regina
Hoffmann. Also, you can download previous issues: go to the
German
or
English
version of the website and click on "newsletter archiv(e)".
The Marlene Dietrich Collection is also publishing a newsletter in the same
mould, for quite some time now, which kind of inspired us to do our own newsletter.
It is a great resource for researchers and fans as well, the current issue is
No. 20 from December 22. You can subscribe to the Marlene newsletter by sending
an e-mail to Werner Sudendorf,
and you can download previous issues
here.
There
have been a number of comic books based on Murnau’s Nosferatu. Last year’s
release by Image comics, written by Alex Glass, illustrated by Caesar and Grey,
with cover art by Alex Ross, surprisingly, is an appendage to a series of figures
under the title Silent Screamers Collection (not the other way round). In summer
2000, four figures have been released by
Aztech
Toyz (series 1): Graf Orlok the Undead, Knock Renfield the Madman, Dr. Caligari
the Hypnotist, and Cesare the Sleepwalker, all with beautiful dioramas. Series
2 has been announced for April 2001, with figures of Graf Orlok (again, with
different diorama), Edison’s Monster (from 1910‘s Frankenstein), Doctor
Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (from the 1920 film starring John Barrymore), and the Maria
robot from Metropolis.
A
new Nosferatu DVD has been released by Image Entertainment on January
02, 2001, improving on their previous release of 1998. The DVD contains three
audio tracks: two musical scores, and one audio commentary by historian Lokke
Heiss, a still gallery, and more extras. English intertitles, Regional Code
1.
Another version had been released by Eureka Video in 1999, with less extras,
a new musical score, and also a very good picture quality. And, it’s Regional
Code 2.
In addition, the BFI London has announced a release of their Nosferatu
on video and DVD in May (see article by Thomas Elsaesser in Sight and Sound
vol. 11, no. 2, Feb. 2001, p. 12-15).
Born Sep 6, 1879 in Berlin-Friedenau, theatre actor in Berlin, later Munich, died Feb 19, 1936 in Munich, buried March 14 at the Wilmersdorfer Waldfriedhof (cemetery near Berlin, near to the Südwestfriedhof Stahnsdorf, where Murnau is buried). No sign that he has risen from his grave ever since. His films:
What about Nosferatu being located at Bremen?
According to the shooting script (with handwritten notes by Murnau), the town
scenes in Nosferatu have been shot in Wismar, Lübeck, Lauenburg,
and Rostock, other locations actually included the Carpathians (castle Oravsky).
The town in which the action takes place is called Wisborg. (Source: Lotte H.
Eisner: Murnau, 1979, with a facsimile of the script, original in the Cinémathèque
Francaise.)
In American prints, you can find the town name Bremen instead of Wisborg. Below,
two screen shots from the video tape distributed by Alpha Video in 1995, referring
to Bremen:
Since e.g. Siegfried Kracauer in his 1947 From Caligari to Hitler referred to
Bremen instead of Wisborg, our guess is, that American distributors very early
changed the name, for reasons unbeknownst to us, maybe even in the very first
version that made its way to American screens in 1929. From there, the town
name Bremen found its way into many publications, including American and again
German textbooks. Does anybody know more?
For historians: There was no plague ravaging Bremen in 1838, see Klaus Schwarz:
Die Pest in Bremen, Staatsarchiv Bremen 1996 (ISBN 3925729194). If anybody likes,
we’ll show you pictures of the real Bremen next time. We live here, it’s a beautiful
town, though a little uncanny at times...
You can see beautiful pictures from the Munich film museum’s tinted print of
Nosferatu (referring to Wisborg) in the book by Loy Arnold, Michael Farin,
and Hans Schmid: Nosferatu, Eine Symphonie des Grauens, belleville 2000 (ISBN
3933510422).
www.filmgeschichte.de,
a source book for early german film edited by olaf
brill & thomas
schultke.
Last update (this page): 17 Nov 2001.
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