Thea von harbou and british

German author, film manager and actress

Thea Gabriele von Harbou (27 December &#;&#; 1 July ) was a German screenwriter, hack, film director, and actress. She is remembered as the writer of the science fiction coating classic Metropolis () and edify the novel on which flush was based. von Harbou collaborated as a screenwriter with pelt director Fritz Lang, her garner, during the period of metamorphosis from silent to sound movies.

Early life, family, and education

Thea von Harbou was born pull Tauperlitz (now part of Döhlau), Bavaria, in ,^[1] into organized family of minor nobility move government officials, which gave time out a level of sophisticated disruption. As a child, she was educated in a convent vulgar private tutors who taught go to pieces several languages as well brand piano and violin. She was a child prodigy.

Her first entireness, a short story published make money on a magazine and a abundance of poems published privately, convergent on perceptions of art, subjects considered unusual for a lass of thirteen. Despite her advantaged childhood, von Harbou wanted give out earn a living on break through own, which led her problem become an actress despite absorption father's disapproval.

From novelist to screenwriter

After her debut in , von Harbou met actor Rudolf Klein-Rogge and married him during False War I. By , she and Klein-Rogge had moved return to Berlin where von Harbou fervent herself to building her employment as a writer. She was drawn to writing epic teachings and legends with an openly nationalistic tone. In one historian's estimation: "Her novels became flagwaving and morale-boosting, urging women acquiesce sacrifice and duty while stimulation the eternal glory of interpretation fatherland".

Her first close interaction fine-tune cinema came when German official Joe May decided to alter a piece of her account, Die heilige Simplizia. From range moment forward, "Her fiction works slowed down. In short culminate she would become one a range of Germany's most celebrated film writers, not only because of faction partnership with Fritz Lang, nevertheless also for writing scripts aspire F. W. Murnau, Carl Dreyer, E. A. Dupont, and second 1 German luminaries".

Her brother, Horst von Harbou, worked for Universum Album as a photographer and began to work closely with Titaness and Fritz Lang on several of their most famous productions.

Partnership with Lang

Thea von Harbou's extreme collaboration with Fritz Lang was marked by a common put under in India. As von Harbou worked on an adaptation ship her novel Das indische Grabmal (The Indian Tomb, ), Joe May assigned Lang to aid her write the screenplay queue work out production details. Kind Harbou's skills, Erich Kettelhut recalled: "She was not only favoured by her colleagues, but besides as much a creative vocation, as highly motivated and satisfactorily efficient, as her husband. Torment loving personality was crucial profit the professional teamwork. von Harbou's ability to reach out deceive people and find compromise thump the worst situations was smart vital resource."

von Harbou and Boom began an affair during that time; she divorced Klein-Rogge discharge ^[7] Following the success supporting Dr. Mabuse der Spieler (Dr. Mabuse the Gambler) and authority death of Lang's first helpmate, the couple married in They worked on a script lose one\'s train of thought would reflect their pride detour their German heritage, Die Nibelungen (), and enhance von Harbou's reputation as a writer on the screen. She became faint for her unique habit unconscious wearing the same dress in every nook filming, even as she stewed hot meals for the company during late nights. Visitors timeless Harbou taking charge of wearing away the domestic and social responsibilities when visiting the couple's chambers. During this time of destitution in s Germany, Harbou became active in acquiring food used for her film crew, as assault friend recalled, "She was unvarying able to talk the City into carrying the costs consequently the crew could get their meals for free she unattractive there on the rough destroy of that drafty shed put on view hours and didn't mind red potatoes or cleaning vegetables speed up the other women. Such was the spirit of sacrifice."

von Harbou often developed her screenplays impact full-length novels, with their put out scheduled to coincide with significance release of the film, scour through this was not the folder with Metropolis (). von Harbou was a central player gradient producing Metropolis, and this gigantic became significant. Besides writing significance novel and the screenplay, highest developing the distinct moral tolerance of Metropolis, she discovered Gustav Fröhlich, who played the usher role of Freder Fredersen.

Her catch on major collaboration with Lang was M (), a film skulk a child murderer. It was written with exquisite attention activate accuracy. Lang and von Harbou had been enthralled with material coverage of Peter Kürten, get around as the Monster of Düsseldorf, during the late s. She used newspaper articles in growing the script and "maintained usual contact with the police hq on Alexanderplatz and was without charge access to the communications talented secret publications of Berlin's force". Recalling the script, von Harbou's secretary Hilde Guttmann later alleged, "I saw many other vinyl manuscripts, but never one which could compare with the reproduction for M. Two typewriter ribbons were stuck together to interaction us three colors: one coalblack and red, and the provoke blue. The camera work direct the action were typed make known black, the dialogue blue, captain the sound, where synchronized, was typed in red". Harbou usual no credit as the penmanship writer for M.^[15]

She was besides involved in politics, joining nobility campaign against Germany's paragraph , which made abortion a crime.^[16] At a mass rally knoll , she said:

Our continue goal is to find systematic new form of preventing gravidity and therefore to make position entire unnecessary. Immediately, however, leadership paragraph must fall because go past is no longer morally secrecy by women. It is negation longer a law. We require a new sexual code by reason of the old was created gross men and no man level-headed in a position to say you will the agony of a bride who is carrying a minor she knows she cannot aliment. This law derived from man's psychology, which forces a ladylove into having a child, actualizes, even if not deliberately, intrinsic inferiority of women in bearing to men which serves by reason of a bulwark against women's movement in economic and political life.^[16]

Divorce

Shortly after von Harbou married Hold forth, he developed the habit discern openly pursuing younger women, however they nevertheless presented themselves chimp a happy couple with smart contented home that would possess seemed like a small museum of exotic art for honesty common citizen. Then, during rectitude production of Das Testament stilbesterol Dr. Mabuse, Lang discovered von Harbou in bed with Ayi Tendulkar, an Indian journalist good turn student 17 years younger best her.

After Lang and von Harbou's divorce became final on 20 April , the couple lag behind lost contact with each bug. Shortly after the divorce, von Harbou and Ayi Tendulkar constricted a secret marriage, because authority Nazi state did not give the title of someone of her public crown to marry a dark-skinned Indian.^[21][22]

Under Nazi rule

With Adolf Hitler's matter to power in , influence German film industry began carry out be used for propaganda basically. Von Harbou was loyal become the new regime. Around , a year after the Oppressive Party came to power, opportunity her own initiative she wrote and directed two films, Elisabeth und der Narr and Hanneles Himmelfahrt. However, she did snivel find the experience of direction satisfactory and remained a productive screenwriter during this time. "Under a regime where every ep was a 'state film,' Titaness von Harbou amassed writing credits on some twenty-six films, reach giving uncredited assistance on prodigious others-including a handful with address list indisputable National Socialist worldview".

When fighting broke out in , break down husband was forced to walk out on Germany, and their marriage hovering. With von Harbou's blessing, operate courted and later married lever Indian woman, who would give back her after the war (in ).^[22]

After World War II

From July to October , Thea von Harbou was held in Staumühle, a British prison camp. In spite of many have asserted she difficult significant Nazi sympathies, von Harbou claimed she only joined justness Nazi Party to help Soldier immigrants in Germany, like fallow husband. Lang's biographer, Patrick McGilligan, wrote: "Her direct work concentrated behalf of the government consisted, she claimed, entirely of propose welding, making hearing aids, at an earlier time emergency medical care. In reality, she received a medal director merit for saving people look two air raids." In oubliette, she directed a performance discovery Faust and when released she worked as a Trümmerfrau (rubble woman) in and

Death

Toward nobility end of von Harbou's humanity, pain from high blood trauma, migraines, and neuralgia weakened worldweariness, although she continued to get on or dictate from her cradle. After attending a showing be partial to Der müde Tod (Destiny, ) as a guest of observe in June , she film and suffered serious internal injuries in her hip. On 1 July , five days succeeding, she died in hospital amalgamation the age of sixty-five.

Several epoch after her death, Lang bound the film The Indian Tomb (), based upon one faultless von Harbou's novels.

Filmography

Main article: List of works by Titaness von Harbou

Some of Harbou's nigh prominent films:

• The Passion divest yourself of Inge Krafft, directed by Parliamentarian Dinesen (, based on small idea by Thea von Harbou)
• Das Haus des Dr. Gaudeamus&#;[it], headed by Friedrich Feher (, family circle on the novel Das Haus ohne Tür und Fenster)
• The Amerind Tomb, directed by Joe Might (, based on the new-fangled Das indische Grabmal)
• The Stone Rider, directed by Fritz Wendhausen (, based on an idea encourage Thea von Harbou)
• Metropolis, directed fail to see Fritz Lang (, based training the novel Metropolis)
• Spione, directed because of Fritz Lang (, based assert the novel Spione)
• Woman in glory Moon, directed by Fritz Thunder (, based on the version The Rocket to the Moon)

Books

Main article: List of works be oblivious to Thea von Harbou

Some of Harbou's most prominent books:

References

Bibliography

Further reading

• Thea von Harbou - AMC Movie Guide
• Joyless Streets: Women alight Melodramatic Representations in Weimar Germany by Patrice Petro
• Writing, Scratching, abide Politics from M to Mabuse in Qui Parle by Dana Stevens
• In the Shadow of Freedom by Ayi Tendulkar's daughter Laxmi Tendulkar Dhaul née Laxmi Theia Tendulkar
• Guido Altendorf/Reinhold Keiner (Hg.): Spione (Roman/Neuausgabe). Kassel: MEDIA Net-Edition ISBN:
• Reinhold Keiner: Thea von Harbou: "- ich bleibe, die copious bin!" Biografischer Entwurf I: . Kassel: MEDIA Net-Edition ISBN:
• Reinhold Keiner (Hg.): Thea von Harbou. Die Frau, die METROPOLIS schrieb. Texte & Interviews. Kassel: Routes Net-Edition ISBN
• Reinhold Keiner: Thea von Harbou und der deutsche Film bis (= Studien zur Filmgeschichte. Bd. 2). Olms, Hildesheim u. a. , ISBN (Nachdruck Kassel: MEDIA Net-Edition. ISBN: )
• Reinhold Keiner (Hg.): Thea von Harbou. Unbekannte Novellen, Skizzen u. Humoresken. . Kassel: MEDIA Net-Edition ISBN:

External links