Henrik Galeen

Henrik Galeen (7 January 1881 – 30 July 1949) was an Austrian-born actor, screenwriter and film director considered an influential figure in the development of German Expressionist cinema during the silent era.

Henrik Galeen
Born
Heinrich Wiesenberg

(1881-01-07)7 January 1881
Lemberg, Austria-Hungary
Died30 July 1949(1949-07-30) (aged 68)
Randolph, Vermont, United States
OccupationActor, screenwriter, film director
Years active1913–1935 (film)

Early years

Considerable mystery exists about Galeen's early life, and for many years it was uncertain where exactly he was born. Galeen came from a Jewish family in Lemberg, Galicia, which was then part of the Austrian Empire. He moved from Austria to Germany before the First World War, and became assistant to the leading theatre figure Max Reinhardt. Galeen subsequently became an actor in Berlin and touring other German-speaking cities.[1]

German silent films

Galeen first became involved in film in 1913 when he worked on the screenplays for several uncredited films. In 1914 he wrote, directed and acted in The Golem the first of several depictions of the mythical figure The Golem. Following the First World War, he went to work for a branch of the major German studio UFA. He worked as a screenwriter on films such as Ruth's Two Husbands (1919) and Waxworks (1924).

In 1922 he was engaged to write a version of Dracula, but wrongly believing it to be in copyright, he changed the name to Nosferatu (1922).[2] The film has come to be regarded as a classic of German expressionist cinema and along with two of his later films, The Student of Prague (1926) and Alraune (1928), serves as the basis for Galeen's high reputation.[3] He also worked on a number of less-remembered films including a series of thrillers starring Harry Piel.

Later career

From 1928 to 1931 he lived in Britain, where he directed a feature film After the Verdict (1928) which was the first film to be shot at Wimbledon.[4] He also worked on a number of short films.[5] He returned to Germany in 1931 and directed a final film there The House of Dora Green (1933). Following the Nazi Party's rise to power in 1933, Galeen went into exile in Sweden before moving on to the United Kingdom and eventually to the United States.

Selected filmography
TitleYearCredited asNotesRef(s)
DirectorScreenwriterActorOther
The Golem 1915 Yes Yes Yes as Trödler [6]
The Spinning Ball 1919 Yes [7][8]
Ruth's Two Husbands Yes [9]
The Forbidden Way 1920 Yes Yes [10]
The Golem: How He Came into the World Yes [11]
Judith Trachtenberg Yes [12]
Roswolsky's Mistress 1921 Yes [13]
Nosferatu 1922 Yes [14]
City in View 1923 Yes Yes [15]
The House Without Laughter Yes as William Brent [16]
Dangerous Clues 1924 Yes Yes as Francis Margreit [17]
Waxworks Yes [18]
Die Liebesbriefe der Baronin von S... Yes Yes [19]
Zigano 1925 Yes [20]
The Telephone Operator Yes [21]
Eyes Open, Harry! 1926 Yes [22]
The Student of Prague Yes Yes [23]
Alraune 1928 Yes Yes [24]
His Greatest Bluff Yes [25]
The Lady with the Mask Yes Yes Screen story writer [26]
Shadows of the Underworld 1931 Yes [27]
Bobby geht los Yes [28]
L'Auberge du père Jonas 1932 Yes [29]
Ombres des bas fonds Yes [30]
The House of Dora Green 1933 Yes [31]
Nosferatu the Vampyre 1979 Yes Film credits "Based on Nosferatu by Henrik Galeen and Dracula by Bram Stoker" [32]
gollark: I don't think so. It was open during cult wars.
gollark: It makes up something like 40% of GDP in many places and has more coercive power.
gollark: Well, that would affect other people so probably they should.
gollark: Indeed.
gollark: Solution: create/find then subjugate extraterrestrial life.

References
  1. Bock & Bergfelder p.145
  2. Boch & Bergfelder p.146
  3. Boch & Bergfelder p.146
  4. "WIMBLEDON, FOR THE FIRST TIME FORMS BACKGROUND TO MOTION PICTURE". Werribee Shire Banner. August 21, 1930. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  5. Bock & Bergfelder p.145-146
  6. "Der Golem". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 11 May 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  7. "Die rollende Kugel". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 13 November 2018. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  8. Bock, Hans-Michael; Borgfelder, Tim (2009). The Concise Cinegraph. Berghahn Books. p. 146. ISBN 0857455656.
  9. "Die beiden Gatten der Frau Ruth". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 13 January 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  10. "Der verbotene Weg". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 13 January 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  11. "Der Golem, wie er in die Welt kam". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 15 August 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  12. "Judith Trachtenberg". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 28 April 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  13. "Die Geliebte Roswolskys". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 28 April 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  14. "Nosferatu". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 4 July 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  15. "Stadt in Sicht". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 13 January 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  16. "Das Haus ohne Lachen". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 17 May 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  17. "Auf gefährlichen Spuren / Harry Piel in falschem Verdacht". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 13 January 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  18. "Das Wachsfigurenkabinett". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 18 September 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  19. "Die Liebesbriefe der Baronin von S..." Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 8 October 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  20. "Zigano, der Brigant von Monte Diavolo / Zigano". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 13 January 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  21. "Das Fräulein vom Amt". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 13 January 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  22. "Achtung Harry! Augen auf!". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 13 January 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  23. "Der Student von Prag". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 12 November 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  24. "Alraune". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 12 July 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  25. "Sein größter Bluff". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 13 January 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  26. "Die Dame mit der Maske". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  27. "Schatten der Unterwelt". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 26 September 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  28. "Bobby geht los". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 24 April 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  29. "L'Auberge du père Jonas". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 22 November 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  30. "Ombres des bas fonds". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 26 September 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  31. "Salon Dora Green". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 2 May 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  32. "Nosferatu - Phantom der Nacht". Filmportal.de. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2020.

Sources
  • Isenberg, Noah William. Weimar Cinema: An Essential Guide to Classic Films of the Era. Columbia University Press, 2009.
  • Bock, Hans-Michael & Bergfelder, Tim. The Concise CineGraph. Encyclopedia of German Cinema. Berghahn Books, 2009.
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