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Dupont belongs to the neglected one of the German movie and is just
known to insiders. As a result his influence to the German movie and the
film business in general is highly underestimated.
He played an important role as a film journalist in the 10's. He worked
among other things for "Berliner Morgenpost" and "Berliner Allgemeinen
Zeitung"). Encouraged through his acquired literary ability he wrote his
first screenplay in 1916 with the title "Mein ist die Rache." Only one
year later eleven of his scripts were transferred into running pictures
by other directors, e.g. Joe May for his Joe-Deebs-detective-serial.
In 1918 Dupont was engaged by Stern-Film-GmbH as an author and director
for the detective serial with actor Max Landa. Just to this moment he had
never seen a film studio from inside. Till 1919 there were shot twelve
of these pictures. After that he changed to Gloria-Film-GmbH and could
realize his first great successes with movies like "Die Geier-Wally" (1921)
and "Das alte Gesetz" (1923). Then he came up like a comet in the film
sky with the movie "Varieté" (1925). Not only in Germany but also
in the USA the movie was a crowd-puller. Dupont was nominated as one of
the "10 best directors" by the US journal "Film Daily".
With such a success America wasn't a long time in coming and Dupont
was engaged by Universal. Unfortunately he didn't get by with the working
conditions there and soon canceled the contract. He shifted his field of
activity to England as a production manager, director and writer.
Back in Germany he met the directors Carl Froelich
and G.W. Papst. They belongs to a minority who believed in the future of
the sound film. During their discussion it came off a bet: "Who would realize
the first German sound film?". The bet was never settled really. It is
true that Dupont shot the first sound film, but it wasn't a sheer German
sound movie, particularly since the film was shot in London. Something
later Carl Froelich shot the first in Germany staged movie.
Duponts sound film "Atlantic" (1929), a kind of a Titanic story, was
set nearly exclusive in a bar and showed Willi Forst as an hero.
Duponts last film in Germany was "Salto Mortale" (1932), afterwards
he made a new effort in the USA. But he could never really gain a foothold
and changed from Universal to M-G-M, from Paramount to Warner Bros. There
it got to violence between him and the actors of the movie "Hell's Kitchen"
- with the Dead End Kids. The dismissal followed immediately and Dupont
could no longer realize further movies for the next ten years.
In the 50s, accompanied by many failures, he only shot low C-Movies
like "The Neanderthal Man" (1953). The final out came in 1954, when
he was replaced during the shooting of "Miss Robinson Crusoe" as a result
of drunkenness. Four years later he died of cancer in Los Angeles.
A star during the silent movie, pushed into a corner by the sound film.
A destiny he could share with many others of his time.
Other movies from Ewald André
Dupont (director):
Europa postlagernd (18) Mitternacht
(18) Der lebende Schatten (18) Der Teufel (18) Das Geheimnis des Amerika-Docks
(19) Die Japanerin (19) Die Apachen (19) Die Maske (19) Die Spione (19)
Das Derby (19) Alkohol (19) Der Würger der Welt (19) Das Grand Hotel
Babylon (19) Der weisse Pfau (20) Whitechapel (20) Herztrumpf (20) Der
Mord ohne Täter (20) Kinder der Finsternis (21) Sie und die Drei (22)
Die grüne Manuela - Ein Film aus dem Süden (23) Der Demütige
und die Sängerin (25) Moulin Rouge (28) Love Me and the World Is Mine
- Lieb mich und die Welt ist mein! (28) Piccadilly (29) Zwei Welten (30)
Peter Voss, der Millionendieb (30) Menschen im Käfig (30) Der Läufer
von Marathon (33) Ladies Must Love/Lilies of Broadway (33) The Bishop Misbehaves
(35) A Son Comes Home (36) Forgotten Faces (36) Night of Mystery/The Greene
Murder Case (37) On Such a Night (37) Love on Toast (38) Hell's Kitchen
(39) The Scarf/The Dungeon (51) Pictura (52) Serie "Big Town: Lady in Black/Artist
Story" (52) Serie "Big Town: Chinese Story" (52) Serie "Big Town: The Guilty
Package/The Counterfeit Story" (52) Serie "Big Town: Cinder Dick" (52)
Serie "Big Town: Wedding in Coral Point" (52) Serie "Big Town: Tape Recorder"
(52) Problem Girls/The Velvet Cage (53) The Steel Lady/Treasure of Kalifa
- Spur in der Wüste/Das Geheimnis der eisernen Jungfrau (53) Return
to Treasure Island - Die Banditeninsel von Karabei (54)
Other movies from Ewald André
Dupont (screenwriter):
Wer küsst mich? (17) Ihr Sohn/Sturmflut
(17) Der Onyxknopf (17) Der Saratogakoffer (17) Die Faust des Riesen (17)
Durchlaucht Hypochonder (17) Die sterbenden Perlen (17) Es werde Licht!
2. Teil (17) Rennfieber (18) Der ewige Zweifel (18) Das Perlenhalsband
(18) Nur um tausend Dollar (18) Es werke Licht! 3. Teil (18) Die Buchhalaterin
(18) Europa postlagernd (18) Es werde Licht! 4. Teil - Sündige Mütter
(18) Mitternacht (18) Ferdinand Lassalle (18) Der lebende Schatten (18)
Der Teufel (18) Die Japanerin (19) Das Geheimnis des Amerika-Docks (19)
Die Apachen (19) Die Maske (19) Die Spione (19) Das Derby (19) Alkohol
(19) Der Würger der Welt (19) Funken unter der Asche (19) Patience
(20) Der weisse Pfau (20) Der Mord ohne Täter (20) Kinder der Finsternis
(21) Der Demütige und die Sängerin (25) Madame Pompadour (27)
Love Me and the World Is Mine - Lieb mich und die Welt ist mein! (28)
Moulin Rouge (28) Zwei Welten (30) Menschen im Käfig (30) Peter Voss,
der Millionendieb (32) The Scarf/The Dungeon (51) Serie "Big Town: Dr.
Damon's Dilemma (52) Serie "Big Town: Please Murder Me" (52) Serie "Big
Town: The Assassination Story" (53) Serie "Big Town: The Homestretch" (53)
Serie "Big Town: Crime and Punishment" (53) Serie "Big Town: The Confession"
(53) Serie "Big Town: Mother's Day" (53) Serie "Big Town: Murder by Messenger"
(53) Serie "Big Town: Fall Guy" (53) Magic Fire - Frauen um Richard Wagner
(54)
Other movies from Ewald André
Dupont (producer):
Moulin Rouge (28) Piccadilly (29)
Zwei Welten (30) Menschen im Käfig (30) |
