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If one is a patch on the great silent movie star Emil
Jannings, then it was Werner Krauss. His expressiveness and acting
intensity influenced the German movie of the 10's and 20's.
Werner Krauss attended the teacher seminar since from 1901 but was suspended
from classes because of his occasional entrances as an extra at the Breslauer
Lobe theater.
As a result Werner Kraus decided to take the profession of an actor
and got after smaller parts an engagement for the Reinhardt-Bühnen
in 1913.
Because he got only smaller parts at the theater most of the time he
turned to the film business in 1916 where he was usually employed as a
villain or other unpleasent character. To his early movies belong "Hoffmanns
Erzählungen" (16), "Der Ungreifbare" (16), "Das unheimliche Haus"
(16), "Unheilbar" (17), "Die Pagode" (17), "Fräulein Pfiffikus" (17)
and "Das Tagebuch einer Verlorenen" (18).
After the end of World War I Werner Krauss managed the great leap forward
to a theater and movie star. He realised his impressive breakthrough with
the worldwide success "Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari" (19) - a movie which
belongs to the most important silent movies today.
In the following years he personified countless parts on a impressive
way and he alway knew how to fascinate the audience.
Other of his numerous cinematic heights he had were "Rose Bernd" (19),
"Die Brüder Karamasoff" (20), "Die Kwannon von Okadera" (20), "Danton"
(21), "Scherben" (21), "Lady Hamilton" (21), "Der brennende Acker" (22),
"Alt-Heidelberg" (23), "Der Schatz" (23), "Fridericus Rex" (23), "I.N.R.I."
(23) and "Das Wachsfigurenkabinett" (23).
In the second half of the 20's Werner Krauss played in other important
milestones of the German film history. Movies like "Die freudlose Gasse"
(25), "Tartüff" (25), "Geheimnisse einer Seele" (26), "Kreuzzug des
Weibes" (26), "Der Student von Prag" (26), "Die Hose" (27) and "Napoleon
auf St. Helena" (29) emphasized his important position in the film business.
In the 30's Werner Kraus came rarely up on the screen. He met with Joseph
Goebbels who appointed him to the vice-president of the "Reichstheaterkammer"
and Werner Krauss became established as in important cultur representative
of the NS regime.
To his well-known movies in 30's and 40's belong "Yorck" (31), "Burgtheater"
(36), "Robert Koch, der Bekämpfer des Todes" (39), "Jud Süss"
which is considered to be the most detrimental movie during the Nazi time,
"Die Entlassung/Schicksalswende" (42) and "Paracelsus" (43).
After the war Werner Krauss was classified into the group of "less burden"
by a "Spruchkammerverfahren". He went to Vienna where he got the Austrian
nationality.
Only in 1951 he got back the German nationality and in 1954 he was
rehabilitated for good with the award of the "Bundesverdienstkreuz".
Werner Krauss wasn't very important for the post-war film. He acted
in "Der fallende Stern" (50), "Sohn ohne Heimat" (55) and "Das verräterische
Herz" (58). More attention he got with his parts on the stage as ever.
He remained true to the theater just before his death.
Other movies with Werner Krauss:
Zirkusblut (16) Die vertauschte
Braut (16) Die Rache der Toten (16) Die Hand (16) Stein unter Steinen (16)
Der chinesische Götze (16) Nächte des Grauens (16) Das Erbe von
Het Steen (16) Die Bettlerin von St. Marien (16) Die schöne Prinzessin
von China (17) Das Bacchanal des Todes/Das Opfer einer grossen Liebe (17)
Die Fremde (17) Gesühnte Schuld (17) E, der scharlachrote Buchstabe
(17) Die Tochter der Gräfin Stachowska (17) Die schleichende Gefahr
(18) Wenn Frauen lieben und hassen (18) Es werde Licht! 3. Teil (18) Der
Prozess Hauers (18) Das verwunschene Schloss (18) Dida Ibsens Geschichte
(18) Colomba (18) Madame d'Ora (18) Mazeppa, der Held der Ukraine (18)
Der Friedensreiter (18) Opium (19) Prostitution/Das gelbe Haus (19) Das
Mädchen und die Männer (19) Ewiger Strom (19) Totentanz (19)
Die Frau mit den Orchideen (19) Die Insel der Glücklichen (19) Das
ewige Rätsel (19) Phantome des Lebens (19) Opfer (19) Die Frau ohne
Seele (20) Johannes Goth (20) Die Beichte einer Toten (20) Sieger Tod (20)
Die Frau im Himmel (20) Der Staatsanwalt (20) Christian Wahnschaffe (20)
Das Medium (21) Christian Wahnschaffe (21) DDie Beute der Erinnyen (21)
Das Haus in der Dragonergasse (21) Sturmflut des Lebens (21) Fledermäuse
(21) Der Tanz um Liebe und Glück (21) Der Roman der Christine von
Herre (21) Zirkus des Lebens (21) Othello (22) Luise Millerin (22) Nathan
der Weise (22) Der Menschenfeind (23) Adam und Eva (23) Der Puppenmacher
von Kiang-Ning (23) Zwischen Abend und Morgen (23) Der Kaufmann von Venedig
(23) Fräulein Raffke (23) Der unbekannte Morgen (23) Das alte Gesetz
(23) Dekameron - Nächte (24) Ein Sommernachtstraum (25) Reveille,
das grosse Wecken (25) Eifersucht (25) Der Trödler von Amsterdam (25)
Die Moral der Gasse (25) Das Haus der Lüge (25) Die Dame aus Berlin
(25) Nana (25) Maria, die Geschichte eines Herzens/Das graue Haus (26)
Überflüssige Menschen (26) Man spielt nicht mit der Liebe (26)
Unter Ausschluss der Öffentlichkeit (27) Laster der Menschheit (27)
Da hält die Welt den Atem an/Maquillage (27) Der fidele Bauer (27)
Funkzauber (27) Die Hölle der Jungfrauen (27) Looping the Loop (28)
Mensch ohne Namen (32) Hundert Tage (35) Der letzte Appell (39) Annelie
(41) Zwischen Himmel und Erde (42) Die Entlassung/Schicksalswende (42)
Prämien auf den Tod (49) |
