HOME INDEX
GERMAN MOVIE		 THE GERMAN
MOVIE		 MAIL English Version

 
Max Ophüls


1902 - 1957

 .
.
The director and screenwriter Max Ophüls was born as Max Oppenheimer in Saarbrücken.

He began his artistic career as a stage actor in Aachen, it followed other engagemants, among them also in Dortmund. There he also realised first plays as a director.

From 1925 he also worked regular for the radio broadcasting and he continued his acting career in 1925 at the Burgtheater in Vienna.

After his release because of his Jewish roots he went to the Neues Theater in Frankfurt in 1926 before he was engaged as a stage director in Breslau.

Finally he went to Berlin where he also got in touch with the film business.
In his first cinematical work he was a director assistant for the movie "Nie wieder Liebe! (31) and in the same year followed his first movie as a director with "Dann schon lieber Lebertran" (31).

In the next years followed other movies as a director with "Die verliebte Firma" (32), "Die verkaufte Braut" (32), "Liebelei" (33) and "Lachende Erben" (33).

But his aspiring film career came to an abrupt end with the rise of the National Socialists. He left Germany and emigrated to Paris where he was able to realise more movies as a director and screenwriter successfully.
To his directed movies of those years belong "Une historie d'amour" (33), "Divine" (35), "Le tendre ennemie" (36), "Yoshiware" (37), "Le roman de Werther" (38), "De Mayerling à Sarajevo" (40) and "L'école des femmes" (40).

When France was also occupied by the Third Reich Max Ophüls fled to the USA. There he was able to direct some more movies, among them "The Exile" (47) and "Letter from an Unknown" (48).

Max Ophüls returned to France in 1949 where his last cinematical works came into being.
To these productions belong "La ronde" (50), "Le plaisir" (52), "Madame de..." (53) and "Lola Montès" (55).

Max Ophüls was married with the actress Hilde Wall. Their son Marcel Ophüls became a film director too.

In honour of Max Ophüls there is an annual price award in Saarbrücken since 1980 called Max-Ophüls-Price for the German-speaking film young talents.


Other movies from Max Ophüls (Director):
On a volé un homme (34) La signora di tutti (34) Valse brillante de Chopin (36) Komedie om geld (36) Ame Maria (36) Sans lendemain (39) Caught (49) The Reckless Moment (49)

Writer:
Dann schon lieber Lebertran (31) Liebelei (33) Lachende Erben (33) La signora di tutti (34) Divine (35) La tendre ennemie (36) Komedie om geld (36) Yoshiware (37) Le roman de Werther (38) Sans lendemain (39) Letter from an Unknown  (48) La ronde (50) Le plaisir (52) Madame de... (53) Lola Montès (55)

Producer:
La tendre ennemie (36) Le plaisir (52)

 
Back