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Harry Piel's life started almost adventurous. After school he committed
to serve as a cadet on the sailing ship "Grossherzogin Elisabeth" for seven
months, at the age of 19 he went to Paris in order to become a stunt flyer.
There he met the director Léonce Perret, who arranged a meeting
with Gaumont. There he wrote his first script and the thought to place
his future occupation at the new medium film took shape.
Already in 1912 Harry Piel founded the "Kunst-Film-Verlags-Gesellschaft"
and he realised his first movie as a director with "Schwarzes Blut". Even
though the movie was successful, his company went bankrupt a little bit
later. But Harry Piel had become established as a film worker. In the following
years he shot movies for different companies and soon the action film tourned
out to be his passion - "Der Triumph des Todes" (12), "Ein Millionenraub"
(14), "Die grosse Wette" (15), "Die Abenteuer des Kapitän Hansen"
(17) and "Die Krone von Palma" (18).
In 1919 he acted for the first time as a leading actor in the movie
"Der grosse Unbekannte".
As a director he had the nickname "Dynamite director" because of all
the exploding bridges and houses in his movies. These explosions were very
often real because he knew a bomb craftsman who constantly informed him
about forthcoming blowing ups. Harry Piel caught this explosions with his
camera and slipped them in his next movies.
With his appearances in front of the camera was also born the sensation-actor
Piel who liked to give to understand, that he carried out all his stunts
himself. The fact is that the most dangerous stunts were carried out by
Hermann Stetza between 1919 and 1924.
The transition to the sound film he managed easily. He directed till
1939 successful movies like "Schatten der Unterwelt" (31), "Jonny stiehlt
Europa" (32), "Ein Unsichtbarer geht durch die Stadt" (33), "Der Dschungel
ruft" (35) and "Sein bester Freund" (37).
But than Harry Piel was strucked by the political confusions. His production
company "Harry Piel Film Co." - founded in 1921 - was liquidated through
the nationalization and after the war he was sentenced to prison for six
months by the English court and they also imposed a working prohibition
on him till 1949. His delict: hanger-on of the NSDAP where he was a member
since 1933.
But beside this condemnation the fact that 72 negatives of his movies,
among them nearly all his silent movies, had been destroyed during an air
raid have him no end of trouble.
Harry Piel succeeded in 1950 once more to found a production company,
but he couldn't achieve the same success. Early in 1960 he gave up his
company and retired from the movie business.
Harry Piel was married in second marriage with the actress Dary
Holm.
Other movies from Harry Piel (Director,
Actor, Writer):
Dämone der Tiefe (12) Der
Börsenkönig (12) Nachtschatten (13) Der schwarze Pierrot (13)
Der grüne Teufel (13) Im Leben verspielt (13) Menschen und Masken
(13) Seelenadel (13) Erblich belastet? (13) Harakiri (13) Menschen und
Masken (13) Die Millionenmine (13) Die braune Bestie (14) Der geheimnisvolle
Nachtschatten (14) Das Teufelsauge (14) Das geheimnisvolle Zeichen (14)
Das Abenteuer eines Journalisten (14) Der schwarze Husar (15) Der Bär
von Baskerville (15) Manya, die Türkin (15) Im Banne der Vergangenheit
(15) Das Geheimnis von D. 14 (15) Police Nr. 1111 (15) Das verschwundene
Los (15) Das lebende Rätsel (16) Unter heisser Zone (16) Das geheimnisvolle
Telephon (16) Zur Strecke gebracht (17) Der Sultan von Johore (17) Der
weisse Schrecken (17) Um eine Million (17) Der stumme Zeuge (17) Sein Todfeind
(17) Das amerikanische Duell (18) Die Ratte (18) Das rollende Hotel (18)
Diplomaten (18) Die närrische Fabrik (18) Das Auge des Götzen
(19) Der Muff (19) Der blaue Drachen (19) Der rätselhafte Klub (19)
Der grosse Coup (19) Über den Wolken (19) Die Geheimnisse des Zirkus
Barré (20) Die Luftpiraten (20) Das fliegende Auto (20) Der Verächter
des Todes (20) Das Gefängnis auf dem Meeresgrund (20) Der Reiter ohne
Kopf (21) Dier Fürst der Berge (21) Das verschwundene Haus (22) Das
schwarze Kuvert (22) Rivalen (23) Der letzte Kampf (23) Abenteuer einer
Nacht (23) Menschen und Masken (23) Auf gefährlichen Spuren (24) Der
Mann ohne Nerven (24) Schneller als der Tod (25) Zigano, der Brigant vom
Monte Diavolo (25) Abenteuer im Nachtexpress (25) Der schwarze Pierrot
(26) Achtung Harry! Augen auf! Sechs Wochen unter den Apachen (26) Was
ist los im Zirkus Beely? (26) Sein grösster Bluff (27) Rätsel
einer Nacht (27) Panik (28) Mann gegen Man (28) Seine stärkste Waffe
(28) Die Mitternachtstaxe (29) Männer ohne Beruf (29) Sein bester
Freund (29) Menschen im Feuer (30) Achtung! - Auto-Diebe! (30) Er oder
ich (30) Bobby geht los (31) Der Geheimagent (32) Das Schiff ohne Hafen
(32) Sprung in den Abgrund (33) Schwarzwaldmädel (33) Die Welt ohne
Maske (34) Der Herr der Welt (34) Artisten (35) 90 Minuten Aufenthalt (36)
Wie einst im Mai (37) Der unmögliche Herr Pitt (38) Menschen, Tiere,
Sensationen (38) Panik/Gesprengte Gitter (43) Die grosse Nummer (42) Mann
im Sattel (45) Der Tiger Akbar (51) Affenliebe (55) Wenn Tiere erwachen
(55) Wenn Tiere betteln (55) |
