Ernő Metzner

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Ernő Metzner (born February 25, 1892 in Szabadka , Austria-Hungary , † September 25, 1953 in Hollywood , California ) was a film architect and director .

Life

After studying art in Budapest , he first worked as a painter and graphic artist. In 1920 he came to Germany and began working for film in Berlin. As a film architect and production designer, he was (co) responsible for the equipment of productions by well-known directors such as Ernst Lubitsch ( Sumurun , Das Frau des Pharao ), Robert Wiene ( INRI ) and Karl Grune ( Arabella ). From Secrets of a Soul (1926) a close collaboration with Georg Wilhelm Pabst developed that lasted into the 1930s . Metzner was the film architect of all the important Pabst films of the time. For the film Kameradschaft (1931), Metzner had realistic-looking mine tunnels built in the studio.

In 1928 Ernő Metzner began directing himself. His first films are short documentaries that were produced by the SPD . Other works from 1928, including the film Hotel Secrets (together with Friedrich Fehér ) were distributed by the Derussa (German-Russian Film Alliance).

The artistic highlight of Metzner's own film direction is the experimental short film Police Report Robbery, also made in 1928 , which is one of the classics of the German and international film avant-garde. The film with only one subtitle was banned by the film inspection agency in 1929 as “brutalizing and demoralizing”, and the producers' complaint against this decision was rejected by the inspection agency. In addition to directing, Metzner also wrote the screenplay with his wife Grace Chiang . Film historians consider the film to be significant because of the combination of avant-garde stylistic devices (distorted images) and cinematic realism. As an experimental film , it is in a row with the Buñuel film An Andalusian Dog, made in the same year .

In 1933 Metzner emigrated to England via France, where he again created the artistically ambitious film Robber's Symphony together with Feher in 1935/36 . In 1936, Metzner went to the USA with his family, but could only occasionally find work as a production designer for films.

Filmography

literature

  • Kay Less : 'In life, more is taken from you than given ...'. Lexicon of filmmakers who emigrated from Germany and Austria between 1933 and 1945. A general overview. P. 346 f., ACABUS-Verlag, Hamburg 2011, ISBN 978-3-86282-049-8

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Metzner, Ernő
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austro-Hungarian film architect and director
DATE OF BIRTH February 25, 1892
PLACE OF BIRTH Szabadka , Austria-Hungary
DATE OF DEATH September 25, 1953
Place of death Hollywood , California