Robert Land

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Robert Land

Robert Land , born in Robert Liebmann , (born July 13, 1887 in Kremsier , Austria-Hungary , † after January 1940 in emigration) was an Austrian- Czech film director .

Life

Born in Kremsier as Robert Liebmann, he later renamed himself Robert Land in order to avoid confusion with the then known film critic and later screenwriter Robert Liebmann . He came to Vienna shortly after the turn of the century , where he completed his school education and then studied German and art history . He also attended an acting school. In 1911 he made his debut at the Vienna Residenzbühne and henceforth concentrated on acting. Shortly before the outbreak of World War I , he discovered his interest in film and immediately founded a film production company with a friend , for which he also personally produced and directed a few short films. A few years later he also directed other film companies such as Micco-Film . After the end of the war, Land also made longer feature films for the first time, as the technology was now more sophisticated and there was no longer a shortage of raw materials.

In 1920 he directed the film adaptation of Emil Kläger's social report " Through the quarters of misery and crime " for the Viennese educational institution Urania , which was well attended. Otherwise, his early film productions received little attention in Austria. Robert Land can, however, claim to have discovered the later audience favorite Lilian Harvey , since he had offered her the first small role in " The Curse " in 1924 . After this film, Land moved to Berlin , where, after a few dramas and melodramas such as Primanerliebe and Frau Sorge, he was quickly able to establish a reputation as a specialist in light things of all kinds, such as comedies, and operetta adaptations. Stars such as Harry Liedtke , Carmen Boni , Fritz Kortner , Liane Haid and Käthe von Nagy have appeared in his films several times .

In 1928 he engaged the hitherto little known Marlene Dietrich , who shortly before had taken on a leading role in Gustav Ucicky's “ Café Elektric ” for the first time, for the silent film romance “ I kiss your hand, Madame ”. In the sound film era, which began in German-speaking countries from 1929, he did not manage to make any significant film productions , apart from the film adaptation of the Zweig novella " 24 hours from the life of a woman " with film star Henny Porten in the lead role.

In 1933, after the National Socialists came to power, the Jew Robert Land had to leave Germany. Before that he finished the film " Drei Kaiserjäger ", which was banned by the Allied military censorship after Germany's defeat in World War II . He emigrated to Prague, where he rarely found work as a director. In 1934 he went to Italy, but returned to Czechoslovakia in 1935 . In 1937 Robert Land returned to Vienna for the last time, where he was expelled from the Reichsfilmkammer in 1938 after the annexation of Austria to Germany , which amounted to a professional ban.

He then returned to Prague, where he made two more films. After that his track is lost. Depending on the source, he emigrated to Paris with his wife in 1938, where he left one last sign of life on January 7, 1940 (a letter dated that day).

Filmography

Unless otherwise stated, Robert Land co-directed the following selection of films:

Sound films:

  • 1930: Boycott (also co-script)
  • 1930: Viennese love affairs
  • 1931: 24 hours from a woman's life
  • 1931: Weekend in Paradise
  • 1933: Three Kaiserjäger
  • 1934: Melodramma (co-director with Giorgio Simonelli )
  • 1935: Jana, the girl from the Bohemian Forest
  • 1936: Poor, little Inge / Sextanka (ČSR version)
  • 1938: Panenka (last film)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b 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. ACABUS Verlag, Hamburg 2011, ISBN 978-3-86282-049-8 , p. 294.
personal data
SURNAME Country, Robert
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Liebmann, Robert (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian-Czech film director
DATE OF BIRTH July 13, 1887
PLACE OF BIRTH Kremsier , Austria-Hungary
DATE OF DEATH after January 1940