Bruno Alfred Döblin was a German novelist, essayist, and doctor, best known for his novel Berlin Alexanderplatz (1929). A prolific writer whose œuvre spans more than half a century and a wide variety of literary movements and styles, Döblin is one of the most important figures of German literary modernism. His complete works comprise over a dozen novels ranging in genre from historical novels to science fiction to novels about the modern metropolis; several dramas, radio plays, and screenplays; a true crime story; a travel account; two book-length philosophical treatises; scores of essays on politics, religion, art, and society; and numerous letters—his complete works, republished by Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag and Fischer Verlag, span more than thirty volumes. His first published novel, Die drei Sprünge des Wang-lung, appeared in 1915 and his final novel, Hamlet oder Die lange Nacht nimmt ein Ende was published in 1956, one year before his death.
Berlin Alexanderplatz is a 1929 novel by Alfred Döblin. It is considered one of the most important and innovative works of the Weimar Republic. In a 2002 poll of 100 noted writers the book was named among the top 100 books of all time.
Paul Wegener was a German actor, writer, and film director known for his pioneering role in German expressionist cinema.
Rochus Gliese was a German actor, director, production designer, and Academy Award-nominated art director of early films from the 1910s and 1920s. He was born in Berlin.
Lady Hamilton is a 1921 German silent historical film directed by Richard Oswald and starring Liane Haid, Conrad Veidt and Werner Krauss. The film depicts the love affair between the British Admiral Lord Nelson and Lady Emma Hamilton. It was based on two novels by Heinrich Vollrath Schumacher. A copy of the film exists in a Russian film archive.
The Treasure of Gesine Jacobsen is a 1923 German silent drama film directed by Rudolf Walther-Fein and starring Marija Leiko, Paul Wegener and Reinhold Schünzel. It premiered in Berlin on 13 February 1923.
The Transformation of Dr. Bessel is a 1927 German silent film directed by Richard Oswald and starring Jakob Tiedtke, Sophie Pagay and Hans Stüwe. The film was based on a novel by Ludwig Wolff. It premiered at the Ufa-Palast am Zoo. It has thematic similarities with Ernst Lubitsch's 1932 film The Man I Killed. Whereas that film featured a French soldier partially assuming the identity of a dead German, in Oswald's film a German is able to survive by pretending to be French.
Lucrezia Borgia is a 1922 German silent historical film directed by Richard Oswald and starring Conrad Veidt, Liane Haid, Paul Wegener, and Albert Bassermann. It was based on a novel by Harry Sheff, and portrayed the life of the Renaissance Italian aristocrat Lucrezia Borgia (1480–1519). Botho Hoefer and Robert Neppach worked as the film's art directors, designing the period sets needed. It was shot at the Tempelhof Studios in Berlin. Karl Freund was one of the cinematographers. Famed French director Abel Gance remade the film in 1935.
Falstaff in Vienna is a 1940 German musical comedy film directed by Leopold Hainisch and starring Hans Nielsen, Gusti Wolf and Paul Hörbiger. It portrays the life of the nineteenth century composer Otto Nicolai, known for works such as The Merry Wives of Windsor.
Nanon is a 1924 German silent historical film directed by Hanns Schwarz and starring Agnes Esterhazy, Harry Liedtke, and Hanni Weisse. It is based on the operetta Nanon by Richard Genée with a libretto by F Zell.
The False Dimitri is a 1922 German silent historical film directed by Hans Steinhoff and starring Alfred Abel, Agnes Straub and Eugen Klöpfer. Set in early seventeenth century Russia it portrays the rise of False Dmitriy I during the Time of Troubles.
Living Buddhas is a 1925 German silent film in five chapters, directed by Paul Wegener and starring Wegener, Asta Nielsen and Käthe Haack. It was co-written by Wegener and Hans Stürm. Wegener cast himself as the evil High Llama of a devil cult. Danish actress Nielsen's film career went downhill quickly with the advent of sound films. It was made at the Staaken Studios in Berlin. Only five minutes of footage survive of the original 139-minute running time.
Monna Vanna is a 1922 German silent historical film directed by Richard Eichberg and starring Lee Parry, Paul Wegener, and Hans Stürm.
The Strange Case of Captain Ramper is a 1927 German silent drama film directed by Max Reichmann and starring Paul Wegener, Mary Johnson and Max Schreck. It was shot at the Staaken Studios in Berlin. The film's sets were designed by the art director Leopold Blonder. It was distributed by the German subsidiary of First National Pictures. Unlike many silent films which are now lost, copies of this still survive.
Colibri is a 1924 German silent film directed by Victor Janson and starring Ossi Oswalda and Bruno Kastner.
The Lost Shadow is a 1921 German silent film directed by Rochus Gliese and starring Paul Wegener, Wilhelm Bendow and Adele Sandrock. The cinematographer was Karl Freund. The film's sets were designed by the art director Kurt Richter. It was shot at the Tempelhof Studios in Berlin. For some reason, the film was only released in the US in 1928. It is today considered a lost film.
Only a Dancing Girl is a 1926 German-Swedish silent drama film directed by Olof Molander and starring Lil Dagover, Walter Janssen and Harry Halm.
Dinner Is Served is a 1936 German comedy film directed by Hans H. Zerlett and starring Herbert Hübner, Gertrud de Lalsky, and Hertha Guthmar. The film is a comedy set around the British aristocracy.
The Foreign Prince is a 1918 German silent drama film directed by and starring Paul Wegener and also featuring Lyda Salmonova and Margarete Kupfer. It is now considered to be a lost film.
Große Berliner Kunstausstellung , abbreviated GroBeKa or GBK, was an annual art exhibition that existed from 1893 to 1969 with intermittent breaks. In 1917 and 1918, during World War I, it was not held in Berlin but in Düsseldorf. In 1919 and 1920, it operated under the name Kunstausstellung Berlin. From 1970 to 1995, the Freie Berliner Kunstausstellung was held annually in its place.
