Elisabeth Bergner was an Austrian-British actress. Primarily a stage actress, her career flourished in Berlin and Paris before she moved to London to work in films. Her signature role was Gemma Jones in Escape Me Never, a play written for her by Margaret Kennedy. She played Gemma, first in London and then in the Broadway debut, and in a film version for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. In 1943, Bergner returned to Broadway in the play The Two Mrs. Carrolls, for which she won the Distinguished Performance Medal from the Drama League.
Hans Walter Conrad Veidt was a German-born British actor. He attracted early attention for his roles in the films Different from the Others (1919), The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), and The Man Who Laughs (1928). After a successful career in German silent films, where he was one of the best-paid stars of UFA, Veidt and his new Jewish wife Ilona Prager left Germany in 1933 after the Nazis came to power. The couple settled in Britain, where he took citizenship in 1939. He appeared in many British films, including The Thief of Bagdad (1940), before emigrating to the United States around 1941, which led to his being cast in what may be his best remembered role as Major Strasser in Casablanca (1942). This was Veidt's last film role to be released during his lifetime.
Paul Czinner was a Hungarian-born British writer, film director, and producer.
As You Like It is a 1936 British romantic comedy film directed by Paul Czinner and starring Laurence Olivier as Orlando and Elisabeth Bergner as Rosalind. It is based on William Shakespeare's play of the same name. It was Olivier's first performance of Shakespeare on screen.
Stolen Life is a 1939 British drama film directed by Paul Czinner and starring Michael Redgrave, Elisabeth Bergner and Wilfrid Lawson.
Dreaming Lips is a 1937 British drama film directed by Paul Czinner and starring Elisabeth Bergner, Romney Brent and Raymond Massey.
Ariane is a 1931 German drama film directed by Paul Czinner and starring Elisabeth Bergner, Rudolf Forster and Annemarie Steinsieck. It is an adaptation of the 1920 French novel Ariane, jeune fille russe by Claude Anet. Two alternative language versions The Loves of Ariane and Ariane, jeune fille russe were made at the same time. The film was the inspiration of the 1957 Billy Wilder film Love in the Afternoon. Wilder remembered the film as "touching and funny". It was shot at the Staaken Studios in Berlin. The film's sets were designed by the art directors Erich Zander and Karl Weber. Location shooting took place in Paris.
The Loves of Ariane is a 1931 British-German drama film directed by Paul Czinner starring Elisabeth Bergner, Charles Carson and Percy Marmont. Shot in Germany, it was an English-language version of the 1931 film Ariane. It was based on the 1920 novel Ariane, jeune fille russe by Claude Anet. The screenplay concerns a young woman studying at University who falls in love with Don Juan. A German version of the film, Ariane was also made.
Carlos and Elisabeth is a 1924 German silent drama film directed by Richard Oswald and starring Conrad Veidt, Eugen Klöpfer, and Aud Egede-Nissen. It is based on the play Don Carlos by Friedrich Schiller. Oswald modelled the film's visuals on a staging of the play by Max Reinhardt at the Deutsches Theater.
Catherine the Great is a 1920 German silent historical film directed by Reinhold Schünzel and starring Lucie Höflich, Fritz Kortner, and Fritz Delius. The film was an epic portrayal of the life of Catherine the Great of Russia. 4,000 extras and 500 horses were used.
Fräulein Else is a 1929 German silent drama film directed by Paul Czinner and starring Elisabeth Bergner, Albert Bassermann and Albert Steinrück. It was based on the 1924 novella of the same name by Arthur Schnitzler. Bergner had previously played her role on stage to great acclaim. However, it was felt that the film was hindered by being silent given the strength of the story's dialogue.
Doña Juana is a 1927 German silent comedy drama film directed by Paul Czinner and starring Elisabeth Bergner, Walter Rilla, and Hertha von Walther. It was based on a Spanish play by Tirso de Molina. The adaptation was done by Béla Balázs, who later tried to have his name removed from the credits because he disliked the finished version of the film. The film was shot on location around Seville and Granada in southern Spain.
The Girl with a Patron is a 1925 German silent comedy film directed by Max Mack and starring Ossi Oswalda, Willy Fritsch, and Nora Gregor. It was shot at the Babelsberg Studios in Berlin. It was one of a number of popular comedies released by UFA during the era alongside its more prestigious art films.
The Brothers Schellenberg is a 1926 German silent drama film directed by Karl Grune and starring Conrad Veidt, Lil Dagover and Liane Haid. It was shot at the Babelsberg Studios in Berlin with sets designed by the art director Karl Görge. It was based on a novel by Bernhard Kellermann. It premiered at the Palast-am-Zoo.
Dreaming Lips is a 1932 French-German drama film directed by Paul Czinner and starring Elisabeth Bergner, Rudolf Forster and Anton Edthofer. The film is based on the play Mélo by Henri Bernstein. As was common at the time, the film was a co-production with a separate French-language version Mélo made.
Love is a 1927 German silent film directed by Paul Czinner and starring Elisabeth Bergner, Agnes Esterhazy and Elza Temary.
Husbands or Lovers is a 1924 German silent film directed by Paul Czinner and starring Elisabeth Bergner, Emil Jannings and Conrad Veidt. It was shot at the Staaken and EFA Studios in Berlin. The film's art direction was by Bohumil Hes and Paul Rieth.
Let There Be Light is a 1917 German silent drama film directed by Richard Oswald and starring Bernd Aldor, Hugo Flink and Nelly Lagarst. It was followed by three sequels. The film was a protest against Germany's anti-abortion law, and also touched on the dangers of syphilis. It is a lost film.
Diary of a Lost Woman is a 1918 German silent drama film directed by Richard Oswald and starring Erna Morena, Reinhold Schünzel, and Werner Krauss. The rising star Conrad Veidt also appeared. It is now considered a lost film. It was remade at the end of the silent era as Diary of a Lost Girl by Georg Wilhelm Pabst.
Kurfürstendamm is a 1920 German silent drama film directed by Richard Oswald and starring Conrad Veidt, Asta Nielsen, and Erna Morena. It is set on the Kurfürstendamm in central Berlin. It is now considered a lost film.
