Robert Wiene was a German film director, screenwriter and producer, active during the silent era. He is widely-known for directing the landmark 1920 film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and a succession of other expressionist films. Wiene also directed a variety of other films of varying styles and genres. Following the Nazi rise to power in Germany, Wiene, who was of Jewish descent, fled into exile.
The Wandering Light is a 1916 German silent drama film directed by Robert Wiene and starring Henny Porten, Bruno Decarli and Theodor Becker. It was based on a short story by Ernst von Wildenbruch. A Count marries a woman who come to wrongly believe that he is mad.
Countess Kitchenmaid is a 1918 German silent comedy film directed by Rudolf Biebrach and starring Henny Porten, Heinrich Schroth and Martin Lübbert. While her mistress is away on an adulterous adventure, a young maid takes her place to convince a visiting dignitary that she is there with the other servants impersonating aristocrats.
Panic in the House of Ardon is a 1920 German silent crime film directed by Robert Wiene and starring Stella Harf, Max Kronert and Paul Mederow. The film was finished by August 1920, but did not have its premiere until July 1921. It also had several alternative titles including Die Welteroberer. A crime syndicate attempts to discover the scientific secrets of the chemical company Ardon. The film was made in the Expressionist style that had been used for Wiene's earlier hit The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. It features the popular detective Stuart Webbs, closely modeled on Sherlock Holmes.
A Woman's Revenge is a 1921 German silent drama film directed by Robert Wiene and starring Vera Karalli, Franz Egenieff and Olga Engl. In order to punish her cold, brutal aristocratic husband for murdering her lover, a woman becomes a common prostitute to shame him. The film received largely negative reviews.
The Doll Maker of Kiang-Ning is a 1923 German silent fantasy film directed by Robert Wiene and starring Werner Krauss, Lia Eibenschütz, and Ossip Runitsch. A doll maker in Kiangning, China crafts a puppet which he is convinced is lifelike. He takes it to exhibit at a public event, but is outraged to find an even more convincing and beautiful doll there. It is in fact a real woman pretending to be a doll, but he becomes so obsessed he attempts to steal her and the film ends with her rescue and his tragic death.
Carmen Cartellieri, also known as Carmen Teschen, was an Austrian actress and producer.
The Woman on the Rack is a 1928 German silent drama film directed by Robert Wiene and starring Lili Damita, Vladimir Gajdarov, and Johannes Riemann. It was also known by the alternative title A Scandal in Paris. It was based on a British play by Edward Hemmerde and Francis Neilson. The wife of a British aristocratic politician, who is neglected by her husband, resists an attempt to break them up. When her husband discovers what he mistakenly believes to be a dalliance with another man he begins divorce proceedings. Eventually the truth comes out and the couple reconcile. The film was not considered one of Wiene's greatest achievements, but he was praised for directing with his usual competence while Damita's performance as Lady Admaston was hailed.
The Famous Woman is a 1927 German silent drama film directed by Robert Wiene and starring Lili Damita, Fred Solm and Warwick Ward. It was based on the play Die Tänzerin by Melchior Lengyel, who also wrote the film's screenplay. While performing in Barcelona, a dancer falls in love with a Spanish aristocrat. He proposes marriage to her providing she give up her profession. She agrees and the wedding preparations begin. When her troupe returns to Spain, however, she is drawn back to her true calling as a dancer and her aristocratic lover reluctantly allows her to go free. Damita's performance was particularly praised, as was the cinematography of Otto Kanturek who had done location shooting in Barcelona.
Rudolf Lettinger was a German stage and film actor. He made his stage debut in 1883 when he played the role of Kosinsky in Friedrich Schiller's drama The Robbers. Some of his more prominent roles in his prestigious stage career were Cyrano de Bergerac and Gessler in William Tell. He also worked with acclaimed stage director Max Reinhardt. In 1912, Lettinger played his first film role in Das Geheimnis von Monte Carlo. Lettinger appeared in over 90 films until 1931, mostly as a supporting actor. His best-known film is perhaps The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), where Lettinger portrayed Dr. Olsen.
The Night of Queen Isabeau is a 1920 German silent historical drama film directed by Robert Wiene and starring Fern Andra, Fritz Kortner, Hans Heinrich von Twardowski and Elsa Wagner. The film depicts the marriage between the mad Charles VI of France and his wife Queen Isabeau. It was shot at the Babelsberg Studios in Berlin. The film is now considered a lost film, but contemporary reviews praised Wiene's direction. The story revolves around insanity, a common theme in his films.
Ernst Gronau was a German stage, writer and film actor.
Strauss Is Playing Today is a 1928 German silent drama film directed by Conrad Wiene and starring Alfred Abel, Hermine Sterler and Imre Ráday. The film was made at the Tempelhof Studios in Berlin. It portrays the relationship between the father and son Austrian composers Johann Strauss I and Johann Strauss II.
I.N.R.I. is a 1923 German silent religious epic film directed by Robert Wiene and starring Gregori Chmara, Henny Porten, and Asta Nielsen. The film is a retelling of the events leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It was based on a 1905 novel by Peter Rosegger. It was reissued in 1933 in the United States with an added music track and narration as Crown of Thorns.
The Queen of Moulin Rouge is a 1926 Austrian silent comedy film directed by Robert Wiene and starring Mady Christians, André Roanne and Livio Pavanelli. The film is based on the 1902 play La Duchesse des Folies-Bergères by Georges Feydeau. It was the final silent film Wiene made in Austria, before returning to Germany. It was made by the Austrian studio Pan Film, with backing from the French Pathé and German Filmhaus Bruckmann companies.
The Other is a 1930 German drama film directed by Robert Wiene and starring Fritz Kortner, Käthe von Nagy and Heinrich George. It was based on the 1893 play Der Andere by Paul Lindau. It was shot at the Terra Studios in Berlin. A French-language version The Prosecutor Hallers was shot by Wiene immediately afterwards in the same Berlin studio, but with different actors.
Ultimatum is a 1938 French historical drama film directed by Robert Wiene and Robert Siodmak and starring Dita Parlo, Erich von Stroheim and Abel Jacquin. The film's plot is set in 1914 against the backdrop of the July Crisis between the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and the beginning of the First World War. It focuses on the relationship between a Serbian officer and his Austrian-born wife and their involvement in espionage between the countries.
Roswolsky's Mistress is a 1921 German silent drama film directed by Felix Basch and starring Asta Nielsen, Paul Wegener, and Wilhelm Diegelmann. It was based on a novel by George Froeschel. The film was shot at the Tempelhof Studios in Berlin, with sets designed by art directors Robert Neppach and Jack Winter. According to one estimate, the star Asta Nielsen wore thirty six different costumes during the course of the film.
The Spinning Ball is a 1927 German silent film directed by Erich Schönfelder and starring Edda Croy, Harry Liedtke and Erna Morena. It was shot at the Staaken Studios in Berlin.
The Lady, the Devil and the Model is a 1918 German silent drama film directed by Rudolf Biebrach and starring Henny Porten, Alfred Abel and Eugen Rex.
