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Spies (1928 Film)
''Spione'' (English title: ''Spies'', under which title it was released in the United States) is a 1928 German silent espionage thriller directed by Fritz Lang and co-written with his wife, Thea von Harbou, who also wrote a novel of the same name, published a year later. The film was Lang's penultimate silent film and the first for his own production company; ''Fritz Lang-film GmbH''. As in Lang's Mabuse films, such as '' Dr. Mabuse: The Gambler'' (1922) and ''The Testament of Dr. Mabuse'' (1933), Rudolf Klein-Rogge plays a master criminal aiming for world domination. ''Spione'' was restored to something short of its original length by the Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau Foundation during 2003 and '04. No original negatives survive but a high quality nitrate copy is held at the National Film Archive in Prague. Plot Germany, 1927: Beautiful Russian spy Sonja Baranikowa seduces Colonel Jellusič into betraying his country (an unnamed eastern European one) for her employer, Haghi, a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fritz Lang
Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), known as Fritz Lang, was an Austrian film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary ''Variety'', August 4, 1976, p. 63. One of the best-known ''émigrés'' from Germany's school of Expressionism, he was dubbed the "Master of Darkness" by the British Film Institute. He has been cited as one of the most influential filmmakers of all time. Lang's most celebrated films include the groundbreaking futuristic ''Metropolis'' (1927) and the influential '' M'' (1931), a film noir precursor. His 1929 film ''Woman in the Moon'' showcased the use of a multi-stage rocket, and also pioneered the concept of a rocket launch pad (a rocket standing upright against a tall building before launch having been slowly rolled into place) and the rocket-launch countdown clock. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spy Film
The spy film, also known as the spy thriller, is a genre of film that deals with the subject of fictional espionage, either in a realistic way (such as the adaptations of John le Carré) or as a basis for fantasy (such as many James Bond films). Many novels in the spy fiction genre have been adapted as films, including works by John Buchan, le Carré, Ian Fleming (Bond) and Len Deighton. It is a significant aspect of British cinema, with leading British directors such as Alfred Hitchcock and Carol Reed making notable contributions and many films set in the British Secret Service. Spy films show the espionage activities of government agents and their risk of being discovered by their enemies. From the Nazi espionage thrillers of the 1940s to the James Bond films of the 1960s and to the high-tech blockbusters of today, the spy film has always been popular with audiences worldwide. Offering a combination of exciting escapism, technological thrills, and exotic locales, many spy film ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hertha Von Walther
Hertha von Walther (born Hertha Stern und Walter von Monbary, 12 June 1903 – 12 April 1987) was a German film actress. She appeared in 80 films between 1921 and 1983. Biography Hertha von Walther was born Hertha Stern und Walther von Monbary on 12 June 1903 to Clara Stern und Walther von Monbary (née Gabain) and the Prussian general Arthur Stern und Walther von Monbary (1853–1917). Her father had been born Arthur Stern-Gwiazdowski in Poland to a mother of French descent and was the adopted son of Rudolf Walther von Monbary. At 17 years old, von Walther left the boarding school she had been attending in Wolfenbüttel and went to the Leipzig acting school with a scholarship. Her first stage experience came at the Leipzig Opera, where she played as an extra. She later moved to Berlin and found work at the Theater am Zoo and the Renaissance Theater. von Walther made her film debut in ''Destinée'' (1920), followed by Julot the Apache (1921), and Duke Ferrante's End ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paul Hörbiger
Paul Hörbiger (29 April 1894 – 5 March 1981) was an Austrian theatre and film actor. Life and work Paul Hörbiger was born in the Hungarian capital Budapest, then part of Austria-Hungary, the son of engineer Hanns Hörbiger, founder of the ''Welteislehre'' cosmological concept, and elder brother of actor Attila Hörbiger. In 1902, the family returned to Vienna, while Paul attended the '' gymnasium'' (high school) at St. Paul's Abbey in Carinthia. Having obtained his ''Matura'' degree, he served in a mountain artillery regiment of the Austro-Hungarian Army in World War I, discharged in 1918 with the rank of an ''Oberleutnant''. After the war, Hörbiger took drama lessons and began his acting career in 1919 at the city theatre of Reichenberg (Liberec). From 1920, he performed at the New German Theatre in Prague. His fame grew when in 1926 he was employed by director Max Reinhardt at the ensemble of the Deutsches Theater in Berlin, reaching a high point with his appointmen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Craighall Sherry
Craighall Sherry (April 8, 1869; Glasgow, Scotland, UK - 1943 (age 73); Uxbridge, Middlesex, UK) was a British stage and film actor. Selected filmography * '' The Battles of Coronel and Falkland Islands'' (1927) * ''Spione'' (1928) * '' Number 17'' (1928) * '' The Informer'' (1929) * ''The Loves of Robert Burns'' (1930) * ''Nell Gwyn'' (1934) * ''Royal Cavalcade ''Royal Cavalcade'', also known as ''Regal Cavalcade'', is a 1935 British, black-and-white, drama film directed by six separate directors: Thomas Bentley (Supervising Director), Herbert Brenon, Norman Lee, Walter Summers, W. P. Kellino and Mar ...'' (1935) Bibliography * Ott, Frederick W. ''The Films of Fritz Lang''. Citadel Press, 1979. External links * 1869 births 1943 deaths Scottish male silent film actors 20th-century Scottish male actors Scottish male stage actors {{UK-film-actor-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Louis Ralph
Louis Ralph (born Ludwig Josef Musik; 17 August 1878 – September 1952) was an Austrian film actor and director. He was born Ludwig Musik in Graz, Styria, Austria-Hungary (now Austria), and died in Berlin at age 68. Selected filmography * ''Die Vila der Narenta'' (1919) * ''Der Schatzgräber von Blagaj'' (1919) * ''Diamonds'' (1920) * '' Lady Hamilton'' (1921) * '' The Golden Plague'' (1921) * '' The Lodging House for Gentleman'' (1922) * '' The Inheritance'' (1922) * '' The Unknown Tomorrow'' (1923) * ''The Green Manuela'' (1923) * '' The Love of a Queen'' (1923) * '' The Final Mask'' (1924) * '' The Voice of the Heart'' (1924) * '' Tragedy in the House of Habsburg'' (1924) * '' Orient'' (1924) * '' The Humble Man and the Chanteuse'' (1925) * '' The Elegant Bunch'' (1925) * '' Our Emden'' (1926) * ''The Circus of Life'' (1926) * '' The Queen Was in the Parlour'' (1927) * ''Ghost Train'' (1927) * '' Alpine Tragedy'' (1927) * ''The Little Slave'' (1928) * '' Escape from Hell'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Seppuku
, sometimes referred to as hara-kiri (, , a native Japanese kun reading), is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. It was originally reserved for samurai in their code of honour but was also practised by other Japanese people during the Shōwa period (particularly officers near the end of World War II) to restore honour for themselves or for their families. As a samurai practice, ''seppuku'' was used voluntarily by samurai to die with honour rather than fall into the hands of their enemies (and likely be tortured), as a form of capital punishment for samurai who had committed serious offences, or performed because they had brought shame to themselves. The ceremonial disembowelment, which is usually part of a more elaborate ritual and performed in front of spectators, consists of plunging a short blade, traditionally a ''tantō'', into the belly and drawing the blade from left to right, slicing the belly open. If the cut is deep enough, it can sever the abdominal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate oceanic climate, with relatively warm summers and chilly winters. Prague is a political, cultural, and economic hub of central Europe, with a rich history and Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architectures. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Bohemia and residence of several Holy Roman Emperors, most notably Charles IV (r. 1346–1378). It was an important city to the Habsburg monarchy and Austro-Hungarian Empire. The city played major roles in the Bohemian and the Protestant Reformations, the Thirty Years' War and in 20th-century history as the capital of Czechoslovakia between the World Wars and the post-war Communist era. Prague is home to a number of well-known cultural attractions, many of which survived the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Czech Film Archive
The National Film Archive (, abb. NFA) is a film archive located in Prague, Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The .... It was established in 1943 (From 1943 to 1945 known as Filmový archiv, from 1945 to 1989 Československý filmový ústav, then from 1990 to 1992 Český filmový archiv) and in 1946 it became a member of the International Federation of Film Archives. In 1997 it became a founding member of the Association of European Film Archives and Cinematheques, ACE (Association des Cinémathèques Européenes). History In the Czech Republic, the NFA is one of the major memory institutions; in addition to performing the archival role it manages Czech films and is engaged in scientific and publishing activities, exhibition and promotion of film heritage an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nitrate Film
Nitrocellulose (also known as cellulose nitrate, flash paper, flash cotton, guncotton, pyroxylin and flash string, depending on form) is a highly flammable compound formed by nitrating cellulose through exposure to a mixture of nitric acid and sulfuric acid. One of its first major uses was as guncotton, a replacement for gunpowder as propellant in firearms. It was also used to replace gunpowder as a low-order explosive in mining and other applications. In the form of collodion it was also a critical component in an early photographic emulsion, the use of which revolutionized photography in the 1860s. Production The process uses a mixture of nitric acid and sulfuric acid to convert cellulose into nitrocellulose. The quality of the cellulose is important. Hemicellulose, lignin, pentosans, and mineral salts give inferior nitrocelluloses. In precise chemical terms, nitrocellulose is not a nitro compound, but a nitrate ester. The glucose repeat unit (anhydroglucose) within the ce ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau Foundation
The Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau Foundation (german: Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung ), based in Wiesbaden, was founded in 1966 to preserve and curate a collection of the works of Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau as well as a collection of other German films totaling to about 6,000 produced between 1890 and 1960. History The foundation is owned by the Federal Republic of Germany and was founded in 1966 out of fear that classic German cinema's original stock, and the rights to these films, would be sold off internationally. The stock was originally owned by Bertelsmann. The foundation maintains about 80% of Germany's forbidden Nazi-era films and acts as a gate keeper for public access to these films via archives and curated public screenings. As an archive and rights holder the Murnau Foundation curates Its most important endowment is the unique, cohesive movie stock, which comprises copies and material as well as rights from the former production companies UFA, Decla, Universum- ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
London Film Festival
The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival founded in 1957 and held in the United Kingdom, running for two weeks in October with co-operation from the British Film Institute. It screens more than 300 films, documentaries and shorts from approximately 50 countries. History At a dinner party in 1953 at the home of film critic Dilys Powell of ''The Sunday Times'' and at which film administrator James Quinn attended, the notion of a film festival for London was raised. Quinn went on to start the first London Film Festival which took place at the new National Film Theatre (now renamed BFI Southbank) from 16–26 October 1957. The first festival screened 15–20 films from a selection of directors to show films successful at other festivals, including Akira Kurosawa's ''Throne of Blood'' (which opened the festival), Satyajit Ray's ''Aparajito'', Andrzej Wajda's ''Kanał'', Luchino Visconti's ''White Nights'', Ingmar Bergman's ''The Seventh Seal'', Federico Fellini's '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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