Josef Wirsching (22 March 1903 – 11 June 1967) sometimes credited as Joseph Wirsching, was a
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
cinematographer, who became a pioneer in
cinematography
Cinematography (from ancient Greek κίνημα, ''kìnema'' "movement" and γράφειν, ''gràphein'' "to write") is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography.
Cinematographers use a lens to focu ...
in India and who contributed to the heritage of
Cinema of India
The Cinema of India consists of motion pictures produced in India, which had a large effect on world cinema since the late 20th century. Major centers of film production across the country include Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Ko ...
and still photography in its improvement into a scientific art of expression. His association with
Indian cinema
The Cinema of India consists of motion pictures produced in India, which had a large effect on world cinema since the late 20th century. Major centers of film production across the country include Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Ko ...
started in 1925, when he worked with another German,
Franz Osten
Franz Osten (23 December 1876 in Munich – 2 December 1956) was a Bavaria, Bavarian filmmaker who along with Himansu Rai was among the first retainers of Bombay Talkies. Osten partnered with Rai on a number of India's earliest blockbuster film ...
, in the Indo-European collaboration, ''
The Light of Asia
''The Light of Asia'', or ''The Great Renunciation'' (''Mahâbhinishkramana''), is a book by Sir Edwin Arnold. The first edition of the book was published in London in July 1879.
In the form of a narrative poem, the book endeavours to describ ...
''. Thereafter he settled in India, went on to work in over 20 films with
Bombay Talkies
Bombay Talkies was a movie studio founded in 1934. During its period of operation, Bombay Talkies produced 40 movies in Malad, a suburb of the Indian city of Bombay.
The studio was established in 1934 by Himanshu Rai and Devika Rani. After Ra ...
and subsequently with
Kamal Amrohi
Syed Amir Haider Kamal Naqvi (17 January 1918 – 11 February 1993), popularly known as Kamal Amrohi, was an Indian film director and screenwriter. He was also an Urdu and Hindi poet.
His Hindi films include '' Mahal'' (1949), ''Pakeezah'' (19 ...
in ''
Mahal'' (1949), ''
Dil Apna Aur Preet Parayi
''Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai'' () is a 1960 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film, produced by S. A. Bagar. It was written and directed by Kishore Sahu. The film stars Raaj Kumar, Meena Kumari and Nadira as leads. The film tells the story of a ...
'' (1960) and his masterpiece ''
Pakeezah
''Pakeezah'' (; ) is a 1972 Indian Hindustani-language musical romantic drama film that was written, directed, and produced by Kamal Amrohi. The film stars Ashok Kumar, Meena Kumari, and Raaj Kumar. It tells the story of Sahibjaan, a Lucknow ...
'' (1972), though he died while it was still under production.
Early life and education
Born in Munich, Germany, where he also did his schooling. After his schooling he joined ‘Blau Weiβ Films’ in Munich as an apprentice photographer; he studied photography theory in the state run ‘Gewerbeschule’ in Munich.
Personal life
He married Charlotte Mϋllberger in Germany on 28 January 1929. Their only son, Wolfgang Peter Wirsching was born in Bombay, India in 1939.
He died in Bombay on 11 June 1967, after a massive cardiac arrest. His photographic collection is now maintained by grandson Georg Wirsching.
[
]
Career
In 1923, he joined ‘Emelka Film Studios’ (present day ‘Bavaria Film
Bavaria Film is a German film production and film distribution, distribution company. It is one of Europe's largest film production companies, with some 30 subsidiaries.
History
The studios were founded in 1919, when Munich-raised film produc ...
s’) as an assistant cameraman cum laboratory assistant and was later promoted to Film Cameraman in a short span of time and was involved as an assistant/cameraman for the following films:
* ''Prem Sanyas
''Prem Sanyas'' (''The Light of Asia'') (''Die Leuchte Asiens'' in German) is a 1925 silent film, directed by Franz Osten and Himansu Rai. It was adapted from the book, '' The Light of Asia'' (1879) in verse, by Edwin Arnold, based on the lif ...
'' (''The Light of Asia'', 1925)
* ''Das Grabmal einer groβen Liebe'' (1926)
* ''Our Emden
''Our Emden'' (German: ''Unsere Emden'') is a 1926 German silent war film directed by Louis Ralph.Reynaud p.110 It depicts the operations of the German First World War cruiser SMS ''Emden''. In 1932 Ralph remade the story as a sound film '' Cru ...
'' (1926)
* ''Little Inge and Her Three Fathers
''Little Inge and Her Three Fathers'' (German: ''Die kleine Inge und ihre drei Väter'') is a 1926 German silent comedy film directed by Franz Osten and starring Dorothea Wieck, Oscar Marion and Harry Hardt. It was made at the Emelka Studios in ...
'' (1926)
* ''My Heidelberg, I Can Not Forget You
''My Heidelberg, I Can Not Forget You'' (German: ''Mein Heidelberg, ich kann Dich nicht vergessen'') is a 1927 German silent filmBock & Bergfelder p.530 directed by James Bauer and starring Dorothea Wieck, and Hans Adalbert Schlettow.
It was sho ...
'' (1927)
* ''Travelogue of overland trip from Mϋnich to Benares'' (1927/28)
* ''Travelogue of overland trip from Calcutta to Rangoon'' (1928)
* '' Waterloo'' (1928)
* ''Spuren im Schnee'' (1928)
* ''Cruiser Emden
''Cruiser Emden'' (german: Kreuzer Emden) is a 1932 German war film directed by Louis Ralph and starring Ralph, Renée Stobrawa, Hans Schlenck, and Werner Fuetterer. It was shot at the Emelka Studios in Munich. It is a remake of a 1926 silent f ...
'' (1932)
* ''Stoβtrupp 1917'' (1933/34)
* ''Im Lande des Silbernen Löwen'' (1933)
* ''The Love Hotel
''The Love Hotel'' (german: Das verliebte Hotel) is a 1933 German comedy film directed by Carl Lamac and starring Anny Ondra, Mathias Wieman and Peter Voß.Bock & Bergfelder p. 348 It was shot at the Bavaria Studios in Munich. The film's sets we ...
'' (1933)
Bombay Talkies
After ''Emelka'' he joined ''Bombay Talkies
Bombay Talkies was a movie studio founded in 1934. During its period of operation, Bombay Talkies produced 40 movies in Malad, a suburb of the Indian city of Bombay.
The studio was established in 1934 by Himanshu Rai and Devika Rani. After Ra ...
'' in Bombay, India, as a director of Photography in 1935.
Bombay Talkies productions (before
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
)
* '' Jawani Ki Hawa'' (1935)
* ''Level Crossing'' (1936)
* ''Mother-Always Tell Your Wife'' (1936)
* '' Achut Kanya'' (1936)
* '' Janmabhoomi''. (1936)
* ''Jeevan Naiya
''Jeevan Naiya'' is a 1936 Hindi film directed by Franz Osten, and produced by Himanshu Rai for his studio Bombay Talkies. It is famous for being the screen debut early superstar Ashok Kumar. The film is about the ostracism of dancing girls. Th ...
'' (1936)
* ''Izzat'' (1937)
* ''Prem Kahani'' (1937)
* ''Miyan Biwi'' (1937)
* ''Savitri'' (1937)
* ''Jeevan Prabhat
''Jeevan Prabhat'' (Dawn Of Life) is a 1937 Hindi film social drama, produced by Bombay Talkies and directed by Franz Osten. The music director was Saraswati Devi with lyrics and dialogues by J. S. Casshyap. The screenplay was by Niranjan Pa ...
'' (1937)
* ''Nirmala'' (1938)
* ''Vachan
''Vachan'' (Hindi: वचन English: Word) is a 1955 Indian Bollywood film directed by Raj Rishi and produced by Devendra Goel. The film stars Geeta Bali and Rajendra Kumar in lead roles.
The film marked the debut of composer Ravi. It was also ...
'' (1938)
* ''Mamta/Bhabi'' (1938)
* '' Nav Jeevan'' (1939)
* ''Kangan'' (1939)
* ''Durga'' (1939)
As he was a German national living in the British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
, In 1939 he was interned for the period of World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
in an internment camp for foreign nationals, firstly in Ahmednagar
Ahmednagar (), is a city located in the Ahmednagar district in the state of Maharashtra, India, about 120 km northeast of Pune and 114 km from Aurangabad. Ahmednagar takes its name from Ahmad Nizam Shah I, who founded the town in 1494 ...
, then Dehradun
Dehradun () is the capital and the most populous city of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and is governed by the Dehradun Municipal Corporation, with the Uttarakhand Legislative As ...
and finally Satara. He was ultimately released from internment in 1947 after which he returned to ‘Bombay Talkies’ which by now had changed ownership.[
]
Bombay Talkies productions (after
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
)
* ''Ziddi ''Ziddi'' may refer to:
* ''Ziddi'' (1948 film), a Hindi film
* ''Ziddi'' (1964 film), a film by Pramod Chakravorty
* ''Ziddi'' (1973 film), a Pakistani film in Punjabi language
* ''Ziddi'' (1997 film), an Indian action film starring Sunny Deol and ...
'' (1948)
* '' Mahal'' (1949)
* '' Sangram'' (1950)
* '' Maa'' (1952)
* ''Samsheer'' (1953)
* ''Baadbaan'' (1954) .
AMA Limited
Before ‘Bombay Talkies’ closed down in 1954; he joined ‘AMA Limited’ in their documentary & ad-film division in 1954, where he photographed, co-photographed and partially directed a few of their productions in both color and black n white:
;Black and white
* Young Farmers Club
* River Valley Projects, (Documentary on the Bakra Nangal Dam)
* Fishing for Food
* Malaria Control
* One Thousand hands
* How to grow more Paddy pest control
* Education for Life
* First Furrow
* The Mould Board Plough
* Practical seed drills
* The Row cultivator
* Time is Money
* Improved Seed
* Our Indian Earth
* Care of the Eyes
* Kora Kendra
* How to have a healthy home (Northern region)
* How to have a healthy home (Southern region)
* How to have a healthy home (Eastern region)
* Village Black Smith-ing
* Village Carpentry
* Black Smith-ing in small towns
* Rehabilitation in Polio Mellitus
;Color
* Fertilizer Applications
* Fertilizer for Abundance
* Life of the soil
* The Story of Trombay (A Documentary on the TATA Thermal power project in Trombay)
Mahal Pictures
After his stint in ''Bombay Talkies
Bombay Talkies was a movie studio founded in 1934. During its period of operation, Bombay Talkies produced 40 movies in Malad, a suburb of the Indian city of Bombay.
The studio was established in 1934 by Himanshu Rai and Devika Rani. After Ra ...
'' he joined Kamal Amrohi
Syed Amir Haider Kamal Naqvi (17 January 1918 – 11 February 1993), popularly known as Kamal Amrohi, was an Indian film director and screenwriter. He was also an Urdu and Hindi poet.
His Hindi films include '' Mahal'' (1949), ''Pakeezah'' (19 ...
's ''Mahal Pictures'' as director of Photography in 1959 and did two films namely ''Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai
''Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai'' () is a 1960 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film, produced by S. A. Bagar. It was written and directed by Kishore Sahu. The film stars Raaj Kumar, Meena Kumari and Nadira (actress), Nadira as leads. The film te ...
'' (1960)
and ''Pakeezah
''Pakeezah'' (; ) is a 1972 Indian Hindustani-language musical romantic drama film that was written, directed, and produced by Kamal Amrohi. The film stars Ashok Kumar, Meena Kumari, and Raaj Kumar. It tells the story of Sahibjaan, a Lucknow ...
'' (1972), his only colour film. This film was completed in part after his demise in 1967 and was released in 1972. The remaining scenes which were shot after his demise are clearly noticeable. The famous Paan gali scene is credited to him. He even shows up on screen as a large bearded man in the crowd in the film.
References
External links
Wirsching Foundation, Photographic Collection
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wirsching, Josef
German cinematographers
Hindi film cinematographers
1903 births
1967 deaths
German emigrants to India
Film people from Munich