Karl May film adaptations are films based on stories and characters by German author

Karl May Karl Friedrich May ( , ; 25 February 1842 – 30 March 1912) was a German author. He is best known for his 19th century novels of fictitious travels and adventures, set in the American Old West with Winnetou and Old Shatterhand as main pro ...

(1842–1912). The characters

Old Shatterhand Old Shatterhand is a fictional character in Western novels by German writer Karl May (1842–1912). He is the German friend and blood brother of Winnetou, the fictional chief of the Mescalero tribe of the Apache. He is the main character i ...

Winnetou Winnetou is a fictional Native American hero of several novels written in German by Karl May (1842–1912), one of the best-selling German writers of all time with about 200 million copies worldwide, including the ''Winnetou'' trilogy. The cha ...

, and

Kara Ben Nemsi Kara Ben Nemsi is a fictional main character from the works of Karl May, best-selling 19th century German author. An alter ego of May, the stories about Nemsi are written as first-person narratives. He travels across North Africa, Sudan, and the O ...

are very famous in

Central Europe Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the area' ...

. In most of the film versions the novels were reworked to a great extent, some movies using only the names of characters invented by Karl May. For example, in the book ''Der Schatz im Silbersee'' (''The Treasure of Silver Lake'') the main character was called "Old Firehand" – in the movie he was renamed "Old Shatterhand" (played by American actor

Lex Barker Alexander Crichlow Barker Jr. (May 8, 1919 – May 11, 1973), known as Lex Barker, was an American actor. He was known for playing Tarzan for RKO Pictures between 1949 and 1953, and portraying leading characters from Karl May's novels, notably as ...

) after the more famous character. The movies ''

'' (''Apaches' Last Battle'') and ''

Winnetou and Old Firehand ''Winnetou and Old Firehand'' (german: Winnetou und sein Freund Old Firehand) is a 1966 western film directed by Alfred Vohrer and starring Pierre Brice, Rod Cameron, and Marie Versini. It was made as a co-production between West Germany and Y ...

'' (''Thunder at the Border'') are not based on any of May's works, but were completely invented by the

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

s. Several TV productions, such as ''Das Buschgespenst'' and ''

Kara Ben Nemsi Effendi ''Kara Ben Nemsi Effendi'' is a German television series broadcast from 1973 through 1975 in 26 parts and two seasons. It featured an adventurer probably inspired by British explorers Richard Francis Burton (1821–1890) and T. E. Lawrence. The scr ...

'', were much closer to the novels. In foreign distribution, most of the movie titles were not translated directly into the target language, but new movie titles were made up. For American distribution the makers of the movie posters also ''invented'' some new color formats such as ''Flaming Arrow Color'' for the movie '' Der Schatz im Silbersee'

and ''Apache Color'

for '' Apache Gold, Winnetou 1. Teil'' (called ''Apache Gold'' in America). The

silent movies A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

of the 1920s are now probably

lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

. For 10 movies in the 1960s, German composer

Martin Böttcher Martin Böttcher (17 June 1927 – 20 April 2019) was a German composer, arranger and conductor. The beginning Böttcher (on foreign records and articles often written "Bottcher" or "Boettcher", the latter being the correct transliteration of th ...

wrote landmark

film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...

s, whose success also helped the movies' international success and influenced the Italian movie industry to make

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

movies of their own and create a whole new genre, the

Spaghetti Western The Spaghetti Western is a broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe. It emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's film-making style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most o ...

(whose most successful composer

Ennio Morricone Ennio Morricone (; 10 November 19286 July 2020) was an Italian composer, orchestrator, conductor, and trumpeter who wrote music in a wide range of styles. With more than 400 scores for cinema and television, as well as more than 100 classica ...

came to fame just after Martin Böttcher).

Michael Herbig Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...

's 2001 film ''

Der Schuh des Manitu ''Der Schuh des Manitu'' (eng.: ''The Shoe of Manitou'') is a 2001 German Western parody film. Directed by Michael Herbig, it is a film adaptation of the Winnetou sketches from his ProSieben television show ''Bullyparade''. With earnings of abou ...

'' satirized the Karl May films of the 1960s to great commercial success in Germany.

Theatrical films

* '' Auf den Trümmern des Paradieses'' (–) (''On the Brink of Paradise'') (1920), dir.: Josef Stein (

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

) * ''

Die Todeskarawane ''Caravan of Death'' (german: Die Todeskarawane) is a 1920 silent German film directed by Josef Stein and featuring Carl de Vogt as Kara Ben Nemsi. The film was an adaptation of the latter half of the Karl May novel ''From Baghdad to Stamboul'' ...

'' (''Caravan of Death'') (1920), dir.: Josef Stein (silent) * ''

Die Teufelsanbeter ''The Devil Worshippers'' (german: Die Teufelsanbeter) is a six-chapter 1921 silent German film written by Marie Luise Droop, directed by Muhsin Ertuğrul and featuring Carl de Vogt in the title-role of Kara Ben Nemsi. De Vogt's career as an ac ...

'' (''The Devil Worshippers'', informal) (1920), dir.: Ertugrul Moussin-Bey (silent) * ''

Durch die Wüste ''Durch die Wüste'' is the first full-length solo album by German keyboardist Hans-Joachim Roedelius, best known for his work with Cluster, Harmonia, and Aquarello. The title is German for "Through the Desert." The music on ''Durch Die Wüste ...

'' (''Across the Desert'') (1936), dir.: Johannes Alexander Hübler-Kahla (first sound film) * ' (–) (1958), dir.:

Georg Marischka Georg Marischka (born 29 June 1922 in Vienna; died 9 August 1999 in Munich) was an Austrian actor, screen writer, director and film producer for cinema and television. Life George Marischka was born into the world of film because his father w ...

/ Ramón Torrado (first color film) * ' (–) (1959), dir.: Johannes Kai (= Hanns Wiedmann) / Ramón Torrado * '' Der Schatz im Silbersee'' (''Treasure of the Silver Lake'') (1962), dir.: Dr. Harald Reinl * '' Apache Gold, Winnetou 1. Teil'' (''Apache Gold'') (1963), dir.: Dr. Harald Reinl * ''

'' (''Apaches' Last Battle'') (1964), dir.:

Hugo Fregonese Hugo Geronimo Fregonese (April 8, 1908 in Mendoza – January 11, 1987 in Tigre) was an Argentine film director and screenwriter who worked both in Hollywood and his home country.''Cine Nacional''Hugo Fregonese filmographyCinenacional.com ...

* ' (''Yellow Devil'' a.k.a. ''The Shoot'') (1964), dir.:

Robert Siodmak Robert Siodmak (; 8 August 1900 – 10 March 1973) was a German film director who also worked in the United States. He is best remembered as a thriller specialist and for a series of films noirs he made in the 1940s, such as ''The Killers'' (19 ...

* '' Winnetou – 2. Teil'' (''Last of the Renegades'') (1964), dir.: Dr. Harald Reinl * '' Unter Geiern'' (''Frontier Hellcat'' a.k.a. ''Among Vultures'') (1964), dir.:

Alfred Vohrer Alfred Vohrer (29 December 1914 – 3 February 1986) was a German film director and actor. He directed 48 films between 1958 and 1984. His 1969 film ''Seven Days Grace'' was entered into the 6th Moscow International Film Festival. His 1972 ...

* ''

Der Schatz der Azteken ''The Treasure of the Aztecs'' (German: ''Der Schatz der Azteken'') is a 1965 western adventure film directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Lex Barker, Gérard Barray and Michèle Girardon. It was made as a co-production between France, Italy a ...

'' (''The Treasure of the Aztecs'') (1965), dir.: Robert Siodmak * '' Die Pyramide des Sonnengottes'' (''Pyramid of the Sun God'') (1965), dir.: Robert Siodmak * '' Der Ölprinz'' (''Rampage at Apache Wells'') (1965), dir.:

Harald Philipp Harald Philipp (1921–1999) was a German film director, screenwriter and actor. Selected filmography * ''The Old Forester House'' (1956) * ''The Csardas King'' (1958) * ''A Thousand Stars Aglitter'' (1959) * ' (1960) * ''Brandenburg Division'' ...

* ' (''Wild Kurdistan'' a.k.a. ''The Wild Men of Kurdistan'') (1965), dir.: Franz Joseph Gottlieb * '' Winnetou – 3. Teil'' (''The Desperado Trail'') (1965), dir.: Dr. Harald Reinl * '' Old Surehand 1. Teil'' (''Flaming Frontier'') (1965), dir.: Alfred Vohrer * ' (''Kingdom of the Silver Lion'' a.k.a. ''Fury of the Sabers'') (1965), dir.: Franz Joseph Gottlieb * '' Das Vermächtnis des Inka'' (''Legacy of the Incas'') (1965), dir.: Georg Marischka * '' Winnetou und das Halbblut Apanatschi'' (''Winnetou and the Crossbreed'') (1966), dir.: Harald Philipp * '' Winnetou und sein Freund Old Firehand'' (''Winnetou and Old Firehand'' a.k.a. ''Thunder at the Border'') (1966), dir: Alfred Vohrer * '' Winnetou und Shatterhand im Tal der Toten'' (''The Valley of Death'') (1968), dir.: Dr. Harald Reinl * ''

(The Shoe of the Manitou)'' (2001), dir.:

* ''

Bullyparade – Der Film ''Bullyparade: The Movie'' (german: Bullyparade – Der Film) is a 2017 German parody movie. Directed by Michael Herbig, it is a film adaptation of his ProSieben television show ''Bullyparade'' and features parodies of popular films and televisio ...

(Bullyparade – The Movie)'' (2017), dir.: Michael Herbig

Television

* ''

Mit Karl May im Orient ''Mit Karl May im Orient'' (English: With Karl May in the Orient) is the title of a six-part television series based on the Orient cycle of adventure novels by Karl May. Background The show was originally broadcast in 1963 by the German broadcast ...

'' – 1963, 6 episodes * ''

'' – 1973/75, 26 episodes * ''

Mein Freund Winnetou ''Mein Freund Winnetou'' is a 1980 German television miniseries, starring Pierre Brice in the titular role and directed by Marcel Camus. A Western, it is part of an extended series of films and television series in which Brice played the fictio ...

'' (''My Friend Winnetou'' – French: ''Winnetou le Mescalero'') – 1980, 14 episodes * ' – 1986, 2 episodes * ' – 1988, 2 episodes * ' – 1998, 2 episodes * ''

WinneToons ' WinneToons ' is a 26-part German cartoon series that is loosely based on characters from the novel Winnetou 1st part by Karl May. The first episode ran on March 30, 2002, on ARD. Then the episodes were repeated on the KiKA. The pilot was rele ...

'' (German animated series) – 26 episodes * '' Winnetou – Der Mythos lebt'' – 2016, 3 episodes

Discography

* "Wilder Westen – Heißer Orient" – Karl-May-Filmmusik 1936–1968 : Bear Family Records BCD 16413 HL – 8 CDs with 192-page movie-book * "Winnetou Melodie – Martin Böttcher dirigiert seine großen Karl-May-Erfolge" (1971/1991) : Convoy (East West Records, Time Warner, distributed by Karussel Musik and Video GmbH, 849 824-2)

Literature

* Michael Petzel: ''Karl May Filmbuch'', Karl-May-Verlag,

Bamberg Bamberg (, , ; East Franconian: ''Bambärch'') is a town in Upper Franconia, Germany, on the river Regnitz close to its confluence with the river Main. The town dates back to the 9th century, when its name was derived from the nearby ' castle. C ...

, {{ISBN, 3-7802-0153-4

References

External links

Mondo-Esoterica.net
– reviews (in English) of the 1960s Karl May films and their DVD releases
Rialto Film
The website of Rialto Film, who produced many of the Karl May films German film series