Max Mack (1884–1973) was a German

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. ...

film producer A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...

and

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

during the

silent era 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, wh ...

. He is particularly known for his 1913 film ''

The Other In phenomenology, the terms the Other and the Constitutive Other identify the other human being, in their differences from the Self, as being a cumulative, constituting factor in the self-image of a person; as acknowledgement of being real; h ...

''. He directed, and co-starred in, an early film adaptation of ''Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'' in 1914, called ''Ein Seltsamer Fall'', written by

Richard Oswald Richard Oswald (5 November 1880 – 11 September 1963) was an Austrian film director, producer, screenwriter, and father of German-American film director Gerd Oswald. Early career Richard Oswald, born in Vienna as Richard W. Ornstein, began h ...

. During the 1910s, he directed nearly a hundred films in a variety of different

genres Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...

.Elsaesser & Wedel p.205 Born as Moritz Myrthenzweig in

Halberstadt Halberstadt ( Eastphalian: ''Halverstidde'') is a town in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, the capital of Harz district. Located north of the Harz mountain range, it is known for its old town center that was greatly destroyed by Allied bombi ...

, the

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

Mack was later forced to emigrate to escape

Nazism Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...

, and settled in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. His final film was the 1935

quota quickie The Cinematograph Films Act of 1927 ('' 17 & 18 Geo. V'') was an act of the United Kingdom Parliament designed to stimulate the declining British film industry. It received Royal Assent on 20 December 1927 and came into force on 1 April 1928. D ...

'' Be Careful, Mr. Smith''.

Selected filmography

Director

* ''

'' (1913) * '' The Blue Mouse'' (1913) * ''

Where Is Coletti? ''Where Is Coletti?'' (german: Wo ist Coletti?) is a 1913 German silent comedy film directed by Max Mack and starring Hans Junkermann, Madge Lessing, and Heinrich Peer. It was a major commercial hit on its release. The film's sets were designe ...

'' (1913) * ''

A World Without Men ''A World Without Men'' (''Die Welt ohne Männer'') is a 1914 silent film made in Germany just before the start of World War IJames Lyon''Serbia and the Balkan Front, 1914: The Outbreak of the Great War'' Bloomsbury (2015) - Google Books and dire ...

'' (1914) * ''Ein Seltsamer Fall'' (1914) A film adaptation of ''Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'' * '' Robert and Bertram'' (1915) * ''

The Confessions of the Green Mask ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' (1916) * '' The Maharaja's Favourite Wife'' (1921) * ''

Quarantäne ''Quarantine'' (German: ''Quarantäne'') is a 1923 German silent film directed by Max Mack and starring Rudolf Lettinger, Helena Makowska and Loni Nest.Bock & Bergfelder p.303 Cast * Rudolf Lettinger as Professor Hudson * Helena Makowska as S ...

'' (1923) * '' The Beautiful Girl'' (1923) * ''

Father Voss ''Father Voss'' (German:''Vater Voss'') is a 1925 German silent comedy film directed by Max Mack and starring Stewart Rome, Mary Odette and Lotte Stein. It was one of a number of popular comedies released by UFA alongside its more prestigiou ...

'' (1925) * '' The Uninvited Guest'' (1925) * ''

The Girl with a Patron ''The Girl with a Patron'' (german: Das Mädchen mit der Protektion) 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 ...

'' (1925) * ''

The Wooing of Eve ''The Wooing of Eve'' or ''Journey into Adventure'' (german: Die Fahrt ins Abenteuer) is a 1926 German silent film directed by Max Mack and starring Ossi Oswalda, Willy Fritsch and Agnes Esterhazy. The film's sets were designed by the art direc ...

'' (1926) * '' Fight of the Tertia'' (1929) * ''

Only on the Rhine ''Only on the Rhine'' (german: Nur am Rhein...) is a 1930 German comedy film directed by Max Mack and starring Daisy D'Ora, Igo Sym, and Truus Van Aalten.Bock & Bergfelder p. 302 The film's sets were designed by Otto Erdmann and Hans Sohnle. ...

'' (1930) * ''

A Thousand for One Night ''A Thousand for One Night'' (German: ''Tausend für eine Nacht'') is a 1933 Czech-German comedy film directed by Max Mack and starring Claire Rommer, Trude Berliner and Harald Paulsen. A separate Czech-language version was also produced. The fi ...

'' (1933) * '' Be Careful, Mr. Smith'' (1935)

Actor

* ''Japanisches Opfer'' (1910) - Der Edelmütige * ''Die Pulvermühle'' (1910) * ''Dienertreue'' (1911) * ''Ihr Jugendfreund'' (1911) * ''Madame Potiphar'' (1911) * ''Die Ballhaus-Anna'' (1911) * ''Opfer der Untreue'' (1911) * ''Gehirnreflexe'' (1911) * ''Coeur-As'' (1912) * ''Dämon Eifersucht'' (1912) - Max * ''Das Bild der Mutter'' (1912) - Max * ''Ein Kampf im Feuer'' (1912) - Egon * ''Das Ende vom Liede'' (1912) * ''Ein seltsamer Fall'' (1914) - Selbst / Himself * ''Hans und Hanni'' (1915) * ''Der Sturz des Hauses Macwell'' (1918) * '' You Belong to Me'' (1934) - Jack Mandel (final film role)

References

Bibliography

* Elsaesser, Thomas & Wedel, Michael. ''A Second Life: German Cinema's First Decades''. Amsterdam University Press, 1996. * Ragowski, Christian. ''The Many Faces of Weimar Cinema: Rediscovering Germany's Filmic Legacy''. Camden House, 2010.

External links

* 1884 births 1973 deaths Film people from Saxony-Anhalt People from Halberstadt Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United Kingdom {{Germany-film-director-stub