Otto Hunte (9 January 1881 – 28 December 1960) was a German

production designer In film and television, the production designer is the individual responsible for the overall aesthetic of the story. The production design gives the viewers a sense of the time period, the plot location, and character actions and feelings. Wo ...

, art director and

set decorator The set decorator is the head of the set decoration department in the film and television industry, responsible for selecting, designing, fabricating, and sourcing the " set dressing" elements of each set in a Feature Film, Television, or New Media ...

. Hunte is considered one of the most important artists in the history of early German cinema, mainly for his set designs on the early silent movies of

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. 6 ...

. His early career was defined by a working relationship with fellow designers Karl Vollbrecht and

Erich Kettelhut Erich Karl Heinrich Kettelhut (1 November 1893 – 13 March 1979) was a German production designer, art director and set decorator. Kettelhut is considered one of the most important artists in the history of early German cinema, mainly for his s ...

. Hunte's architectural designs are found in many of the most important films of the period including '' Dr. Mabuse the Gambler'', ''

Die Nibelungen ''Die Nibelungen'' ("The Nibelungs") is a two-part series of silent fantasy films created by Austrian director Fritz Lang in 1924, consisting of ''Die Nibelungen: Siegfried'' and ''Die Nibelungen: Kriemhild's Revenge''. The scenarios for bo ...

'' (1924), ''

Metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big ci ...

'' (1927) and '' Der blaue Engel''. Hunte subsequently worked as one of the leading set designers during the Nazi era. After

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 opposing ...

, he was employed by the East German

DEFA DEFA (''Deutsche Film-Aktiengesellschaft'') was the state-owned film studio of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) throughout the country's existence. Since 2019, DEFA's film heritage has been made accessible and licensable on the PRO ...

studios.

Selected filmography

* ''

The Mistress of the World ''The Mistress of the World'' (german: Die Herrin der Welt) is an eight-part 1919 silent film made in the Weimar Republic starring Mia May in the lead role. The film, under the creative control of director Joe May, is noted for bringing togeth ...

'' (1919) * '' The Spiders'' (1919) * ''

The Wandering Image ''The Wandering Image'' (German: ''Das wandernde Bild'') is a 1920 German silent drama film directed by Fritz Lang and starring Mia May, Hans Marr and Rudolf Klein-Rogge. It is also known by the alternative titles of ''The Wandering Picture' ...

'' (1920) * ''

The Women of Gnadenstein ''The Women of Gnadenstein'' (german: Frauen vom Gnadenstein) is a 1921 German silent drama film directed by Robert Dinesen and Joe May and starring Erich Kaiser-Titz, Margarete Schön and Grete Diercks. The film was produced in 1920, but was n ...

'' (1921) * ''

The Passion of Inge Krafft ''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 ...

'' (1921) * '' The Indian Tomb'' (1921) * '' Dr. Mabuse the Gambler'' (1922) * ''

'' (1924) * ''

'' (1926) * '' The Love of Jeanne Ney'' (1927) * ''

Spione ''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 sam ...

'' (1928) * ''

Woman in the Moon ''Woman in the Moon'' ( German ''Frau im Mond'') is a German science fiction silent film that premiered 15 October 1929 at the UFA-Palast am Zoo cinema in Berlin to an audience of 2,000. It is often considered to be one of the first "serious" ...

'' (1929) * ''

The Blue Angel ''The Blue Angel'' (german: Der blaue Engel) is a 1930 German musical comedy-drama film directed by Josef von Sternberg, and starring Marlene Dietrich, Emil Jannings and Kurt Gerron. Written by Carl Zuckmayer, Karl Vollmöller and Rober ...

'' (1930) * '' The Three from the Filling Station'' (1930) * '' Hooray, It's a Boy!'' (1931) * '' The Typist'' (1931) * '' The Private Secretary'' (1931) * '' That's All That Matters'' (1931) * ''

I by Day, You by Night ''I by Day, You by Night'' (german: Ich bei Tag und du bei Nacht) is a 1932 German musical comedy film directed by Ludwig Berger and starring Käthe von Nagy and Willy Fritsch. It was shot at the Babelsberg Studios and on location at the Sansso ...

'' (1932) * '' Modern Dowry'' (1932) * '' Under False Flag'' (1932) * '' A Door Opens'' (1933) * '' The Country Schoolmaster'' (1933) * '' The Star of Valencia'' (1933) * ''

Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

'' (1934) * '' Love, Death and the Devil'' (1934) * '' The English Marriage'' (1934) * ''

Make Me Happy ''Make Me Happy'' (german: Mach' mich glücklich) is a 1935 German musical comedy film directed by Arthur Robison and starring Julia Serda, Albert Lieven and Richard Romanowsky.Kreimeier p. 234 It was made by Germany's largest film company UFA. A ...

'' (1935) * '' The Devil in the Bottle'' (1935) *''

The Green Domino ''The Green Domino'' (french: Le Domino vert) is a 1935 French/German drama film directed by Henri Decoin and Herbert Selpin, based on play by Erich Ebermayer. It tells the story of a rich heiress who falls in love with an art critic after his w ...

'' (1935) * ''

City of Anatol ''City of Anatol'' (german: Stadt Anatol) is a 1936 German drama film directed by Viktor Tourjansky and starring Gustav Fröhlich, Brigitte Horney and Fritz Kampers. It is based on a 1932 novel '' City of Anatol'' by Bernhard Kellermann. The fi ...

'' (1936) * ''

Donogoo Tonka ''Donogoo Tonka'' is a 1936 German comedy film directed by Reinhold Schünzel and starring Anny Ondra, Viktor Staal and Will Dohm.Kreimeier p. 284 It is based on a play of the same name by Jules Romains. A separate French-language version '' Do ...

'' (1936 *'' The Chief Witness'' (1937) * ''

Wells in Flames ''Wells in Flames'' (French: ''Puits en flammes'') is a 1937 German adventure film directed by Viktor Tourjansky and starring Josseline Gaël, George Rigaud and Suzy Vernon.Rentschler p.289 It is the French-language version of '' City of Ana ...

'' (1937) * ''

The Man Who Was Sherlock Holmes ''The Man Who Was Sherlock Holmes'' (German: ''Der Mann, der Sherlock Holmes war'') is a 1937 German mystery comedy film directed by Karl Hartl and starring Hans Albers, Heinz Rühmann and Marieluise Claudius. The film's sets were designed b ...

'' (1937) * '' The Strange Monsieur Victor'' (1938) * ''

Jud Süß (, "Süss the Jew") is a 1940 Nazi German historical drama and propaganda film produced by Terra Film at the behest of Joseph Goebbels. It is considered one of the most antisemitic films of all time. The film was directed by Veit Harlan, who ...

'' (1940) * '' Riding for Germany'' (1941) * ''

Attack on Baku ''Attack on Baku'' (german: Anschlag auf Baku) is a 1942 German thriller film directed by Fritz Kirchhoff and starring Willy Fritsch, René Deltgen, and Fritz Kampers. The film was intended as anti-British propaganda during the Second World ...

'' (1941) * ''Altes Herz wird wieder jung'' (1942) * ''

Murderers Among Us ''Die Mörder sind unter uns'', a German film known in English as ''Murderers Among Us'' in the United States or ''The Murderers Are Among Us'' in the United Kingdom was one of the first post-World War II German films and the first ''Trümmerfilm ...

'' (1946) * ''

Raid Raid, RAID or Raids may refer to: Attack * Raid (military), a sudden attack behind the enemy's lines without the intention of holding ground * Corporate raid, a type of hostile takeover in business * Panty raid, a prankish raid by male college ...

'' (1947) * '' An Everyday Story'' (1948)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hunte, Otto 1881 births 1960 deaths German production designers German art directors German set decorators Film people from Hamburg