Terra Film was a

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

-based

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

production company. Founded in 1919, it became one of

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

's largest film production companies in the 1930s under the Nazi regime.

Corporate history

The company was founded at end of 1919, initially as a

limited liability company A limited liability company (LLC for short) is the US-specific form of a private limited company. It is a business structure that can combine the pass-through taxation of a partnership or sole proprietorship with the limited liability of a ...

and converted into a

corporation A corporation is an organization—usually a group of people or a company—authorized by the state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law "born out of statute"; a legal person in legal context) and r ...

in October 1920. On 19 July 1922, it acquired the

Marienfelde Studios The Terra Studios or Marienfelde Studios were film studios located in the Berlin suburb of Marienfelde. The studios were originally a glasshouse constructed in 1913 by the early company Eiko Film, controlled by the producer Franz Vogel who h ...

Eiko Film Eiko Film was a German film production company of the silent era. It was established in 1912 by the producer Franz Vogel Franz Vogel (1883–1956) was a German film producer.Bock & Bergfelder p.274 In 1912 he established Eiko Film which enjoyed ...

in the Marienfelde suburb of

. In 1930, the

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

Scotoni family, headed by

Eugen Scotoni Eugen Scotoni (1873–1961) was an influential Austrian-born Swiss businessman from the construction, real estate and film industries. He built the first Swiss skyscraper in Lausanne in the 1930s. In the early 1930s, he acquired control of the lar ...

, acquired Terra for 1.2 million

Reichsmark The (; sign: ℛℳ; abbreviation: RM) was the currency of Germany from 1924 until 20 June 1948 in West Germany, where it was replaced with the , and until 23 June 1948 in East Germany, where it was replaced by the East German mark. The Reich ...

s. The Marienfelde Studios were then equipped for

sound In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...

using the Tobis-Klangfilm system. Many of the forty films from the era of Ralph Scotoni were influenced by Nazi ideas, transfer was also on Swiss materials and locations (''William Tell'', 1934; ''The Knight of Pontresina'', 1934; ''Hermione and the Seven Law'', 1935). However, since the films lost money, the family sold its stake in Terra Scotoni film in 1935. In the wake of the nationalization of the film industry in July 1937, Terra-Film Art Ltd. changed its name and was now majority owned by the state-owned Cautio Treuhand GmbH. Terra now produced in the Tempelhof studios of UFA Film Art GmbH.UFA-Templehof (in German)
''Berlin film studios. A small encyclopedia'' (source title translated from German via Google). In 1942, Terra was absorbed into Ufa and retained only formal independence. From the early 1960s to the 1980s, in

West Berlin West Berlin (german: Berlin (West) or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin during the years of the Cold War. Although West Berlin was de jure not part of West Germany, lacked any sovereignty, and was under mi ...

, Terra-Film GmbH produced or co-produced more than 100 films.

Films

Terra's first film was ''The Marriage of Figaro'' (1920, directed by

Max Mack Max Mack (1884–1973) was a German screenwriter, film producer and director during the silent era. He is particularly known for his 1913 film ''The Other''. He directed, and co-starred in, an early film adaptation of ''Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'' in ...

. It was followed by films such as ''Christian Wahnschaffe'' ( Urban Gad, 1920–21), ''Bigamy'' (

Jaap Speyer Jaap Speyer (1891–1952) was a Dutch film director. He was married to the German actress Mia Pankau. Selected filmography * ''Hedda's Revenge'' (1919) * ''Entblätterte Blüten'' (1920) * ''Colombine (film), Colombine'' (1920) * ''Die rote Nach ...

, 1927) and ''Queen Luise'' ( Karl Grune, 1927/28). Terra's most active period came after the switch to the talkies and under

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 ...

. Between 1933 and 1944, Terra released 120 feature films, including propaganda films such as ''

The Riders of German East Africa '' The Riders of German East Africa'' (German: ''Die Reiter von Deutsch-Ostafrika'') is a 1934 German war film directed by Herbert Selpin and starring Sepp Rist, Ilse Stobrawa and Rudolf Klicks. It was shot at the Terra Studios in Berlin and on l ...

'' (1934), ''

Hermine and the Seven Upright Men ''Hermine and the Seven Upright Men'' (german: Hermine und die sieben Aufrechten) is a 1935 German drama film based on the novella by Gottfried Keller. Cast * Heinrich George - Zimmermeister Frymann * Karin Hardt - Hermine, seine Tochter * Pa ...

'' (1935), ''

Comrades at Sea ''Comrades at Sea'' (german: Kameraden auf See) is a 1938 German war film directed by Heinz Paul and starring Theodor Loos, Ingeborg Hertel and Julius Brandt. The film is set during the Spanish Civil War, which it portrays as a Communist uprising ...

'' (1938), '' Jud Süß'' (1940), and ''

Front Theatre ''Front Theatre'' (German: ''Fronttheater'') is a 1942 German drama film directed by Arthur Maria Rabenalt and starring Heli Finkenzeller, René Deltgen and Lothar Firmans. It was made at the Babelsberg Studios in Berlin and the Cinetone Studio ...

'' (1942), but also a successful entertainment films like ''

Circus Renz Circus Renz was a German circus company. It was established in 1842 in Berlin by Ernst Jakob Renz (1815–1892) as ''Circus Olympic'' and existed until 1897. The company had several stationary buildings in Berlin, Hamburg, Bremen, Breslau and Vi ...

'' (1943) and ''

Die Feuerzangenbowle ''Die Feuerzangenbowle'' (''The Fire Tongs Bowl'', ''The Punch Bowl'') is a German novel, later adapted into several films, which tells the story of a famous writer going undercover as a pupil at a small town gymnasium after his friends tell him ...

'' (1944).

Directors and producers

Terra's directors were

Boleslaw Barlog Boleslaw Stanislaus Barlog (28 March 1906 – 17 March 1999) was a German stage, film, and opera director primarily known for his work in reviving the theatrical life of Berlin after World War II. From 1951 until 1972 he served as the Intendant of ...

Géza von Bolváry Géza von Bolváry (born Géza Gyula Mária Bolváry Zahn, german: Géza Maria von Bolváry-Zahn; 26 December 1897 – 10 August 1961) was a Hungarians, Hungarian actor, screenwriter, and film director, who worked principally in Germany and Aust ...

Peter Paul Brauer Peter Paul Brauer (16 May 1899, in Elberfeld – 28 April 1959, in Berlin) was a German film producer and film director. In 1928, he became involved in film production in the Netherlands. That same year he returned to Germany and, over several ye ...

, Erich Engels, Kurt Hoffmann, Helmut Käutner, Wolfgang Liebeneiner,

Roger von Norman Roger von Norman (1908 2000) was a Hungarian-born German film editor and director.Richards p.375 Selected filmography Editor * ''Wrong Number, Miss'' (1932) * ''Manolescu, Prince of Thieves'' (1933) * '' The Tsarevich'' (1933) * '' The Page fro ...

, Rudolf van der Noss,

Heinz Paul Heinz Paul (13 August 1893 – 14 March 1983) was a German screenwriter, film producer and film director, director. He was married to the actress Hella Moja. Selected filmography Director * ''The Street of Forgetting'' (1923) * ''The Dice Game of ...

Arthur Maria Rabenalt Arthur Maria Rabenalt (25 June 1905 – 26 February 1993) was an Austrian film director, writer, and author. He directed more than 90 films between 1934 and 1978. His 1958 film ''That Won't Keep a Sailor Down'' was entered into the 1st Moscow I ...

, Günther Rittau,

Heinz Rühmann Heinrich Wilhelm "Heinz" Rühmann (; 7 March 1902 – 3 October 1994) was a German film actor who appeared in over 100 films between 1926 and 1993. He is one of the most famous and popular German actors of the 20th century, and is considered a Ge ...

, Herbert Selpin, Hans Steinhoff and

Helmut Weiss Helmut Weiss (January 25, 1907 – January 13, 1969) was a German actor, screenwriter, and film director. He was notable for directing '' Tell the Truth'' the first film produced in what was to become the future West Germany after the Second World ...

. A number of producers at Terra had their own production units; these included Helmut Beck (''Mosel trip with Monika''),

Gustaf Gründgens Gustaf Gründgens (; 22 December 1899 – 7 October 1963), born Gustav Heinrich Arnold Gründgens, was one of Germany's most famous and influential actors of the 20th century, and artistic director of theatres in Berlin, Düsseldorf, and Hamburg ...

('' Friedemann Bach''),

Edward Kubat Edward is an English language, English given name. It is derived from the Old English, Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements ''wikt:ead#Old English, ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and ''wikt:weard#Old English, weard'' "gua ...

(''

Doctor Crippen Hawley Harvey Crippen (September 11, 1862 – November 23, 1910), usually known as Dr. Crippen, was an American homeopath, ear and eye specialist and medicine dispenser. He was hanged in Pentonville Prison in London for the murder of his wife Co ...

'', ''The golden spider''),

Otto Lehmann Otto Lehmann may refer to: * Otto Lehmann (physicist) (1855–1922), German physicist * Otto Lehmann (movie producer) Otto Lehmann (22 January 1889 in Berlin – 28 April 1968 in Munich ) was a German movie producer. Career Lehmann studied to ...

('' Jud Süß'', ''Front Theatre''),

(''The Florentine hat'', ''

Quax the Crash Pilot ''Quax the Crash Pilot'' (german: Quax, der Bruchpilot) is a 1941 German comedy film directed by Kurt Hoffmann and starring Heinz Rühmann, Karin Himboldt and Lothar Firmans. It is also sometimes translated as ''Quax the Test Pilot''.Chapman p. 19 ...

'', ''

Quax in Africa ''Quax in Africa'' (german: Quax in Afrika) is a German comedy adventure film produced from 1943–1944 and released in 1947, directed by Helmut Weiss and starring Heinz Rühmann, Hertha Feiler, and Lothar Firmans. It is a sequel to the 1941 fi ...

'', ''

''), Viktor von Struve (''Opera Ball'', ''Roses in Tyrol'', '' Andreas Schlüter'', ''The Bat''), EC Techow (''Rembrandt''),

Hans Tost Hans Tost (1907–1958) was a German film producer and occasional actor.Nicolella p.98 He headed his own production unit at Terra Film during the Nazi era. He was the younger brother of Walter Tost, also a film producer. Selected filmography Actor ...

(''What, you know still don't know Korff?'', ''we make music'', ''Great Freedom No. 7'') and Walter Tost (''In the name of the people'', ''Blood Brothers'', ''Circus Renz'').

Sources

* *Hervé Dumont. history of Swiss film. Lausanne 1987

References

{{Authority control Film production companies of Germany Mass media companies established in 1919 Weimar culture State-owned film companies Germany articles needing attention Mass media in Berlin German companies established in 1919