Georg Wilhelm Pabst (25 August 1885 – 29 May 1967) was an Austrian film director and screenwriter. He started as an actor and theater director, before becoming one of the most influential German-language filmmakers during the

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic (german: link=no, Weimarer Republik ), officially named the German Reich, was the government of Germany from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a Constitutional republic, constitutional federal republic for the first time in ...

Early years

Pabst was born in Raudnitz,

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

(today's

Roudnice nad Labem Roudnice nad Labem (; ) is a town in Litoměřice District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 13,000 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zone. A steel road b ...

, Czech Republic), the son of a railroad official. While growing up in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, he studied drama at the Academy of Decorative Arts and initially began his career as a stage actor in Switzerland, Austria and Germany. In 1910, Pabst traveled to the United States, where he worked as an actor and director at the German Theater in New York City. In 1914, he decided to become a director, and he returned to recruit actors in Europe. Pabst was in France when

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

began, he was arrested and held as an enemy alien and interned in a

prisoner-of-war camp A prisoner-of-war camp (often abbreviated as POW camp) is a site for the containment of enemy fighters captured by a belligerent power in time of war. There are significant differences among POW camps, internment camps, and military prisons. ...

near Brest. * * * While imprisoned, Pabst organised a theatre group at the camp and directed French-language plays. Upon his release in 1919, he returned to Vienna, where he became director of the Neue Wiener Bühne, an

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretica ...

theatre.

Career

Pabst began his career as a film director at the behest of

Carl Froelich Carl August Hugo Froelich (5 September 1875 – 12 February 1953) was a German film pioneer and film director. He was born and died in Berlin. Biography Apparatus builder and cameraman From 1903 Froelich was a colleague of Oskar Messter, one of ...

who hired Pabst as an assistant director. He directed his first film, '' The Treasure'', in 1923. He developed a talent for "discovering" and developing the talents of actresses, including

Greta Garbo Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress. Regarded as one of the greatest screen actresses, she was known for her melancholic, somber persona, her film portrayals of tragic ch ...

Asta Nielsen The General Students' Committee (German: Allgemeiner Studierendenausschuss) or AStA, is the acting executive board and the external representing agency of the (constituted) student body at universities in most German states. It is therefore consid ...

Louise Brooks Mary Louise Brooks (November 14, 1906 – August 8, 1985) was an American film actress and dancer during the 1920s and 1930s. She is regarded today as an icon of the Jazz Age and flapper culture, in part due to the bob hairstyle that she helpe ...

, and

Leni Riefenstahl Helene Bertha Amalie "Leni" Riefenstahl (; 22 August 1902 – 8 September 2003) was a German film director, photographer and actress known for her role in producing Nazi propaganda. A talented swimmer and an artist, Riefenstahl also became in ...

. Pabst's best known films concern the plight of women, including ''

The Joyless Street ''Joyless Street'' (german: Die freudlose Gasse), also titled ''The Street of Sorrow'' or ''The Joyless Street'', is a 1925 German silent film directed by Georg Wilhelm Pabst starring Greta Garbo and Asta Nielsen. It is based on a novel by Hugo ...

'' (1925) with Greta Garbo and Asta Nielsen, ''

Secrets of a Soul ''Secrets of a Soul'' (german: Geheimnisse einer Seele) is a 1926 silent German drama film directed by G. W. Pabst. Plot Martin Fellman, a learned professor, experiences nightmares that make him believe he is going insane. He fears that he is ...

'' (1926) with

Lili Damita Lili Damita (born Liliane Marie-Madeleine Carré; 10 July 1904 – 21 March 1994) was a French-American actress and singer who appeared in 33 films between 1922 and 1937. Early life and education Lili Damita was born Liliane Marie-Madeleine Car ...

, '' The Loves of Jeanne Ney'' (1927) with

Brigitte Helm Brigitte Helm (born Brigitte Gisela Eva Schittenhelm, 17 March 1906 – 11 June 1996) was a German actress, best remembered for her dual role as Maria and her double named Futura, in Fritz Lang's 1927 silent film, '' Metropolis''. Early life ...

, and ''

Pandora's Box Pandora's box is an artifact in Greek mythology connected with the myth of Pandora in Hesiod's c. 700 B.C. poem ''Works and Days''. Hesiod reported that curiosity led her to open a container left in the care of her husband, thus releasing physi ...

'' (1929) and ''

Diary of a Lost Girl ''Diary of a Lost Girl'' (german: Tagebuch einer Verlorenen) is a 1929 German silent film directed by G. W. Pabst and starring American silent star Louise Brooks. It is shot in black and white, and various versions of the film range from 79 m ...

'' (1929) with American actress Louise Brooks. He also co-directed with

Arnold Fanck Arnold Fanck (6 March 1889 – 28 September 1974) was a German film director and pioneer of the mountain film genre. He is best known for the extraordinary alpine footage he captured in such films as '' The Holy Mountain'' (1926), '' The White He ...

mountain film A mountain film is a film genre that focuses on mountaineering and especially the battle of human against nature. In addition to mere adventure, the protagonists who return from the mountain come back changed, usually gaining wisdom and enlighten ...

entitled '' The White Hell of Pitz Palu'' (1929) starring Leni Riefenstahl. After the coming of sound, he made a trilogy of films that secured his reputation: ''

Westfront 1918 ''Westfront 1918'' is a German war film, set mostly in the trenches of the Western Front during World War I. It was directed in 1930 by G. W. Pabst, from a screenplay by Ladislaus Vajda based on the novel ''Vier von der Infanterie'' by Ernst ...

'' (1930), ''

The Threepenny Opera ''The Threepenny Opera'' ( ) is a " play with music" by Bertolt Brecht, adapted from a translation by Elisabeth Hauptmann of John Gay's 18th-century English ballad opera, '' The Beggar's Opera'', and four ballads by François Villon, with mu ...

'' (1931) with Lotte Lenya (based on the

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...

and

Kurt Weill Kurt Julian Weill (March 2, 1900April 3, 1950) was a German-born American composer active from the 1920s in his native country, and in his later years in the United States. He was a leading composer for the stage who was best known for his fru ...

musical), and '' Kameradschaft'' (1931). Pabst also filmed three versions of Pierre Benoit's novel '' L'Atlantide'' in 1932, in German, English, and French, titled ''Die Herrin von Atlantis'', ''The Mistress of Atlantis'', and ''L'Atlantide'', respectively. In 1933, Pabst directed ''

Don Quixote is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of West ...

'', once again in German, English, and French versions. After making ''

A Modern Hero ''A Modern Hero'' is a 1934 American pre-Code romance drama film starring Richard Barthelmess and directed by G. W. Pabst. It is based on the novel with the same title by Louis Bromfield. It was Pabst's only American talking film and the next ...

'' (1934) in the USA and '' Street of Shadows'' (1937) in France, Pabst (who was planning to emigrate to the United States) was caught in France in 1939, when war was declared, whilst visiting his mother, and was forced to return to Nazi Germany. Under the auspices of propaganda minister,

Josef Goebbels Paul Joseph Goebbels (; 29 October 1897 – 1 May 1945) was a German Nazi politician who was the ''Gauleiter'' (district leader) of Berlin, chief propagandist for the Nazi Party, and then Reich Minister of Propaganda from 1933 to 194 ...

, Pabst made two films in Germany during this period: '' The Comedians'' (1941) and ''

Paracelsus Paracelsus (; ; 1493 – 24 September 1541), born Theophrastus von Hohenheim (full name Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim), was a Swiss physician, alchemist, lay theologian, and philosopher of the German Renaissance. He ...

'' (1943). Pabst directed four opera productions in Italy in 1953: ''

La forza del destino ' (; ''The Power of Fate'', often translated ''The Force of Destiny'') is an Italian opera by Giuseppe Verdi. The libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on a Spanish drama, ' (1835), by Ángel de Saavedra, 3rd Duke of Rivas, wi ...

'' for the

Maggio Musicale Fiorentino The Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (English: Florence Musical May) is an annual Italian arts festival in Florence, including a notable opera festival, under the auspices of the Opera di Firenze. The festival occurs between late April into June annual ...

in Florence (conducted by

Dimitri Mitropoulos Dimitri Mitropoulos ( el, Δημήτρης Μητρόπουλος; The dates 18 February 1896 and 1 March 1896 both appear in the literature. Many of Mitropoulos's early interviews and program notes gave 18 February. In his later interviews, howe ...

, the cast included

Renata Tebaldi Renata Tebaldi ( , ; 1 February 1922 – 19 December 2004) was an Italian lirico-spinto soprano popular in the post- war period, and especially prominent as one of the stars of La Scala, San Carlo and, especially, the Metropolitan Opera. ...

Fedora Barbieri Fedora Barbieri (4 June 1920 – 4 March 2003) was an Italian mezzo-soprano and actor. Barbieri was born in Trieste. She performed regularly in Florence for fifty years, and performed internationally through the years. She died, aged 82, in Flore ...

, Mario del Monaco,

Aldo Protti Aldo Protti (19 July 1920 – 10 August 1995) was an Italian baritone opera singer, particularly associated with the Italian repertory. He was particularly appreciated in Verdi roles, especially ''Rigoletto'', his greatest role, but also as Alf ...

Cesare Siepi Cesare Siepi (10 February 19235 July 2010) was an Italian opera singer, generally considered to have been one of the finest basses of the post-war period. His voice was characterised by a deep, warm timbre, a full, resonant, wide-ranging lower ...

), and a few weeks later, for the

Arena di Verona Festival Arena di Verona Festival (Verona Arena Festival) is a summer festival of opera, located in the city of Verona Italy. Since 1936, it has been organized under the auspices of an official body, first the Ente Autonomo Spettacoli Lirici Arena di Veron ...

, a spectacular ''

Aïda ''Aida'' (or ''Aïda'', ) is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and had its première there on 24 December 1 ...

'', with

Maria Callas Maria Callas . (born Sophie Cecilia Kalos; December 2, 1923 – September 16, 1977) was an American-born Greek soprano who was one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century. Many critics praised her ''bel cant ...

in the title role (conducted by

Tullio Serafin Tullio Serafin (1 September 18782 February 1968) was an Italian conductor and former Musical Director at La Scala. Biography Tullio Serafin was a leading Italian opera conductor with a long career and a very broad repertoire who revived many 19t ...

, with del Monaco), ''

Il trovatore ''Il trovatore'' ('The Troubadour') is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto largely written by Salvadore Cammarano, based on the play ''El trovador'' (1836) by Antonio García Gutiérrez. It was García Gutiérrez's mos ...

'' and again ''La forza del destino''. He directed ''

The Last Ten Days ''The Last Ten Days'' (german: Der letzte Akt) is a 1955 Austrian-German drama film directed by G. W. Pabst. It was the first film in post-World War II Germany to feature the character of Adolf Hitler. It follows him and others in what were th ...

'' (1955), the first post-war German feature film to feature

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and the ...

as a character.

Death

On 29 May 1967, Pabst died in Vienna at the age of 81. He was interred at the

Zentralfriedhof The Vienna Central Cemetery (german: Wiener Zentralfriedhof) is one of the largest cemeteries in the world by number of interred, and is the most well-known cemetery among Vienna's nearly 50 cemeteries. The cemetery's name is descriptive of its ...

in Vienna.

Awards

* 1941, Venice Film Festival: Gold Medal of the Biennale for Best Director for his film '' The Comedians''

Filmography

* '' The Treasure'' (1923) * '' Countess Donelli'' (1924) * ''

Joyless Street ''Joyless Street'' (german: Die freudlose Gasse), also titled ''The Street of Sorrow'' or ''The Joyless Street'', is a 1925 German silent film directed by Georg Wilhelm Pabst starring Greta Garbo and Asta Nielsen. It is based on a novel by Hug ...

'' (1925) * ''

'' (1926) * ''

One Does Not Play with Love ''One Does Not Play with Love'' (german: Man spielt nicht mit der Liebe) is a 1926 silent German drama film directed by G. W. Pabst. The film is an adaptation of the 1834 play by Alfred de Musset, ''On ne badine pas avec l'amour''. The film is ...

'' (1926) * ''

The Love of Jeanne Ney ''The Love of Jeanne Ney'' (german: Die Liebe der Jeanne Ney), released as ''Lusts of the Flesh'' in the United Kingdom, is a 1927 German silent drama film directed by Georg Wilhelm Pabst based on a novel by Ilya Ehrenburg. Plot Jeanne is the ...

'' (1927) * ''

The Devious Path ''The Devious Path'' (german: Abwege), also titled ''Crisis'', is a 1928 German silent drama film directed by Georg Wilhelm Pabst starring Gustav Diessl and Brigitte Helm. Plot Irene is frustrated by the inattentiveness of her lawyer husband ...

'' (1928) * ''

'' (1929) * ''

'' (1929) * '' The White Hell of Pitz Palu'' (dir.

, 1929) * ''

'' (1930) * ''

Scandalous Eva ''Scandalous Eva'' (german: Skandal um Eva) is a 1930 German comedy film directed by G. W. Pabst and starring Henny Porten, Oskar Sima, and Ludwig Stössel. The film's sets were designed by the art director Franz Schroedter. Cast * Henny Por ...

'' (1930) * ''

Morals at Midnight ''Morals at Midnight'' (german: Moral um Mitternacht) is a 1930 German romance film directed by Marc Sorkin and starring Gustav Diessl, Camilla Horn and Vladimir Sokoloff.Rentschler p. 277 The film's sets were designed by Heinrich Richter. Cas ...

'' (dir.

Marc Sorkin Marc Sorkin or Mark Sorkin (1902–1986) was a Russian-born film editor and director.Rentschler p.277 He worked with Georg Wilhelm Pabst on a number of films as editor or assistant director. He was born in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius which was ...

, 1930) * ''

'' (1931) two versions: German and French * '' Kameradschaft'' (1931) * '' L'Atlantide'' (1932) three versions: German, French, and English * ''

'' (1933) three versions: German, French, and English * '' High and Low'' (1933) * '' Cette nuit-là'' (1933) * ''

'' (1934) * '' Street of Shadows'' (1937) * ''

The Shanghai Drama ''The Shanghai Drama'' (french: Le drame de Shanghaï) is a 1938 French drama film directed by G. W. Pabst and starring Christl Mardayn, Louis Jouvet and Raymond Rouleau.Kennedy-Karpat p.132-33 An exiled White Russian woman works as a cabaret s ...

'' (1938) * ''

Girls in Distress ''Girls in Distress'' (french: Jeunes filles en détresse) is a 1939 French drama film directed by G. W. Pabst and starring Marcelle Chantal, Micheline Presle and André Lugue.Rentschler p.282 The film's sets were designed by the art director ...

'' (1939) * '' The Comedians'' (1941) * ''

'' (1943) * ''

Der Fall Molander ''The Molander Case'' (german: Der Fall Molander) is a 1945 German drama film directed by Georg Wilhelm Pabst. The movie is based on the novel ''Die Sternegeige'' by Alfred Karrasch. On August 28, 1944, Pabst started shooting the movie for Terra ...

'' (1945) * ''

The Trial ''The Trial'' (german: Der Process, link=no, previously , and ) is a novel written by Franz Kafka in 1914 and 1915 and published posthumously on 26 April 1925. One of his best known works, it tells the story of Josef K., a man arrested and p ...

'' (1948) * ''

Mysterious Shadows ''Mysterious Shadows'' (german: Geheimnisvolle Tiefe) is a 1949 Austrian drama film directed by G. W. Pabst and starring Paul Hubschmid, Ilse Werner, and Elfe Gerhart.Rentschler p.284 It was shown at the Venice Film Festival. It was shot at the ...

'' (1949) * ''

Duel with Death ''Duel with Death'' (German: ''Duell mit dem Tod'') is a 1949 Austrian war drama film directed by Paul May and starring Rolf von Nauckhoff, Annelies Reinhold, and Fritz Hinz-Fabricius.Fritsche p.49 The film portrays the Austrian resistance to Nazi ...

'' (1949) * '' Call Over the Air'' (dir.

Georg C. Klaren Georg C. Klaren (1900–1962) was an Austrian screenwriter and film director. He worked on a number of screenplays with Herbert Juttke during the silent era, silent and early sound eras including Alfred Hitchcock's 1931 film ''Mary (1931 film), Ma ...

, 1951) * '' Voice of Silence'' (1953) * '' Cose da pazzi'' (1953) * ''

The Confession of Ina Kahr ''The Confession of Ina Kahr'' (german: Das Bekenntnis der Ina Kahr, ) is a 1954 West German crime film directed by G. W. Pabst and starring Curd Jürgens, Elisabeth Müller and Albert Lieven. It was shot at the Bavaria Studios in Munich and ...

'' (1954) * ''

'' (1955) * ''

Jackboot Mutiny ''Jackboot Mutiny'' (german: Es geschah am 20. Juli, literally ''It Happened on 20 July'') is a 1955 German film directed by Georg Wilhelm Pabst about the 20 July Plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler. It features Bernhard Wicki as Stauffenberg. Cast ...

'' (1955) * ''

Ballerina A ballet dancer ( it, ballerina fem.; ''ballerino'' masc.) is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet; however, dancers have a strict hierarchy and strict gender roles. They rely on ye ...

'' (1956) * ''

Through the Forests and Through the Trees ''Through the Forests and Through the Trees'' (german: Durch die Wälder, durch die Auen) is a 1956 West German historical comedy film directed by G. W. Pabst and starring Eva Bartok, Peter Arens, and Joe Stöckel. It was Pabst's final film.Boc ...

'' (1956)

References

Notes Further reading * Amengual, Barthélémy. ''G.W. Pabst''. Paris, Seghers, 1966 * Atwell, Lee. ''G.W. Pabst''. Boston, Twayne Publishers, 1977 * Baxter, John. "G.W. Pabst" in ''International Directory of Films and Filmmakers''. Chicago, 1990. pp. 376–378 * Groppali, Enrico. ''Georg W. Pabst''. Firenze, La Nuova Italia, 1983 * Jacobsen, Wolfgang (ed.) ''G.W. Pabst''. Berlin, Argen, 1997 * Kagelmann, Andre and Keiner, Reinhold. "Lässig beginnt der Tod, Mensch und Tier zu ernten: Überlegungen zu Ernst Johannsens Roman ''Vier von der Infanterie'' und G. W. Pabsts Film ''Westfront 1918''" in Johannsen, Eric; Kassell (ed.) ''Vier von der Infanterie. Ihre letzen Tage an der Westfront 1918''. Media Net-Edition, 2014. S. 80-113. * Kracauer, Siegfried. ''De Caligari à Hitler. Une histoire psychologique du cinéma allemand'', Paris, Flammarion, 1987 * Mitry, Jean. ''Histoire du cinéma: Art et industrie'' (5 volumes) Paris, Editions Universitaires – J.P. Delarge, 1967–1980 * Rentschler, Eric (ed.) ''The Films of G.W. Pabst. An extraterritorial cinema''. New Brunswick, Rutgers University Press, 1990 * Pabst, Georg Wilhelm. "Servitude et grandeur de Hollywood" in ''Le rôle intellectuel du cinéma, Paris'', SDN-Institut International de Coopération Intellectuelle, 1937. pp. 251–255 * Van den Berghe, Marc. ''La mémoire impossible. Westfront 1918 de G.W. Pabst. Grande Guerre, soldats, automates. Le film et sa problématique vus par la 'Petite Illustration (1931), Bruxelles, 200

External links

*
"The Other Eye", Filmessay on G.W.Pabst, by Hannah Heer & Werner Schmiedel (A/USA 1991/92)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pabst, Georg Wilhelm 1885 births 1967 deaths 20th-century Austrian male actors Austrian film directors Austrian male stage actors Austrian theatre directors Burials at the Vienna Central Cemetery English-language film directors French-language film directors Male actors from Vienna Mountaineering film directors Austrian opera directors People from Roudnice nad Labem Silent film directors World War I prisoners of war held by France Austro-Hungarian prisoners of war in World War I 20th-century Austrian screenwriters 20th-century Austrian male writers