Günther Rittau (born 7 August 1893 in Königshütte (

Silesia Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...

); died 6 August 1971 in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

) was a German

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the recording of a film, television production, music video or other live-action piece. The cinematographer is the chief of the camera ...

and film director. After study of science in Berlin, Rittau started his career in 1919 at the documentary-film department of Decla, later at

Universum Film AG UFA GmbH, shortened to UFA (), is a film and television production company that unites all production activities of the media conglomerate Bertelsmann in Germany. The original UFA was established as on December 18, 1917, as a direct response t ...

. He learned the job of camera operator "on the side". From 1924, he was active as a feature cameraman. His experiences with the documentary film production and the production of trick photographs let to the development of his style. ''

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

'' (1927) and a propaganda movie ''U-Boote westwärts!'' (en:''U-boats westwards!'') (1941, as director) are considered to be among his best artistic achievements. His film '' The Eternal Tone'' (1943) about two brothers (a violinist and a violin maker) was considered "artistically valuable" by the Reichsfilmkammer. After World War II, he did not return to filmmaking until 1954. In 1967, he was awarded the Filmband in Gold. Günther Rittau is buried at the Waldfriedhof cemetery in Munich.

Filmography

Cinematographer

Director

* ' (1939) * '' U-Boote westwärts'' (1941) * ''Der Strom'' (1942) * '' The Eternal Tone'' (also screenplay) (1943) *''Meine vier Jungens'' (1944) *''Der Scheiterhaufen'' (1945) * '' The Years Pass'' (1945) * '' An Everyday Story'' (1948) * ''Vor uns liegt das Leben'' (also screenplay) (1948)

External links

*
Günther Rittau
at filmportal.de {{DEFAULTSORT:Rittau 1893 births 1971 deaths German film directors People from Chorzów People from the Province of Silesia German cinematographers