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Helmut Käutner (25 March 1908 – 20 April 1980) was a German film director active mainly in the 1940s and 1950s. He entered the film industry at the end of the
Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic, officially known as the German Reich, was the German Reich, German state from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional republic for the first time in history; hence it is also referred to, and unofficially proclai ...
and released his first films as a director in
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
. Käutner is relatively unknown outside of Germany, although he is considered one of the best filmmakers in German film history. He was one of the most influential film directors of German post-war cinema and became known for his sophisticated literary adaptations.


Biography

He was born in
Düsseldorf Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...
,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. Käutner started out as a director in the Nazi era, but his films remained largely free of National Socialist propaganda. One of his early successes was ''Romanze in Moll'' (1943), an adaptation of Guy du Maupassant's short story "Les Bijoux". Other remarkable films were and '' Under the Bridges''. His 1956 film '' Der Hauptmann von Köpenick'' was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 29th Academy Awards. Three years later, his film '' The Rest Is Silence'' was entered into the
9th Berlin International Film Festival The 9th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 26 June to 7 July 1959. The festival welcomed the cinematic movement known as the French New Wave and screened the work of directors such as Jean-Luc Godard, Agnès Varda and Franç ...
. He died in Castellina in Chianti,
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
. Käutner made two films for
Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...
in Hollywood: '' The Restless Years'' (1958) and '' A Stranger in My Arms'' (1959). However, neither of them received critical success and Käutner was unhappy with the lack of creative freedom he had, so he returned to Germany."Das edelste Requisit"
Der Spiegel (, , stylized in all caps) is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. With a weekly circulation of about 724,000 copies in 2022, it is one of the largest such publications in Europe. It was founded in 1947 by John Seymour Chaloner ...
(1959, in German)


Selected filmography


Director

Feature Films * '' Kitty and the World Conference'' (1939) * '' Woman Made to Measure'' (1940) * '' Clothes Make the Man'' (1940) * '' Goodbye, Franziska'' (1941) * '' Anuschka'' (1942) * '' We Make Music'' (1942) * '' Romance in a Minor Key'' (1943) * (1944) * '' Under the Bridges'' (1946) * '' In Those Days'' (1947) * '' The Original Sin'' (1948) * '' Royal Children'' (1950) * '' The Orplid Mystery'' (1950) * '' White Shadows'' (1951) * ''
Captain Bay-Bay ''Captain Bay-Bay'' () is a 1953 West German musical comedy film directed by Helmut Käutner and starring Hans Albers, Bum Krüger and Lotte Koch. It is in the style of an operetta film. It was shot at the Wiesbaden Studios and on location i ...
'' (1953) * '' The Last Bridge'' (1954) * '' Portrait of an Unknown Woman'' (1954) * '' Ludwig II'' (1955) * ''
Des Teufels General ''The Devil's General'' () is a 1955 black and white West German film based on the Des Teufels General (play), play of the same title by Carl Zuckmayer. The film features Curd Jürgens as General Harras, Marianne Koch, Viktor de Kowa, Karl John ( ...
'' (1955) * '' Sky Without Stars'' (1955) * ''
The Girl from Flanders ''The Girl from Flanders'' () is a 1956 romantic drama film directed by Helmut Käutner starring Nicole Berger, Maximilian Schell, and Viktor de Kowa. It is an adaption of the novel '' Engele von Löwen'' (Angele de Louvain) written by Carl Zu ...
'' (1956) * '' The Captain from Köpenick'' (1956) * '' The Zurich Engagement'' (1957) * '' Love from Paris'' (1957) * '' The Restless Years'' (1958) * '' Der Schinderhannes'' (1958) * '' A Stranger in My Arms'' (1959) * '' The Rest Is Silence'' (1959) * '' The Goose of Sedan'' (1959) * '' A Glass of Water'' (1960) * '' Black Gravel'' (1961) * '' The Dream of Lieschen Mueller'' (1961) * '' Redhead'' (1962) * '' The House in Montevideo'' (1963) * ' (1964) * '' Die Feuerzangenbowle'' (1970) Television * ' (1964, TV film) — (based on '' The Canterville Ghost'') * ''Romulus der Große'' (1965, TV film) — (based on '' Romulus the Great'') * ''Die Flasche'' (1965, TV film) — (based on a story by
Joachim Ringelnatz Joachim Ringelnatz is the pen name of the German author and painter Hans Bötticher (7 August 1883 in Wurzen, Saxony – 17 November 1934 in Berlin). From 1894 to 1900 he lived with his family in the Gottschedstrasse 40 in Leipzig. Profile Hi ...
) * ''Robin Hood, der edle Räuber'' (1966, TV film) — (Musical based on
Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary noble outlaw, heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions o ...
) * ''Leben wie die Fürsten'' (1966, TV film) — (based on ' by
Jean Anouilh Jean Marie Lucien Pierre Anouilh (; ; 23 June 1910 – 3 October 1987) was a French dramatist and screenwriter whose career spanned five decades. Though his work ranged from high drama to absurdist farce, Anouilh is best known for his 1944 play ...
) * ''Die spanische Puppe'' (1967, TV film) — (based on ''The Double Doll'' by Giles Cooper) * ''Stella'' (1967, TV film) — (based on Goethe's ''
play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...
'') * ''Valentin Katajews chirurgische Eingriffe in das Seelenleben des Dr. Igor Igorowitsch'' (1967, TV film) — (based on a play by
Valentin Kataev Valentin Petrovich Kataev (; also spelled Katayev or Kataiev;  – 12 April 1986) was a Soviet writer and editor who managed to create penetrating works discussing post-revolutionary social conditions without running afoul of the demands of ...
) * ' (1968, TV film) — (based on Guy de Maupassant's '' Bel-Ami'') * ''Tagebuch eines Frauenmörders'' (1969, TV film) — (screenplay by István Békeffy) * ' (1969, TV film) — (based on a play by Walter Hasenclever and
Kurt Tucholsky Kurt Tucholsky (; 9 January 1890 – 21 December 1935) was a German journalist, satire, satirist, and writer. He also wrote under the pseudonyms Kaspar Hauser (after the Kaspar Hauser, historical figure), Peter Panter, Theobald Tiger and Ignaz Wr ...
) * ''Einladung ins Schloß oder Die Kunst das Spiel zu spielen'' (1970, TV film) — (based on '' Invitation to the Castle'') * '' Der Kommissar: Anonymer Anruf'' (1970, TV series episode) * ''Die seltsamen Abenteuer des geheimen Kanzleisekretärs Tusmann'' (1972, TV film) — (based on a story by E. T. A. Hoffmann) * ''Ornifle oder Der erzürnte Himmel'' (1972, TV film) — (based on a play by
Jean Anouilh Jean Marie Lucien Pierre Anouilh (; ; 23 June 1910 – 3 October 1987) was a French dramatist and screenwriter whose career spanned five decades. Though his work ranged from high drama to absurdist farce, Anouilh is best known for his 1944 play ...
) * ''Die preußische Heirat'' (1974, TV film) — (based on ''Zopf und Schwert'' by Karl Gutzkow) * ''
Derrick A derrick is a lifting device composed at minimum of one guyed mast, as in a gin pole, which may be articulated over a load by adjusting its Guy-wire, guys. Most derricks have at least two components, either a guyed mast or self-supporting tower ...
: '' (1974, TV series episode) * ''Margarete in Aix'' (1976, TV film) — (based on a play by Peter Hacks) * ''Mulligans Rückkehr'' (1978, TV film) — (based on a novel by ) (final film)


Screenwriter

* '' Wibbel the Tailor'' (1939, directed by
Viktor de Kowa Viktor de Kowa (also spelled Victor de Kowa, born Victor Paul Karl Kowalczyk; 8 March 1904 – 8 April 1973) was a German stage and film actor, chanson singer, director, narrator, and comic poet. Life He was born the son of a farmer and engineer ...
) * '' Film ohne Titel'' (1948, directed by Rudolf Jugert) * ''
Nights on the Road ''Nights on the Road'' () is a 1952 West German crime drama film directed by Rudolf Jugert and starring Hans Albers, Hildegard Knef, Marius Goring and Lucie Mannheim. It was produced by the veteran Erich Pommer who had returned to Germany af ...
'' (1952, directed by Rudolf Jugert)


Actor

* '' Cruiser Emden'' (1932, directed by Louis Ralph), as Seaman * '' A Far Country'' (1967, TV film, directed by Ida Ehre), as
Sigmund Freud Sigmund Freud ( ; ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating psychopathology, pathologies seen as originating fro ...
* '' The Devil and the Good Lord'' (1967, TV film, directed by Peter Beauvais), as Archbishop * ' (1968, TV miniseries, directed by Peter Beauvais), as Sir Gordon Towns * ' (1968, TV miniseries, directed by Wolfgang Becker), as Dr. Brenner * '' Bend Sinister'' (1970, TV film, directed by
Herbert Vesely Herbert Vesely (31 March 1931 – 13 July 2002) was an Austrian film director and screenwriter. He directed 17 films between 1955 and 1988. Selected filmography * ' (1955) * ''The Bread of Those Early Years (film), The Bread of Those Early Year ...
), as Adam Krug * '' Der Kommissar: Messer im Rücken'' (1970, TV, directed by Wolfgang Staudte), as Hugo Blasek * '' Hauser's Memory'' (1970, TV film, directed by Boris Sagal), as Dr. Kramer * ' (1971, TV miniseries, directed by Wilhelm Semmelroth), as Sir Frederic Fairlie * ''
Tatort ("Crime Scene") is a German-language police procedural television series that has been running continuously since 1970 with 30 feature-length episodes per year, making it the longest-running German TV drama. Developed by the German public-se ...
: '' (1971, TV, directed by Peter Schulze-Rohr), as Professor Kemm * '' Temptation in the Summer Wind'' (1972, directed by
Rolf Thiele Rolf Thiele (7 March 1918 – 9 October 1994) was a German film director, film producer, producer and screenwriter. He directed 42 films between 1951 and 1977. He was born in Ústí nad Labem, Prödlitz, then in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. ...
), as Professor Bomhard * ' (1973, TV film, directed by
Wolfgang Petersen Wolfgang Petersen (14 March 1941 – 12 August 2022) was a German film and television director, screenwriter, and producer. His international breakthrough was the 1981 war film (1981), which earned him Academy Award nominations for Best Directo ...
), as Canisius * '' Karl May'' (1974, directed by
Hans-Jürgen Syberberg Hans-Jürgen Syberberg (; born 8 December 1935) is a German film director, whose best known film is his lengthy feature ''Hitler: A Film from Germany''. Early life Born in Nossendorf, Province of Pomerania (1815–1945), Pomerania, the son of ...
), as Karl May * ''
Derrick A derrick is a lifting device composed at minimum of one guyed mast, as in a gin pole, which may be articulated over a load by adjusting its Guy-wire, guys. Most derricks have at least two components, either a guyed mast or self-supporting tower ...
: '' (1975, TV, directed by Wolfgang Becker), as Paul Seibach * ''
Derrick A derrick is a lifting device composed at minimum of one guyed mast, as in a gin pole, which may be articulated over a load by adjusting its Guy-wire, guys. Most derricks have at least two components, either a guyed mast or self-supporting tower ...
: Auf eigene Faust'' (1976, TV, directed by Zbyněk Brynych), as Duktus


Literature

* Hans-Jürgen Tast: ''Helmut Käutner – Unter den Brücken. 1944/45''. Schellerten: Kulleraugen, 2007; * Hans-Jürgen Tast: ''Helmut Käutner – In jenen Tagen. 1947''. Schellerten: Kulleraugen, 2007;


References


Further reading

* Peter Cornelsen. ''Helmut Käutner. Seine Filme, sein Leben.'' München: Heyne 1980. . * Wolfgang Jacobsen & Hans-Helmut Prinzler: ''Käutner''. Berlin: Wiss.-Verl. Spiess 1992. . * Thomas Koebner, Fabienne Liptay, Claudia Mehlinger & René Ruppert (eds.): ''Helmut Käutner''. München: edition text + kritik 2008. . * Hans Dieter Schäfer. ''Moderne in Dritten Reich''. ''Kultur der Intimität bei Oskar Loerke, Friedo Lampe und Helmut Käutner.'' Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag, 2003; .


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kautner, Helmut 1908 births 1980 deaths Mass media people from Düsseldorf People from the Rhine Province German Film Award winners Best Director German Film Award winners Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany