Karl Freund

[HerrSchreck]

Karl Freund (1890-1969)



Filmography

As Director:

Mad Love (1935) R1 MGM VHS R1 WB dvd double feature w Tod Browning's Devil Doll which is part of the Hollywood Legends of Horror Collection
Gift of Gab (1934)
I Give My Love (1934)
Uncertain Lady (1934)
The Countess of Monte Cristo (1934)
Madame Spy (1934)
Moonlight and Pretzels (1933)
The Mummy (1932) R1 Universal Legacy dvd

As Cinematographer:

"I Love Lucy" (149 episodes, 1951-1956) R1 full series dvd
"December Bride" (1954) TV series (unknown episodes)
I Love Lucy (1953)
"Our Miss Brooks" (1952) TV series (unknown episodes)
Bright Leaf (1950)
Montana (1950)
South of St. Louis (1949)
The Decision of Christopher Blake (1948)
Key Largo (1948) R1 DVD, also available in WB Bogie & Bacall Collection
Wallflower (1948)
That Hagen Girl (1947)
This Time for Keeps (1947)
Undercurrent (1946) incl inR1 WB Katherin Hepburn Collection dvd.
Two Smart People (1946)
A Letter for Evie (1946)
Dangerous Partners (1945)
Without Love (1945) incl inR1 WB Katherin Hepburn Collection dvd.
The Thin Man Goes Home (1944) R1 WB dvd part of R1 or R2 Complete Thin Man WB Box
The Seventh Cross (1944) (director of photography)
... aka The Seven Crosses
A Guy Named Joe (1943) (director of photography)
Cry 'Havoc' (1943) (director of photography)
Du Barry Was a Lady (1943) (director of photography)
A Yank at Eton (1942) (director of photography)
The War Against Mrs. Hadley (1942)
Tortilla Flat (1942) (director of photography)
The Chocolate Soldier (1941)
Blossoms in the Dust (1941) (director of photography)
Keeping Company (1940)
Pride and Prejudice (1940)
We Who Are Young (1940)
Florian (1940)
Green Hell (1940)
The Earl of Chicago (1940) (uncredited)
Balalaika (1939)
Barricade (1939) (director of photography)
Golden Boy (1939)
Rose of Washington Square (1939)
Tail Spin (1939)
Letter of Introduction (1938)
Port of Seven Seas (1938)
Man-Proof (1938) (photographed by)
Conquest (1937)
... aka Marie Walewska (UK)
Parnell (1937)
The Good Earth (1937) (photographed by)
Camille (1936)
The Great Ziegfeld (1936) (photographed by: Ziegfeld Roof Numbers)
The Kiss Before the Mirror (1933)
Afraid to Talk (1932)
... aka Merry-Go-Round (USA: new title)
Air Mail (1932)
Back Street (1932) (uncredited)
Scandal for Sale (1932)
... aka Ambition
Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932)
Strictly Dishonorable (1931)
Personal Maid (1931)
Up for Murder (1931)
... aka Fires of Youth
The Bad Sister (1931)
Dracula (1931)
The Boudoir Diplomat (1930)
The Lottery Bride (1930)
All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) (uncredited)
Sleeping Partners (1930)


Fräulein Else (1929) (director of photography)
... aka Miss Else (International: English title)
A Knight in London (1928)
... aka Nacht in London, Eine (Germany)
Doña Juana (1928)
Berlin: Die Symphonie der Großstadt (1927) (uncredited)
... aka Berlin, Symphony of a Big City
... aka Berlin: A Symphony of a Big City
... aka Berlin: Symphony of a Great City (USA)
Metropolis (1927)
Manon Lescaut (1926)
Herr Tartüff (1925) (as Carl Freund)
... aka Tartüff
... aka Tartuffe (USA)
Varieté (1925)
... aka Jealousy (USA)
... aka Variety
... aka Vaudeville
Letzte Mann, Der (1924)
... aka The Last Laugh (USA)
Michael (1924) (photographed by)
... aka Chained (USA)
... aka Chained: The Story of the Third Sex (USA)
... aka Heart's Desire (UK)
Finanzen des Großherzogs, Die (1924)
... aka Finances of the Grand Duke (USA)
... aka The Grand Duke's Finances
Austreibung, Die (1923)
... aka Austreibung - die Macht der zweiten Frau, Die (Germany)
... aka The Expulsion
Tiger des Zirkus Farini, Der (1923)
... aka Letzte Sensation des Zirkus Farini, Die (Germany)
Große Sensationsprozeß, Der (1923)
Herzog Ferrantes Ende (1922)
Lucrezia Borgia (1922)
... aka Lucretia Borgia (USA: informal English title)
Brennende Acker, Der (1922) (second half)
... aka Burning Soil
Marizza (1922)
... aka Marizza, Called the Smugglers' Madonna
... aka Marizza, genannt die Schmugglermadonna
Tiefland (1922)
... aka The Lowlands (literal English title)
Kinder der Finsternis - 2. Kämpfende Welten (1922)
Kinder der Finsternis - 1. Der Mann aus Neapel (1921)
Roman der Christine von Herre, Der (1921)
Ratten, Die (1921)
Schwur des Peter Hergatz, Der (1921)
Aus dem Schwarzbuch eines Polizeikommissars, 1. Teil - Loge Nr. 11 (1921)
... aka Aus dem Schwarzbuch eines Polizeikommissars, 1. Teil (Germany: short title)
Brandherd (1921)
... aka Torgus (USA)
... aka Verlogene Moral (Germany)
Verlorene Schatten, Der (1921)
... aka The Lost Shadow (USA)
Golem, wie er in die Welt kam, Der (1920)
... aka The Golem (USA)
... aka The Golem: How He Came Into the World (USA)
Katharina die Große (1920)
Januskopf, Der (1920)
... aka Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (UK)
... aka Januskopf - Eine Tragödie am Rande der Wirklichkeit, Der (Germany)
... aka Love's Mockery
... aka The Head of Janus
... aka The Janus Head
... aka The Two-Faced Man (USA: informal literal English title)
Bucklige und die Tänzerin, Der (1920)
... aka The Hunchback and the Dancer
Spinnen, 2. Teil - Das Brillantenschiff, Die (1920)
... aka Brillantenschiff, Das (Germany: short title)
... aka The Spiders, Part 2: The Diamond Ship
Satanas (1920)
... aka Satan (International: English title: informal literal title)
Frau im Delphin, oder 30 Tage auf dem Meeresgrund, Die (1920)
... aka The Woman in the Dolphin (International: English title)


Letzten Menschen, Die (1919)
... aka Letzten Menschen: Die Arche. 2. Teil, Die (Germany)
Spinnen, 1. Teil - Der Goldene See, Die (1919)
... aka Goldene See (Erstes Abenteuer aus dem Zyklus Die Spinne), Der (Germany: censored version)
... aka The Spiders, Part 1: The Golden Lake
Arche, Die (1919)
... aka The Arc (USA)
Knabe in Blau, Der (1919)
... aka Emerald of Death (USA)
... aka The Blue Boy
... aka Todessmaragd, Der (new title)
Dame, der Teufel und die Probiermamsell, Die (1919)
... aka Dame, die Probiermamsell und der Teufel, Die (Germany)
Augen (1919)
... aka Augen - Im Banne der Hypnose (Germany)
Rausch (1919)
... aka Intoxication
Blaue Laterne, Die (1918)
Sieger, Die (1918)
Heimkehr des Odysseus, Die (1918)
Maskenfest des Lebens, Das (1918)
Gefangene Seele (1918)
Agnes Arnau und ihre drei Freier (1918)
Geschlecht derer von Ringwall, Das (1918)
... aka Geschichte derer von Ringwall, Die
Auf Probe gestellt (1918)
Edelsteine - Phantastisches Drama in 4 Akten (1918)
Gräfin Küchenfee (1918)
Faust des Riesen, Die (1917)
Höhenluft (1917)
Prinzessin von Neutralien, Die (1917)
Christa Hartungen (1917)
Liebesbrief der Königin, Der (1917)
Ehe der Luise Rohrbach, Die (1917)
Feenhände (1917)
Bummelstudenten (1917)
Gelöste Ketten (1916)
Räuberbraut, Die (1916)
Abseits vom Glück (1916)
Frau Eva (1916)
Mann im Spiegel, Der (1916)
Vordertreppe - Hintertreppe (1915)
Hund von Baskerville, Der (1914)
... aka Hund von Baskerville, 1. Teil, Der (Germany)
... aka The Hound of the Baskervilles
Venezianische Nacht, Eine (1914)
Zapatas Bande (1914)
... aka Zapata's Gang (International: English title)
Kind ruft, Das (1914)
... aka Elena Fontana (Germany: review title)
Engelein (1914)
... aka Lille engels, Den (Denmark)
Ewige Nacht, Die (1914)
... aka Evige nat, Den (Denmark)
Feuer, Das (1914)
Engeleins Hochzeit (1914)
... aka Lille engels bryllup, Den (Denmark)
Filmprimadonna, Die (1913)
... aka Filmprimadonna, Den (Denmark)
... aka The Film Primadonna (International: English title)
Pampulik hat Hunger (1913)
Jadna majka (1912)
Pampulik kriegt ein Kind (1912)
Pampulik als Affe (1912)

(more and editing to come..)

[zedz]

Thanks Schreck.

That string of films as director between The Mummy and Mad Love looks gloriously dubious. Has anybody seen any of them? And do we know why he retreated to DoP chores after the latter? Was it his choice, or the studio's?

[Gregory]

That string of films as director between The Mummy and Mad Love looks gloriously dubious. Has anybody seen any of them?

Yeah, The Gift of Gab. Sought it on VHS out of curiosity even though it's not at all the kind of thing one associates with Freund as a filmmaker. It seemed pretty forgettable but I'd need to see it again to comment much further.

[HerrSchreck]

And do we know why he retreated to DoP chores after the latter? Was it his choice, or the studio's?

I think, believe it or not (and don't quote me on this but I'm pretty sure it's accurate), that the choice was his own. I think he felt he was getting older, and he really did just enjoy photographing films better than the pressure and endless responsibilities of directing. And we know what enormous power and influence the man had on sets-- from Germany w Lang and (especially) Murnau to the USA almost from the start with projects such as DRacula (where David Manners says he has little recollection of Browning directing him, but clearly recalls Freund helming a good number of his scenes).. and on thru masterpieces like The Good Earth (which, though 'masterpiece' may be an overestimation for some, completely blew me away with it's artful delicacy and Mizoguchi-like subtle beauty)-- of the films he DP'd on. For a director humble enough to open his ears and eyes and yield, having Freund as your DP-- what could be a greater potential asset?.. though we know that in the US he made films which scarcely show any stylization whatsoever, owing to Hollywood's studio-bound ideas about Invisible Style shared by all.

For me the man was simply without equal, the greatest cinematographer who ever worked in the medijm of film-- and the few directorial efforts are just dazzling, from The Mummy to the absolutely wonderful Mad Love, one of my favorite films of all time.. Gregg Toland and Freund working together-- what could be Righter?.

I look forward to unearthing some good links & resources here (though it will be a challenge), that will make questions like zedz' answerable without dispute. The man is just epitomizes Greatness In One's Art. Some belittle his career finish in Lucy, but his achievements on the show, and the influence of his developments therein, are absolutely impressive. He was an innovator from A to Z.

[HerrSchreck]

I'm still slowly creating links for his films as DP. But in reference to the discussion above regardibng Freunds' work between The Mummy and Mad Love... at MoMa:

Moonlight and Pretzels. 1933. USA. Directed by Karl Freund. With Leo Carillo, Mary Brian. A modest, tuneful, and fabulously successful Depression-era musical, made by Universal at Paramount's abandoned studio in Astoria. One of the few films directed by Karl Freund, better known as the great cinematographer of Metropolis and The Last Laugh. Print courtesy of Universal Pictures. 84 min.
Monday, October 13, 2008, 8:15 p.m., Theater 1, T1
Friday, October 17, 2008, 6:30 p.m., Theater 1, T1

From a fabulous retrospective: Hollywood On The Hudson: Filmmaking In New York, 1920-39.. lots of gems in there from the above, to Applause, to Humoresque by Borzage, to The Smiling Lieutenant by Lubitsch. It is

Hollywood on the Hudson traces the roots of the modern American film industry to New York City between the two world wars, when an industry built on centralized authority began to listen, for the first time, to a range of independent voices, each with their own ideas about what the movies could say and do. The Hollywood studio system was geared toward creating a standardized product and sought to appeal to all ages and classes, whereas New York cinema was technically innovative and culturally specific, and played to niche audiences, from art houses to ethnic enclaves. But the collapse of Hollywood's economic and industrial model in the post–World War I era forced American filmmakers to rethink the way they made films and sold them to audiences. Finding they could no longer depend on a system that required long-term contracts and studio backlots with elaborate standing sets, they began to adopt the methods being used by writers, directors, and actors in New York.

This exhibition surveys filmmaking in New York during the hegemony of Hollywood, from D. W. Griffith's return from the West Coast in 1919 to the World's Fair of 1939. Screenings include pioneering sound films shot at the Paramount Studios in Astoria, Queens, and starring Broadway luminaries; films featuring such stars as Louise Brooks, Marion Davies, the Marx Brothers, Gloria Swanson, and Rudolph Valentino; and noteworthy African American and Yiddish films.

[Gregory]

Schreck, did you happen to catch Moonlight and Pretzels? I'd be interested in how it seemed compared to what I remember of Gift of Gab (pretty slight, humor hadn't aged well). The blurbs on IMDB at least make it sound like the more interesting of the two.

[HerrSchreck]

No I'm a total dunsky, for it, too. I had been planning to go all week to the first projection of it, missed it due to personal pre-emption, then was written-in-stone to go to the second one...

...and promptly sleepwalked thru the day, totally forgetting all about it.

When I realized what I did, I was stalking around cursing for a good 15 minutes.. because what are the odds of catching that film out & about again? Zilchorino.