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Werner Krauss

Picture Werner Krauss
Foto: Alexander Binder (1888-1929)

1884 - 1959

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If one is a patch on the great silent movie star Emil Jannings, then it was Werner Krauss. His expressiveness and acting intensity influenced the German movie of the 10's and 20's.

Werner Krauss attended the teacher seminar since from 1901 but was suspended from classes because of his occasional entrances as an extra at the Breslauer Lobe theater.
As a result Werner Kraus decided to take the profession of an actor and got after smaller parts an engagement for the Reinhardt-Bühnen in 1913. 

Because he got only smaller parts at the theater most of the time he turned to the film business in 1916 where he was usually employed as a villain or other unpleasent character. To his early movies belong "Hoffmanns Erzählungen" (16), "Der Ungreifbare" (16), "Das unheimliche Haus" (16), "Unheilbar" (17), "Die Pagode" (17), "Fräulein Pfiffikus" (17) and "Das Tagebuch einer Verlorenen" (18).

After the end of World War I Werner Krauss managed the great leap forward to a theater and movie star. He realised his impressive breakthrough with the worldwide success "Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari" (19) - a movie which belongs to the most important silent movies today.

In the following years he personified countless parts on a impressive way and he alway knew how to fascinate the audience.
Other of his numerous cinematic heights he had were "Rose Bernd" (19), "Die Brüder Karamasoff" (20), "Die Kwannon von Okadera" (20), "Danton" (21), "Scherben" (21), "Lady Hamilton" (21), "Der brennende Acker" (22), "Alt-Heidelberg" (23), "Der Schatz" (23), "Fridericus Rex" (23), "I.N.R.I." (23) and "Das Wachsfigurenkabinett" (23).

In the second half of the 20's Werner Krauss played in other important milestones of the German film history. Movies like "Die freudlose Gasse" (25), "Tartüff" (25), "Geheimnisse einer Seele" (26), "Kreuzzug des Weibes" (26), "Der Student von Prag" (26), "Die Hose" (27) and "Napoleon auf St. Helena" (29) emphasized his important position in the film business.

In the 30's Werner Kraus came rarely up on the screen. He met with Joseph Goebbels who appointed him to the vice-president of the "Reichstheaterkammer" and Werner Krauss became established  as in important cultur representative of the NS regime.

To his well-known movies in 30's and 40's belong "Yorck" (31), "Burgtheater" (36), "Robert Koch, der Bekämpfer des Todes" (39), "Jud Süss" which is considered to be the most detrimental movie during the Nazi time, "Die Entlassung/Schicksalswende" (42) and "Paracelsus" (43).

After the war Werner Krauss was classified into the group of "less burden" by a "Spruchkammerverfahren". He went to Vienna where he got the Austrian nationality.
Only in 1951 he got back the German nationality and in 1954 he was rehabilitated for good with the award of the "Bundesverdienstkreuz".

Werner Krauss wasn't very important for the post-war film. He acted in "Der fallende Stern" (50), "Sohn ohne Heimat" (55) and "Das verräterische Herz" (58). More attention he got with his parts on the stage as ever. He remained true to the theater just before his death.
 

Other movies with Werner Krauss:
Zirkusblut (16) Die vertauschte Braut (16) Die Rache der Toten (16) Die Hand (16) Stein unter Steinen (16) Der chinesische Götze (16) Nächte des Grauens (16) Das Erbe von Het Steen (16) Die Bettlerin von St. Marien (16) Die schöne Prinzessin von China (17) Das Bacchanal des Todes/Das Opfer einer grossen Liebe (17) Die Fremde (17) Gesühnte Schuld (17) E, der scharlachrote Buchstabe (17) Die Tochter der Gräfin Stachowska (17) Die schleichende Gefahr (18) Wenn Frauen lieben und hassen (18) Es werde Licht! 3. Teil (18) Der Prozess Hauers (18) Das verwunschene Schloss (18) Dida Ibsens Geschichte (18) Colomba (18) Madame d'Ora (18) Mazeppa, der Held der Ukraine (18) Der Friedensreiter (18) Opium (19) Prostitution/Das gelbe Haus (19) Das Mädchen und die Männer (19) Ewiger Strom (19) Totentanz (19) Die Frau mit den Orchideen (19) Die Insel der Glücklichen (19) Das ewige Rätsel (19) Phantome des Lebens (19) Opfer (19) Die Frau ohne Seele (20) Johannes Goth (20) Die Beichte einer Toten (20) Sieger Tod (20) Die Frau im Himmel (20) Der Staatsanwalt (20) Christian Wahnschaffe (20) Das Medium (21) Christian Wahnschaffe (21) DDie Beute der Erinnyen (21) Das Haus in der Dragonergasse (21) Sturmflut des Lebens (21) Fledermäuse (21) Der Tanz um Liebe und Glück (21) Der Roman der Christine von Herre (21) Zirkus des Lebens (21) Othello (22) Luise Millerin (22) Nathan der Weise (22) Der Menschenfeind (23) Adam und Eva (23) Der Puppenmacher von Kiang-Ning (23) Zwischen Abend und Morgen (23) Der Kaufmann von Venedig (23) Fräulein Raffke (23) Der unbekannte Morgen (23) Das alte Gesetz (23) Dekameron - Nächte (24) Ein Sommernachtstraum (25) Reveille, das grosse Wecken (25) Eifersucht (25) Der Trödler von Amsterdam (25) Die Moral der Gasse (25) Das Haus der Lüge (25) Die Dame aus Berlin (25) Nana (25) Maria, die Geschichte eines Herzens/Das graue Haus (26) Überflüssige Menschen (26) Man spielt nicht mit der Liebe (26) Unter Ausschluss der Öffentlichkeit (27) Laster der Menschheit (27) Da hält die Welt den Atem an/Maquillage (27) Der fidele Bauer (27) Funkzauber (27) Die Hölle der Jungfrauen (27) Looping the Loop (28) Mensch ohne Namen (32) Hundert Tage (35) Der letzte Appell (39) Annelie (41) Zwischen Himmel und Erde (42) Die Entlassung/Schicksalswende (42) Prämien auf den Tod (49)


 
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