October 19: The Mysterious Mirror [Der geheimnisvolle Spiegel] (1928)

 

Der geheimnisvolle Spiegel (or The Mysterious Mirror/Mystic Mirror) was a 1928 German silent fantasy set in a Bavarian schloss (castle). It was principally directed by Carl Hoffmann, who had been a prolific cinematographer since 1913 (Richard Tescher is credited as a co-director, it is his only known direction credit). Though the story is based on recognizable from fairy tales--such as magic mirrors found in tales from the Brothers Grimm--the script is credited solely to writer Robert Reinert, who had previously been a script writer for fantasy serials in German cinema. The story revolves around a mirror that is supposed to allow the gazer to see their future if they stare into on nights of a full moon (or, alternatively, when the moon is up).  Usually what they see drives them into insanity and some into self-destruction. The protagonist of the film--a man who wishes to know his future for romantic reasons--is played by Fritz Rasp.  Released the year after Fritz Lang's Metropolis, where Rasp was "The Thin Man;" there is little doubt that the film makers thought they could capitalize on casting Rasp and using his name for promotion.  The story is rather simple, Rasp's "mann" steals into the old edifice where the mirror "resides" on a bright moonlit night, gazes into it, hates what he sees, smashes the mirror and then kills himself. After his death, the mirror reassembles itself, like it has likely done on countless occasions before. The description would lead one to believe that the film was a short, but it was in fact a feature and ran for nearly an hour and ten minutes. It was padded out with a story of gothic romance, featuring actress Fay Wall (aka Felicitas "Fee" Malten) in the part of Anna, the love interest. 

Born Today May 13: Fritz Rasp

1891-1976

Fritz Heinrich Rasp was born in Bayreuth, Germany to a very large family--he had at least 12 other siblings.  Between the years 1908 & 1909 he attended acting school in Munich, where he leaned to overcome a speech impediment by developing a Frankish accent.   He made his stage debut later in 1909.  He soon established himself as quite the character actor, and would go on to work in stage productions directed by the likes of Max Reinhardt and Bertolt Brecht.  He made his film debut in 1916, in a short comedy directed by the soon to be famous Ernst Lubitsch, Schuhpalast Pinkus.  By the early 1920's he was staple "heavy" in German silent films.  He might have acted in more films in the late 1910's if were not for his military service in the years 1916-1918.  The role that he by far and away most famous for is The Thin Man from Fritz Lang's Metropolis (1927).  The German film industry was somewhat behind that of the United States in terms of sound films; so it wouldn't be until 1930 that Rasp was in his first speaking role on film in The Dreyfus Case.  From then on, he would have a long and prolific career acting in films, acting right up until the year of his death.  He was so well known as a villainous character actor, that when he died 30 November at the age of 85 in 1976, his obituary in Der Speigal, read in part "the German film villain in service for over 60 years."  He is buried in Friedhof Gräfelfing Cemetery.  

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Scene from Metropolis