1873-1943
Max Reinhardt was primarily a man of theater; he did it all from acting to directing to producing. He is today regarded as one of the, if not the most accomplished director of German language theater and he was a life-long devotee to all aspects theatrical performance and manegement--he tirelessly advocated for it, working right up his death day. And.. he did make a small number of films. Born Maximilian Goldmann in Baden in what is now the independent country of Austria to Hungarian Jewish immigrant parents who were in the merchant import/export business, young Max was captivated by the theater from a very young age. Despite taking acting lessons while still in school, when he finished school he went to work in a bank instead of the theater. His love of the theater was always paramount with him, but he most likely feared for his day job, when in 1890 he made his acting debut in a private setting under the name Max Reinhardt. Three years later, he made his formal public debut when the Salzburg City Theater was re-opened to performances. In 1894, he left Austria for Germany, settling--of course--in Berlin. He was accepted to join the prestigious Deutsches Theater. By 1901, he was a theater owner. He would go on to own and operate several theaters--including, eventually the Deutsches itself (he also professionally managed theaters at the same time--busy and successful!). Today his only film that has any name recognition not only was made in the 1930's, it was also made in Hollywood. But in 1910, Reinhardt (who legally changed his name in 1904) entered the film industry in Germany. His first foray into film was naturally as a director. Sumurûn was a film version of one his successful plays staged in Germany and that same production then toured the U.S. after the film's release. It was one of only four films that he directed (three of which were silents). His other two silent films were Die Insel der Seligen dating from 1913, and the experimental film A Venetian Night filmed in Venice and released in April of 1914. Additionally, one of his directed plays of the time period was likewise made into two films. The first of which was The Miracle, which was co-directed by French director Michel Carré and experimental photographer and cinematographer Cherry Kearton (of the Brothers Kearton fame). The second was a film by Romanian born actor/director Mime Misu--that film was Das Mirakel and was released in December of 1912. Reinhardt had a contract to make two more films that were never even staged, never mind filmed. Much later on, Reinhardt appeared in two films--both shorts. Only one of them--Camille--did he actually act in. It was a strange little film--a version of what we would call a home movie today--featuring some of the biggest names in Hollywood. It dates from 1926, though it was never released in it's day (it does however survive and has since been publicly screened). The other short is an installment of the little Life in Hollywood series; Reinhardt appeared in No. 5 which came out in 1927. Reinhardt would eventually come to the United States to stay, owed to his Jewish ancestry and the rise to power of the Nazi's in 1933. When he fled with his actress wife Else Heims (and young son who would also become a director), he had to leave behind his beloved residence Schloss (Castle) Leopoldskron which he had purchased in 1918 and lovingly renovated over the 20 years that he lived there. In Hollywood, he would make the film that he is famous for today. Like many things that he did in life, it was unconventional to say the least. A Midsummer Night's Dream was a playful take on one of Shakespeare's more whimsical plays, and it sported a VERY disparate cast that included: Olivia de Havilland, Dick Powell, Ian Hunter, Jean Muir and...wait for it...James Cagney. Though Reinhardt thereafter divided his time between the east and west coasts yearly, he went back to theater and, once again very successfully, and stayed there. He died suddenly (most probably from a stroke) on Halloween of 1943 in New York City at the age of 70. He is buried in a very ornate stand alone mausoleum at the posh Westchester Hills Cemetery, located in Hastings-on-Hudson in Westchester county, New York.
 |
| [source: Wikipedia] |
 |
| [source: Ginny M (Find A Grave)] |
No comments:
Post a Comment