Kurt Maetzig facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kurt Maetzig
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Maetzig at a screening of the film Ernst Thälmann – Führer seiner Klasse in 1955.
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| Born | 25 January 1911 |
| Died | 8 August 2012 (aged 101) Wildkuhl, Mecklenburg, Germany
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| Occupation | Film director |
Kurt Maetzig (born January 25, 1911 – died August 8, 2012) was a famous German film director. He played a very important role in the film industry of East Germany. Many people saw him as one of the most respected filmmakers in that country. After he stopped working, he lived in a place called Wildkuhl in Mecklenburg. He had three children.
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Kurt Maetzig: A Film Director's Story
Early Life and Education
Kurt Maetzig was born and grew up in Charlottenburg, a part of Berlin. His father owned a factory that made film copies. This gave Kurt an early look into how films were made. During the First World War, he stayed with his grandmother in Hamburg.
After the war, he returned to Berlin and finished high school. He then went to the Technical University of Munich (TUM). There, he studied chemistry, engineering, and economics. He also spent a year studying sociology, psychology, and law at the Sorbonne in Paris.
Starting in Film Production
In the late 1920s, Kurt worked at his father's factory during school breaks. This helped him learn about all parts of making films. By 1932, he started making his own films. Three years later, he even had his own workshop for cartoons. He also created titles and opening credits for short films.
Career as a Filmmaker
In 1935, Kurt Maetzig earned his PhD from TUM. His research paper was about how film-copying businesses kept their accounts. He then worked for different companies, including his father's. He focused on film technology and how chemicals were used in film. He also taught about copying films and solving problems with sound and color.
However, in 1937, his work permit was taken away. This happened because of new laws passed in Germany at the time. His mother had Jewish heritage, which meant he was not allowed to work in the film industry anymore.
Post-War Work and DEFA
During the Second World War, Maetzig joined a secret political group called the Communist Party of Germany in 1944. After the war, he moved back to Berlin. In 1945, he helped start a group called "Filmaktiv." Their goal was to restart film production in Germany.
In 1947, he joined DEFA, a new state-owned film studio. He worked there as a director, making both documentaries and feature films. By 1946, he became DEFA's artistic director. He was also the first director and editor of a weekly news program called "Der Augenzeuge" (which means The Eyewitness in English).
Notable Films and Challenges
Maetzig's first feature film was Ehe im Schatten (Marriage in the Shadows), released in 1947. It was very popular, with over 12 million people watching it. Other well-known films he directed include Die Buntkarierten (1949), which was shown at the 1949 Cannes Film Festival. He also made the Ernst Thälmann films (1954–55) and the science fiction movie Der schweigende Stern (1960).
Some of Maetzig's films, especially the two-part series about Ernst Thälmann, were seen as supporting the government's ideas. However, many of his films made between 1965 and 1966 were actually banned by the East German authorities. For example, his film Das Kaninchen bin ich (The Rabbit is Me) (1965) was one of twelve films banned. These films were considered too critical of the social problems within East Germany by the ruling political party.
Kurt Maetzig stopped working as a film director in 1976. He passed away on August 8, 2012, in Wildkuhl, Mecklenburg.
Other Important Roles
From 1954 to 1964, Maetzig was the first president of the German University of Cinema in Potsdam-Babelsberg. He also taught there as a professor of stage direction. From 1967 to 1988, he was an important member of the GDR Federation of Film and Television Producers. In 1974, he became the vice-president of the International Federation of Cinema Clubs.
He also led the GDR National Film Festival four times between 1980 and 1990. Since 1950, he was a member of the Academy of Arts, Berlin, where many of his works are kept. He was also a judge at several international film festivals, including the 8th Moscow International Film Festival in 1973, the 11th Moscow International Film Festival in 1979, and the 33rd Berlin International Film Festival in 1983.
Filmography
- 1946: Der Augenzeuge (weekly newsreel)
- 1946: Berlin im Aufbau (documentary)
- 1946: Musikalischer Besuch (documentary)
- 1946: 1.Mai 1946 (documentary)
- 1946: Leipziger Messe 1946 (documentary)
- 1946: Einheit SPD – KPD (documentary)
- 1947: Marriage in the Shadows
- 1949: Girls in Gingham
- 1950: The Council of the Gods
- 1950: Immer bereit (documentary)
- 1950: The Benthin Family (co-directors: Slatan Dudow, Richard Groschopp)
- 1951: Die Sonnenbrucks
- 1952: Story of a Young Couple
- 1954: Ernst Thälmann - Sohn seiner Klasse
- 1955: Ernst Thälmann - Führer seiner Klasse
- 1957: Castles and Cottages
- 1957: Don't Forget My Little Traudel
- 1958: The Sailor's Song
- 1960: First Spaceship on Venus
- 1961: September Love
- 1961: Der Traum des Hauptmann Loy
- 1961: Der Schatten
- 1963: An französischen Kaminen
- 1964: Preludio 11
- 1965: The Rabbit Is Me
- 1967: Das Mädchen auf dem Brett
- 1967: The Banner of Krivoi Rog
- 1970: Aus unserer Zeit
- 1972: Januskopf
- 1976: Mann gegen Mann
Awards and Recognition
Kurt Maetzig received many awards for his work in film:
- 1949 Bambi (prize) for Ehe im Schatten
- 1949 National Preis II. Klasse for Ehe im Schatten and Die Buntkarierten (with others)
- 1950 National Preis I. Klasse for Der Rat der Götter (with others)
- 1954 National Preis I. Klasse for Ernst Thälmann - Sohn seiner Klasse (with others)
- 1959 National Preis II. Klasse for Das Lied der Matrosen (with others)
- 1961 Vaterländischer Verdienstorden in Silver
- 1968 National Preis I. Klasse for Die Fahne von Kriwoj Rog (with others)
- 1986 Findling Award for his life's work
- 1986 Vaterländischer Verdienstorden in Gold
See also
In Spanish: Kurt Maetzig para niños
