Luise Fleck facts for kids
Luise Fleck (born August 1, 1873 – died March 15, 1950) was an important Austrian film director. Many people consider her the second female director in the world to make feature films, right after Alice Guy-Blaché. Her son, Walter Kolm-Veltée, also became a well-known film director.
Contents
Life
Early Life and Film Beginnings
Luise was born in Vienna, Austria. Her father, Louis Veltée, owned a "panopticon," which was like an early museum with wax figures and curiosities. Even as a child, Luise helped her father with his business.
In January 1910, Luise and her first husband, Anton Kolm, along with cameraman Jacob Fleck and her brother Claudius, started a film company. It was called the Erste österreichische Kinofilms-Industrie. This was the first major film production company in Austria. Luise's father also helped with money to start the company.
The company changed its name a few times. First, it became the Österreichisch-Ungarische Kinoindustrie GmbH. Then, in late 1911, it was renamed the Wiener Kunstfilm-Industrie.
Challenges and New Companies
The company's first films were short documentaries about Vienna and other parts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It was hard to compete because large French film companies controlled the Austrian market at that time.
When World War I began, the French companies left Austria. However, a new, very rich Austrian company called Sascha-Film became a strong competitor. During the war, Wiener Kunstfilm and Sascha-Film competed to make newsreels and propaganda films. Sascha-Film had more money and became the leader by 1918.
After the war, Austria faced economic problems. Wiener Kunstfilm had to close down. But Anton Kolm managed to get new money and restart the company as Vita-Film in 1919.
New film studios were planned in Mauer, Vienna. But in 1922, Anton and Luise Kolm and Jacob Fleck left Vita-Film because of disagreements with their financial supporters. Anton Kolm died later that year. Luise and Jacob Fleck married in 1924 and moved to Berlin in 1926.
Working in Germany and Return to Austria
In Germany, Luise Fleck and her husband worked for film companies in Berlin, like Liddy Hegewald and UFA. They made many films during this time, sometimes as many as nine in one year.
When Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933, Luise and Jacob returned to Vienna. Jacob Fleck was Jewish, so it was not safe for them in Germany. They continued to make films for "Hegewald-Film" in Vienna and Prague. Luise's son, Walter Kolm-Veltée, who had studied sound production, was officially in charge of directing some of these films.
In 1938, the Nazi Party took control of Austria in an event called the Anschluss. The Nazis also took control of the Austrian film industry. This meant Luise and Jacob could no longer work.
Exile in Shanghai
In 1938, Jacob Fleck was sent to Dachau concentration camp. He was released in 1940. After his release, he and Luise went to Shanghai to live in exile.
In Shanghai, they worked with the Chinese director Fei Mu. Together, they directed a film called Söhne und Töchter der Welt ("Sons and Daughters of the World"). This was a special collaboration because it was the only time Chinese and foreign filmmakers worked together on a film before the People's Republic of China was formed. The film first showed on October 4, 1941, in Shanghai.
Return to Austria
In 1947, Luise and Jacob Fleck returned to Vienna. They hoped to start making films again. A new film studio had just opened in Austria after the war. They did make a few films under the name of a new company called Neuer Wiener-Kunstfilm. However, their big comeback never fully happened. Luise Fleck died in 1950, and Jacob Fleck passed away three years later.
Works
Early Films and Themes
In 1911, Luise Fleck had her first official credit as a co-director for the film Die Glückspuppe ("Good Luck Doll"). Other dramas she directed that year included Der Dorftrottel ("The Village Idiot"), Tragödie eines Fabriksmädels ("Tragedy of a Factory Girl"), and Nur ein armer Knecht ("Just a Poor Fellow"). In 1913, she directed and produced "Der Psychiater" ("The Psychiatrist") and Das Proletarierherz ("The Proletarian Heart").
During World War I, she directed pro-Habsburg propaganda films. These included Mit Herz und Hand fürs Vaterland ("With Hand and Heart for the Fatherland") (1915) and Mit Gott für Kaiser und Reich ("With God for Kaiser and Reich") (1916).
Luise also adapted Austrian literature into films. Examples include Die Ahnfrau ("The Ancestress"), based on a play by Franz Grillparzer, and Lumpazivagabundus, both from 1919. Between 1911 and 1922, the year her husband Anton died, Luise directed over 45 films. Some believe the number was much higher.
Socially Critical Dramas
Luise Kolm, as she was known then, was mainly responsible for making socially critical dramas at her studio. These films explored issues like class differences and important ideas, which was different from what other film studios usually made.
An actor named Eduard Sekler, who worked for Wiener Kunstfilm, described her talents. He said, "Luise Kolm was a brilliant all-round talent while her husband Kolm just looked after the money - she did everything, she cut and spliced the films, wrote the intertitles and helped her brother in the laboratory. Without her drive and initiative it's doubtful if the firm could have remained in existence."
Later Works
Later films by Luise Fleck include the movie version of Arthur Schnitzler's play Flirtation in 1927, and When the Soldiers in 1931.
The Priest from Kirchfeld was released in 1937. This was Luise and Jacob Fleck's first sound film version of a famous play from 1870 by Ludwig Anzengruber. They had made two silent film versions before, in 1914 and 1926. This 1937 film was meant to be anti-Nazi and pro-Catholic "Austria propaganda." However, critics at the time did not see it that way.
Overall, Luise Fleck wrote at least 18 screenplays, directed 53 films, and produced 129 films. Some sources suggest even higher numbers, as her work was often not officially credited.
See also
In Spanish: Luise Fleck para niños
