Ernő Metzner
Ernő Metzner ( born February 25, 1892 in Subotica, Austria - Hungary, † September 25, 1953 in Hollywood, California ) was an art director and director.
Life
After studying art in Budapest, he worked as a painter and graphic artist. In 1920 he came to Germany and started its activities in Berlin for the film. As an art director and production designer, he is responsible for the equipment of productions known directors such as Ernst Lubitsch ( Sumurun, The Loves of Pharaoh ), Robert Wiene ( INRI ) and Karl Grune ( Arabella ) (co) responsible. From Secrets of a Soul (1926 ) to one in the 1930s continued and close cooperation with Georg Wilhelm Pabst developed. Metzner is art director of all major Pabst films of the period. For the film, camaraderie (1931 ) Metzner be realistic looking mine tunnels built in the studio.
1928 Erno Metzner began to direct the film himself. His first films are short documentaries produced by the SPD. Further work in 1928, including the film Hotel Secrets (together with Friedrich Fehér ) were obtained from the Derussa ( German - Russian Film Alliance ) sold.
The artistic highlight of Metzner's own film Regieen is also incurred in 1928 experimental short film Police report robbery, one of the classics of German and international film avant-garde. The film with only an intermediate title in 1929, banned by the Board of Film as " brutalizing and demoralizing ," rejected the appeal against the decision of the producers of the Oberprüfstelle. In addition to the Director Metzner also wrote the screenplay with his wife, Grace Chiang. Film historians considered the film due to the linkage of avant-garde style means ( caricatures ) and cinematic realism as significant. As an experimental film he stands in line with the resulting in the same year Buñuel film Un Chien Andalou.
1933 emigrated Metzner through France to England, where he again together with Feher created the artistically ambitious film Robber Symphony in the following winter. 1936 's Metzner with his family in the U.S., but there can only occasionally find work as production designer in the film.