Frank Wisbar
The Director of Ferryman Maria, from Germany to America and Back
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About the Book
German director Frank Wisbar (1899–1967) had the misfortune of achieving success as a filmmaker just as Hitler came to power. While critics praised his work, Nazi cultural watchdogs were scornful of his attempts to chart “the landscape of the soul” in films like Ferryman Maria (1936) and Anna and Elisabeth (1933). Wisbar fled to America, where Hollywood saw him as no more than a technician, good for churning out low-budget horror like Strangler of the Swamp (1945) and Devil Bat’s Daughter (1946).
A successful stint in early television allowed him to return home to a very different Germany, where he abandoned his earlier mystical themes to tackle questions of war and peace, tabloid journalism and racial conflict. The author examines the films and career of an under-appreciated auteur who ultimately lost faith in his own vision.
About the Author(s)
Bibliographic Details
Henry Nicolella
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 239
Bibliographic Info: 33 photos, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2018
pISBN: 978-1-4766-6688-4
eISBN: 978-1-4766-2976-6
Imprint: McFarland
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
Biography: The Stranger from the Other Shore 4
The Films and Television Programs
Im Bann des Eulenspiegels (Under the Spell of the Owl Mirror) (1932) 23
Anna und Elisabeth (Anna and Elisabeth) (1933) 29
Rivalen der Luft (Rivals of the Air) (1934) 48
Hermine und die seiben Aufrechten (Hermine and the Seven Upright Men) (1935) 56
Die Werft zum Grauen Hecht (The Grey Pikes Wharf) (1935) 62
Fährmann Maria (Ferryman Maria) (1936) 65
Die Unbekannte (The Unknown) (1936) 82
Ball im Metropol (Ball in Metropol) (1937) 94
Petermann ist dagegen! (Petermann Is Against It!) (1937) 98
Women in Bondage (1943) 104
Strangler of the Swamp (1946) 112
Devil Bat’s Daughter (1946) 120
Secrets of a Sorority Girl (1946) 129
Lighthouse (1947) 134
The Prairie (1948) 140
Madonna of the Desert (1948) 147
The Mozart Story (1948) 149
Rimfire (1949) 153
Fireside Theater (1949) 156
Haie und kleine Fische (Sharks and Little Fish) (1957) 166
Nasser Asphalt (Wet Asphalt) (1958) 170
Hunde, wollt ihr ewig leben? (Dogs, Do You Want to Live Forever?) (1959) 178
Nacht fiel über Gotenhafen (Darkness Fell on Gotenhafen) (1960) 183
Fabrik der Offiziere (The Officer Factory) (1960) 192
Barbara (1961) 196
Commando (1962) 205
Durchbruch Lok 234 (Breakthrough Locomotive 234) (1963) 209
West German TV 212
Bibliography 221
Index 223
