Otto Kanturek
Encyclopedia
Otto Kanturek was an Austrian cameraman, cinematographer and film director.
in Paris
filming newsreels for Pathé
, Gaumont and Éclair
. In 1914 he went to Milan
to work for Milano-Film, then in 1915 to work with Sascha-Film
in Vienna and with Alexander Korda
in Budapest
. In 1916 he was conscripted and was seconded to the special photographic services. During the First World War he also made his debut as Chief Cameraman.
In 1920 he moved to Berlin
and spent the 1920s working on several films, including Fritz Lang
's Frau im Mond
. After the Nazis seized power in Germany in 1933, he left Germany for Vienna and Prague, where he directed the film Das Häuschen in Grinzing. In 1933 he came to London, where he finally settled and continued his work as a cameraman, including on Blossom Time
(known in German as Du bist mein Herz) with Richard Tauber
. He also worked as a director on the romantic comedy The Student's Romance. He died whilst filming the aerial shots for A Yank in the RAF
from an Avro Anson
, when it collided with a Hawker Hurricane
.
Life
He trained at the Graphischen Lehr- und Versuchsanstalt in Vienna and, after a voluntary internship for Gaumont Newsreels, he became an assistant film cameraman with them in 1912 and the following year got a post with the producer Erich PommerErich Pommer
Erich Pommer was a German-born film producer and executive. He was involved in the German Expressionist film movement during the silent era as the head of production at Decla, Decla-Bioscop and from 1924 to 1926 at Ufa responsible for many of the best known movies of the Weimar Republic such as...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
filming newsreels for Pathé
Pathé
Pathé or Pathé Frères is the name of various French businesses founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France.-History:...
, Gaumont and Éclair
Eclair (camera)
Éclair was a film production, film laboratory and movie camera manufacturing company established in Épinay-sur-Seine, France by Charles Jourjon in 1907....
. In 1914 he went to Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
to work for Milano-Film, then in 1915 to work with Sascha-Film
Sascha-Film
Sascha-Film, in full Sascha-Filmindustrie AG and from 1933 Tobis-Sascha-Filmindustrie AG, was the largest Austrian film production company of the silent film and early sound film period.-History:...
in Vienna and with Alexander Korda
Alexander Korda
Sir Alexander Korda was a Hungarian-born British producer and film director. He was a leading figure in the British film industry, the founder of London Films and the owner of British Lion Films, a film distributing company.-Life and career:The elder brother of filmmakers Zoltán Korda and Vincent...
in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
. In 1916 he was conscripted and was seconded to the special photographic services. During the First World War he also made his debut as Chief Cameraman.
In 1920 he moved to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and spent the 1920s working on several films, including Fritz Lang
Fritz Lang
Friedrich Christian Anton "Fritz" Lang was an Austrian-American filmmaker, screenwriter, and occasional film producer and actor. One of the best known émigrés from Germany's school of Expressionism, he was dubbed the "Master of Darkness" by the British Film Institute...
's Frau im Mond
Frau im Mond
Woman in the Moon is a science fiction silent film that premiered October 15, 1929. It is often considered to be one of the first "serious" science fiction films...
. After the Nazis seized power in Germany in 1933, he left Germany for Vienna and Prague, where he directed the film Das Häuschen in Grinzing. In 1933 he came to London, where he finally settled and continued his work as a cameraman, including on Blossom Time
Blossom Time (film)
Blossom Time is a 1934 British musical drama film directed by Paul L. Stein and starring Richard Tauber, Jane Baxter and Carl Esmond. It was based on the opera Blossom Time by Heinrich Berte. In nineteenth century Vienna, a composer assists a girl who he is secretly in love with.-Cast:* Richard...
(known in German as Du bist mein Herz) with Richard Tauber
Richard Tauber
Richard Tauber was an Austrian tenor acclaimed as one of the greatest singers of the 20th century. Some critics commented that "his heart felt every word he sang".-Early life:...
. He also worked as a director on the romantic comedy The Student's Romance. He died whilst filming the aerial shots for A Yank in the RAF
A Yank in the RAF
A Yank in the RAF is a black-and-white 1941 movie directed by Henry King, and is considered a typical early-World War II movie.-Plot Summary:...
from an Avro Anson
Avro Anson
The Avro Anson is a British twin-engine, multi-role aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force, Fleet Air Arm and numerous other air forces prior to, during, and after the Second World War. Named for British Admiral George Anson, it was originally designed for maritime reconnaissance, but was...
, when it collided with a Hawker Hurricane
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...
.
Filmography
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The Wrecker (1928 film) The Wrecker is a 74 minute silent film made in 1928 . The film was based on the play of the same title by Arnold Ridley. It was produced by Michael Balcon for Gainsborough Pictures, directed by Hungarian Géza von Bolváry and starred Carlyle Blackwell, Joseph Striker and Benita Hume. A... ) Frau im Mond Woman in the Moon is a science fiction silent film that premiered October 15, 1929. It is often considered to be one of the first "serious" science fiction films... Blossom Time (film) Blossom Time is a 1934 British musical drama film directed by Paul L. Stein and starring Richard Tauber, Jane Baxter and Carl Esmond. It was based on the opera Blossom Time by Heinrich Berte. In nineteenth century Vienna, a composer assists a girl who he is secretly in love with.-Cast:* Richard... (Du bist mein Herz) Over She Goes Over She Goes is a 1938 British musical comedy film directed by Graham Cutts and starring Stanley Lupino, Claire Luce, Gina Malo and Max Baer. It was based on a play by Lupino... Premiere (film) Premiere is a 1938 British mystery film directed by Walter Summers and starring John Lodge, Judy Kelly, Joan Marion, Hugh Williams and Edward Chapman... Shipyard Sally Shipyard Sally is a 1939 British musical comedy film directed by Monty Banks and starring Gracie Fields, Sydney Howard, Norma Varden, Morton Selten and Joan Cowick. Sally, a failed music hall performer, and her father take over a pub near the John Brown & Company shipyard at Clydebank... Girl in the News Girl in the News is a 1940 British thriller film directed by Carol Reed and starring Margaret Lockwood, Barry K. Barnes and Emlyn Williams.-Cast:* Margaret Lockwood - Anne Graham* Barry K... So This Is London (1939 film) So This Is London is a 1939 British comedy film directed by Thornton Freeland and starring Robertson Hare, Alfred Drayton and George Sanders. It is adapted from a play by Arthur Goodrich... |