Thea von Harbou
Encyclopedia
Thea Gabriele von Harbou (December 27, 1888 – July 1, 1954) was a German
actress, author and film director of Prussia
n aristocratic origin. She was born in Tauperlitz
in the Kingdom of Bavaria
.
, then moving to Weimar
(1908), Chemnitz
(1911) and Aachen
(1913). In Aachen she met her first husband, the actor
and director Rudolf Klein-Rogge
, whom she married in 1914.
In 1920, she wrote her first film script Das Indische Grabmal (The Indian Tomb, Mysteries of India), together with Fritz Lang
based on her novel The Indian Tomb. Fritz Lang became her second husband in 1922, and they collaborated in the following years, writing the screenplays for Metropolis and M
together (Metropolis being based upon a novella she wrote in 1925). They separated in October 1931 and divorced in 1933.
came to power, she joined the National Socialist German Workers (Nazi) Party
, which presumably led to the divorce from Lang, who left Germany in 1934 for Paris after his film The Testament of Dr. Mabuse
had been banned by the Nazi government. Fritz Lang's mother, although religiously a convert to Catholicism
, was of Jewish extraction (see The Religious Affiliation of Director Fritz Lang).
In 1934
, she wrote a cinematic adaptation of Gerhart Hauptmann
's play The Assumption of Hannele
, which she also directed.
Harbou wrote the script for Der Herrscher
(1937), directed by Veit Harlan
and starring Emil Jannings
. The movie celebrates unconditional submission under absolute authority, eventually finding reward in total victory.
she was detained by the British
military government, and then did unskilled labor, such as cleaning up rubble from the bombing. After receiving a working permit she did some dubbing of movies, but also continued to write scripts.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
actress, author and film director of Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n aristocratic origin. She was born in Tauperlitz
Döhlau
Döhlau is a municipality in Upper Franconia in the district of Hof in Bavaria in Germany....
in the Kingdom of Bavaria
Kingdom of Bavaria
The Kingdom of Bavaria was a German state that existed from 1806 to 1918. The Bavarian Elector Maximilian IV Joseph of the House of Wittelsbach became the first King of Bavaria in 1806 as Maximilian I Joseph. The monarchy would remain held by the Wittelsbachs until the kingdom's dissolution in 1918...
.
Early work
In 1905, she published her first novel in the Deutsche Roman-Zeitung. However, she then started to work as an actress, beginning in 1906 in DüsseldorfDüsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
, then moving to Weimar
Weimar
Weimar is a city in Germany famous for its cultural heritage. It is located in the federal state of Thuringia , north of the Thüringer Wald, east of Erfurt, and southwest of Halle and Leipzig. Its current population is approximately 65,000. The oldest record of the city dates from the year 899...
(1908), Chemnitz
Chemnitz
Chemnitz is the third-largest city of the Free State of Saxony, Germany. Chemnitz is an independent city which is not part of any county and seat of the government region Direktionsbezirk Chemnitz. Located in the northern foothills of the Ore Mountains, it is a part of the Saxon triangle...
(1911) and Aachen
Aachen
Aachen has historically been a spa town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Aachen was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the Kings of Germany. Geographically, Aachen is the westernmost town of Germany, located along its borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, ...
(1913). In Aachen she met her first husband, the actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and director Rudolf Klein-Rogge
Rudolf Klein-Rogge
Friedrich Rudolf Klein-Rogge was a German film actor. Klein-Rogge is known for playing sinister figures in films in the 1920s and 1930s as well as being a main-stay in director Fritz Lang's Weimar-era films.- Biography :...
, whom she married in 1914.
Writing and relationship with 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...
based on her novel The Indian Tomb. Fritz Lang became her second husband in 1922, and they collaborated in the following years, writing the screenplays for Metropolis and M
M (1931 film)
M is a 1931 German drama-thriller directed by Fritz Lang and written by Lang and his wife Thea von Harbou. It was Lang's first sound film, although he had directed more than a dozen films previously....
together (Metropolis being based upon a novella she wrote in 1925). They separated in October 1931 and divorced in 1933.
Fallout with Fritz Lang
In 1932, a year before Adolf HitlerAdolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
came to power, she joined the National Socialist German Workers (Nazi) Party
National Socialist German Workers Party
The National Socialist German Workers' Party , commonly known in English as the Nazi Party, was a political party in Germany between 1920 and 1945. Its predecessor, the German Workers' Party , existed from 1919 to 1920...
, which presumably led to the divorce from Lang, who left Germany in 1934 for Paris after his film The Testament of Dr. Mabuse
The Testament of Dr. Mabuse
The Testament of Dr. Mabuse is a 1933 German crime film directed by Fritz Lang. The movie is a sequel to Lang's silent film Dr. Mabuse the Gambler and features many cast and crew members from Lang's previous films. The film features Rudolf Klein-Rogge as Dr. Mabuse who is in an insane asylum...
had been banned by the Nazi government. Fritz Lang's mother, although religiously a convert to Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
, was of Jewish extraction (see The Religious Affiliation of Director Fritz Lang).
In 1934
1934 in film
-Events:*January 26 - Samuel Goldwyn purchases the film rights to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz from the L. Frank Baum estate for $40,000.*February 19 - Bob Hope marries Dolores Reade...
, she wrote a cinematic adaptation of Gerhart Hauptmann
Gerhart Hauptmann
Gerhart Hauptmann was a German dramatist and novelist who received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1912.-Life and work:...
's play The Assumption of Hannele
The Assumption of Hannele
The Assumption of Hannele , also known simply as Hannele, is an 1893 play by the German playwright Gerhart Hauptmann. In contrast to Hauptmann's naturalistic dramas, The Assumption of Hannele adopts a more symbolist dramaturgy and includes a dream sequence. The play is the first in world literature...
, which she also directed.
Harbou wrote the script for Der Herrscher
Der Herrscher
Der Herrscher is a 1937 German film directed by Veit Harlan. It was a propagandist demonstration of the Führerprinzip of Nazi Germany.-Plot:...
(1937), directed by Veit Harlan
Veit Harlan
Veit Harlan was a German film director and actor.-Life and career:Harlan was born in Berlin. After studying under Max Reinhardt, he first appeared on the stage in 1915 and, after World War I, worked in the Berlin stage. In 1922 he married Jewish actress and cabaret singer Dora Gerson; the couple...
and starring Emil Jannings
Emil Jannings
Emil Jannings was a German actor. He was not only the first actor to win the Academy Award for Best Actor, but also the first person to be presented an Oscar...
. The movie celebrates unconditional submission under absolute authority, eventually finding reward in total victory.
Post World War II
After the warWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
she was detained by the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
military government, and then did unskilled labor, such as cleaning up rubble from the bombing. After receiving a working permit she did some dubbing of movies, but also continued to write scripts.
Scripts (selection)
- Destiny (1921) directed by Fritz Lang
- PhantomPhantom (1922 film)Phantom is a silent film that was directed by F. W. Murnau the same year Murnau directed Nosferatu. It is an example of German Expressionist film and has a surreal, dreamlike quality.-Plot summary:The film is told in an extended flashback...
(1922) directed by F. W. Murnau - The Expulsion (1923) directed by F. W. Murnau
- The Grand Duke's FinancesThe Grand Duke's FinancesGrand Duke's Finances is a 1924 silent German comedy film directed by F. W. Murnau.-Cast:* Alfred Abel - Philipp Collins* Mady Christians - Großfürstin Olga von Rußland* Adolphe Engers - Don Esteban Paqueno* Julius Falkenstein - Ernst Isaacs...
(1924) directed by F. W. Murnau - MichaelMichael (1924 film)Michael was a silent film released in 1924, directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer, director of other notable silents such as The Passion of Joan of Arc , Master of the House , and Leaves from Satan's Book...
(1924) directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer - Dr. Mabuse, der SpielerDr. Mabuse, der SpielerDr. Mabuse the Gambler is the first film in the Dr. Mabuse series, about the character Doctor Mabuse who featured in the novels of Norbert Jacques. It was directed by Fritz Lang and released in 1922. The film is silent and filmed mostly 16 frames per second. It would be followed by The Testament...
(Dr. Mabuse, King of Crime) (1922) - Die Nibelungen: Siegfried (Siegfried's Death) (1924)
- Die Nibelungen: Kriemhilds Rache (Kriemhilde's Revenge) (1924)
- MetropolisMetropolis (film)Metropolis is a 1927 German expressionist film in the science-fiction genre directed by Fritz Lang. Produced in Germany during a stable period of the Weimar Republic, Metropolis is set in a futuristic urban dystopia and makes use of this context to explore the social crisis between workers and...
(1927) - SpioneSpioneSpione is a German silent espionage thriller written and directed by Fritz Lang in 1928. Lang's wife, Thea von Harbou, worked as a co-writer. The film was Lang's penultimate silent film, and the first for his own production company; Fritz Lang-film GmbH. As in Lang's Mabuse films, such as Dr...
(Spies) (1928) - Frau im MondFrau im MondWoman 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...
(Woman in the Moon), from her novel Die Frau im MondDie Frau im MondDie Frau im Mond is a science fiction novel written in 1928 by Thea von Harbou, about a fictitious moon mission. The book was turned into a movie one year later by Fritz Lang, Thea's husband. The movie was titled Frau Im Mond ....
(1929) - MM (1931 film)M is a 1931 German drama-thriller directed by Fritz Lang and written by Lang and his wife Thea von Harbou. It was Lang's first sound film, although he had directed more than a dozen films previously....
(1931) - The Testament of Dr. MabuseThe Testament of Dr. MabuseThe Testament of Dr. Mabuse is a 1933 German crime film directed by Fritz Lang. The movie is a sequel to Lang's silent film Dr. Mabuse the Gambler and features many cast and crew members from Lang's previous films. The film features Rudolf Klein-Rogge as Dr. Mabuse who is in an insane asylum...
(1933) - Dr. HollDr. HollDr. Holl is a 1951 German drama film directed by Rolf Hansen. At the 1st Berlin International Film Festival it won the Certificate of Honour award.-Cast:* Maria Schell - Angelika Alberti* Dieter Borsche - Dr...
(1951)
Novels
- Deutsche Roman-Zeitung
- The Indian Tomb
- Metropolis
- Die Frau im MondDie Frau im MondDie Frau im Mond is a science fiction novel written in 1928 by Thea von Harbou, about a fictitious moon mission. The book was turned into a movie one year later by Fritz Lang, Thea's husband. The movie was titled Frau Im Mond ....