Maximillian Oppenheimer — known as
Max Ophüls — was an influential German-born
film directorA film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
who worked in Germany (1931–33), France (1933–40), the United States (1947–50), and France again (1950–57). He made nearly 30 films altogether, those from the last period being especially noted:
La RondeLa Ronde is a 1950 film directed by Max Ophüls and based on Arthur Schnitzler's 1897 play of the same name. The title means "the round-dance".The film was nominated for two Academy Awards; for Best Writing and Best Art Direction...
(1950),
Le PlaisirLe Plaisir , also known as House of Pleasure, is a French comedy-drama anthology film directed by Max Ophüls adapting three stories by Guy de Maupassant...
(1952),
The Earrings of Madame de...The Earrings of Madame de... is a 1953 drama film directed by Max Ophüls. It was adapted from Louise Leveque de Vilmorin's period novel.This film is considered as a masterpiece of the 1950s French cinema....
(1953) and
Lola MontèsLola Montès is an historical film, and the last film directed by Max Ophüls. The film is based loosely on the life of the 19th Century cabaret dancer Lola Montez — portrayed by Martine Carol — and tells the story of her numerous affairs, most notably with Franz Liszt and Ludwig I, King of Bavaria,...
(1955).
Youth and early career
Max Ophüls was the son of Leopold Oppenheimer, a Jewish textile manufacturer from
SaarbrückenSaarbrücken is the capital of the state of Saarland in Germany. The city is situated at the heart of a metropolitan area that borders on the west on Dillingen and to the north-east on Neunkirchen, where most of the people of the Saarland live....
and owner of several textile shops in Germany, and his wife Helen. He took the
pseudonymA pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
Ophüls during the early part of his theatrical career so that, should he fail, it wouldn't embarrass his father.
Initially envisioning an acting career, he started as a stage actor in 1919 and played at the
Aachen TheatreTheater Aachen is a theatre in Aachen, Germany. It is the principal venue in that city for operas, musical theatre, plays, and concerts. It is the home of the Aachen Symphony Orchestra. Construction on the original theatre began in 1822 and it opened on 15 May 1825...
from 1921 to 1923. He then worked as a theater director, becoming the first director at the city theater of
DortmundDortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union....
. Ophüls moved into
theatreTheatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
production in 1924. He became creative director of the
BurgtheaterThe Burgtheater , originally known as K.K. Theater an der Burg, then until 1918 as the K.K. Hofburgtheater, is the Austrian National Theatre in Vienna and one of the most important German language theatres in the world.The Burgtheater was created in 1741 and has become known as "die Burg" by the...
in
ViennaVienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
in 1926. Having had 200 plays to his credit, he turned to film production in 1929, when he became a dialogue director under
Anatole LitvakAnatole Litvak was a Ukrainian-born filmmaker who wrote, directed, and produced films in a various countries and languages...
at
UFAUniversum Film AG, better known as UFA or Ufa, is a film company that was the principal film studio in Germany, home of the German film industry during the Weimar Republic and through World War II, and a major force in world cinema from 1917 to 1945...
in Berlin. He worked throughout Germany and directed his first film in 1931, the comedy short
Dann schon lieber Lebertran (literally
In This Case, Rather Cod-Liver Oil).
Of his early films, the most acclaimed is
LiebeleiLiebelei is a German film directed by Max Ophüls. The film, based on a play of the same name by Arthur Schnitzler, describes an ill-fated love affair.-Plot:...
(1933), which included a number of the characteristic elements for which he was to become known: luxurious sets, a feminist attitude, and a duel between a younger and an older man.
It is at the Burgtheater of Vienna that Ophüls met Hilde Wall, an actress he married in 1926.
Exile and post-war career
Predicting the Nazi ascendancy, Ophüls, a Jew, fled to France in 1933 after the
Reichstag fireThe Reichstag fire was an arson attack on the Reichstag building in Berlin on 27 February 1933. The event is seen as pivotal in the establishment of Nazi Germany....
and became a French citizen in 1938. After the fall of France to Germany, he travelled through Switzerland and Italy to the USA in 1941, only to become inactive in Hollywood. He eventually received help from a longtime fan, director
Preston SturgesPreston Sturges , originally Edmund Preston Biden, was a celebrated playwright, screenwriter and film director born in Chicago, Illinois...
, and went on to direct a number of distinguished films.
His first Hollywood film was the
Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.Douglas Elton Fairbanks, Jr. KBE was an American actor and a highly decorated naval officer of World War II.-Early life:...
vehicle,
The ExileThe Exile is a film directed by Max Ophüls, starring Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and María Montez. The film is based on the novel His Majesty, the King: A Romantic Love Chase of the Seventeenth Century by Cosmo Hamilton.-Plot summary:...
(1947). Ophuls'
Letter from an Unknown WomanLetter from an Unknown Woman is a film directed by Max Ophüls. It was based on the novella of the same name, which was written by Stefan Zweig...
(1948), derived from a
Stefan ZweigStefan Zweig was an Austrian novelist, playwright, journalist and biographer. At the height of his literary career, in the 1920s and 1930s, he was one of the most famous writers in the world.- Biography :...
novella, is the most highly regarded of the American films.
CaughtCaught is an American dramatic film starring James Mason, Barbara Bel Geddes, and Robert Ryan, directed by Max Ophuls, and based on a novel by Libbie Block. Caught has been released on DVD in France and the UK....
(1949), and
The Reckless MomentThe Reckless Moment is a film noir melodrama directed by Max Ophüls, produced by Walter Wanger, and released by Columbia Pictures with Burnett Guffey as cinematographer. Starring Joan Bennett and James Mason, the film is based on The Blank Wall , a novel written by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding...
(1949) followed before his return to Europe in 1950.
Back in France he directed and collaborated on the adaptation of
SchnitzlerDr. Arthur Schnitzler was an Austrian author and dramatist.- Biography :Arthur Schnitzler, son of a prominent Hungarian-Jewish laryngologist Johann Schnitzler and Luise Markbreiter , was born in Praterstraße 16, Leopoldstadt, Vienna, in the Austro-Hungarian...
's
La RondeLa Ronde is a 1950 film directed by Max Ophüls and based on Arthur Schnitzler's 1897 play of the same name. The title means "the round-dance".The film was nominated for two Academy Awards; for Best Writing and Best Art Direction...
(1950), which won the 1951
BAFTA Award for Best FilmThis page lists the winners and nominees for the BAFTA Award for Best Film, BAFTA Award for Best Film not in the English Language and Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film for each year, in addition to the retired earlier versions of those awards...
, and
Lola MontèsLola Montès is an historical film, and the last film directed by Max Ophüls. The film is based loosely on the life of the 19th Century cabaret dancer Lola Montez — portrayed by Martine Carol — and tells the story of her numerous affairs, most notably with Franz Liszt and Ludwig I, King of Bavaria,...
(1955) starring
Martine Carol-Biography:Born Marie-Louise Jeanne Nicolle Mourer in Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, , she studied acting under René Simon , making her stage debut in 1940 and her first motion picture in 1943. One of the most beautiful women in film, she was frequently cast as an elegant blonde seductress...
and
Peter UstinovPeter Alexander Ustinov CBE was an English actor, writer and dramatist. He was also renowned as a filmmaker, theatre and opera director, stage designer, author, screenwriter, comedian, humourist, newspaper and magazine columnist, radio broadcaster and television presenter...
, as well as
Le PlaisirLe Plaisir , also known as House of Pleasure, is a French comedy-drama anthology film directed by Max Ophüls adapting three stories by Guy de Maupassant...
and
The Earrings of Madame de...The Earrings of Madame de... is a 1953 drama film directed by Max Ophüls. It was adapted from Louise Leveque de Vilmorin's period novel.This film is considered as a masterpiece of the 1950s French cinema....
(1953), the latter with
Danielle DarrieuxDanielle Yvonne Marie Antoinette Darrieux is a French actress and singer, who has appeared in more than 110 films since 1931. She is one of France's great movie stars and her eight-decade career is among the longest in film history....
and
Charles BoyerCharles Boyer was a French actor who appeared in more than 80 films between 1920 and 1976. After receiving an education in drama, Boyer started on the stage, but he found success in movies during the 1930s. His memorable performances were among the era's most highly praised romantic dramas,...
, which capped his career. Though he died from
rheumatic heart diseaseRheumatic fever is an inflammatory disease that occurs following a Streptococcus pyogenes infection, such as strep throat or scarlet fever. Believed to be caused by antibody cross-reactivity that can involve the heart, joints, skin, and brain, the illness typically develops two to three weeks after...
in Hamburg, while shooting interiors on
The Lovers of Montparnasse, Ophüls was buried in Le Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris. This final film was completed by his friend
Jacques BeckerJacques Becker was a French screenwriter and film director.Becker was born in Paris, in an upper class background. During the 1930s he worked as an assistant to director Jean Renoir during his peak period, which produced such cinematic masterpieces as Grand Illusion and The Rules of the Game...
.
Max Ophüls's son
Marcel OphülsMarcel Ophüls is a documentary film maker and former actor.He was born in Frankfurt, Germany, the son of the director Max Ophüls...
became a distinguished documentary-film maker.
Style
All his works feature his distinctive smooth camera movements, complex crane and dolly sweeps, and
tracking shotIn motion picture terminology, a tracking shot is a segment in which the camera is mounted on a camera dolly, a wheeled platform that is pushed on rails while the picture is being taken...
s, which influenced the young
Stanley KubrickStanley Kubrick was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career...
at the beginning of his filmmaking career.
Actor
James MasonJames Neville Mason was an English actor who attained stardom in both British and American films. Mason remained a powerful figure in the industry throughout his career and was nominated for three Academy Awards as well as three Golden Globes .- Early life :Mason was born in Huddersfield, in the...
, who worked with Ophüls on two films, wrote a short poem about the director's love for tracking shots and elaborate camera movements:
- A shot that does not call for tracks
- Is agony for poor old Max,
- Who, separated from his dolly,
- Is wrapped in deepest melancholy.
- Once, when they took away his crane,
- I thought he'd never smile again.
Filmography
| Year |
Title |
English title |
Country |
Notes |
| 1931 |
Dann schon lieber Lebertran |
I'd Rather Have Cod Liver Oil |
Germany |
|
| 1931 |
Die verliebte Firma |
The Company's in Love |
Germany |
Short film |
| 1932 |
Die verkaufte Braut |
The Bartered Bride |
Germany |
|
| 1933 |
Liebelei Liebelei is a German film directed by Max Ophüls. The film, based on a play of the same name by Arthur Schnitzler, describes an ill-fated love affair.-Plot:...
|
|
Germany |
|
| 1933 |
Une histoire d'amour |
Love Story |
France |
|
| 1933 |
Lachende Erben Lachende Erben is a 1933 German comedy film. The premiere was on March 6, 1933....
|
Laughing Heirs |
Germany |
|
| 1933 |
On a volé un homme |
Man Stolen |
France |
|
| 1934 |
La Signora Di Tutti La signora di tutti or Everybody's Woman is an Italian drama film directed by Max Ophüls, and starring Isa Miranda. It is the only film Max Ophüls made in Italy. The film was a success and Isa Miranda became a star.-Plot:...
|
Everybody's Woman |
Italy |
|
| 1935 |
Divine |
|
France |
|
| 1936 |
Komedie om geld |
The Trouble With Money |
Netherlands |
|
| 1936 |
Ave Maria |
|
France |
DocumentaryDocumentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
/ Short film |
| 1936 |
La tendre ennemie |
The Tender Enemy |
France |
|
| 1936 |
Valse brillante de Chopin |
|
France |
DocumentaryDocumentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
/ Short film |
| 1937 |
Yoshiwara |
|
France |
|
| 1938 |
Werther |
|
France |
|
| 1939 |
Sans lendemain |
Without Tomorrow |
France |
|
| 1940 |
L'école des femmes |
|
France |
|
| 1940 |
De Mayerling à Sarajevo |
From Mayerling to Sarajevo |
France |
|
| 1946 |
Vendetta Vendetta is a 1950 film based on the 1840 novella Colomba by Prosper Mérimée, about a young Corsican girl who pushes her brother to kill to avenge their father's murder....
|
|
United States |
Fired during filming |
| 1947 |
The Exile The Exile is a film directed by Max Ophüls, starring Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and María Montez. The film is based on the novel His Majesty, the King: A Romantic Love Chase of the Seventeenth Century by Cosmo Hamilton.-Plot summary:...
|
|
United States |
|
| 1948 |
Letter from an Unknown Woman Letter from an Unknown Woman is a film directed by Max Ophüls. It was based on the novella of the same name, which was written by Stefan Zweig...
|
|
United States |
|
| 1949 |
Caught |
|
United States |
|
| 1949 |
The Reckless MomentThe Reckless Moment is a film noir melodrama directed by Max Ophüls, produced by Walter Wanger, and released by Columbia Pictures with Burnett Guffey as cinematographer. Starring Joan Bennett and James Mason, the film is based on The Blank Wall , a novel written by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding...
|
|
United States |
|
| 1950 |
La Ronde La Ronde is a 1950 film directed by Max Ophüls and based on Arthur Schnitzler's 1897 play of the same name. The title means "the round-dance".The film was nominated for two Academy Awards; for Best Writing and Best Art Direction...
|
Roundabout |
France |
|
| 1952 |
Le Plaisir Le Plaisir , also known as House of Pleasure, is a French comedy-drama anthology film directed by Max Ophüls adapting three stories by Guy de Maupassant...
|
|
France |
Nominated for an Academy Award |
| 1953 |
Madame de... The Earrings of Madame de... is a 1953 drama film directed by Max Ophüls. It was adapted from Louise Leveque de Vilmorin's period novel.This film is considered as a masterpiece of the 1950s French cinema....
|
The Earrings of Madame de... |
France |
|
| 1955 |
Lola Montès Lola Montès is an historical film, and the last film directed by Max Ophüls. The film is based loosely on the life of the 19th Century cabaret dancer Lola Montez — portrayed by Martine Carol — and tells the story of her numerous affairs, most notably with Franz Liszt and Ludwig I, King of Bavaria,...
|
|
France |
Eastmancolor film |
| 1958 |
Les Amants de Montparnasse |
The Lovers of Montparnasse |
France |
Died during filming |
External links
- Dossier about Max Ophüls (edited by Toni D'Angela), on La furia umana, n° 9, 2011, texts (english, french, italian) by Raymond Bellour, Chris Fujiwara, Leland Monk, Gaylyn Studlar, Susan M. White, Alain Masson, and others. http://www.lafuriaumana.it/index.php/archive/58-la-furia-umana-nd9-summer-2011/425-la-furia-umana9
- Max Ophuls Bibliography (via UC Berkeley Media Resources Center)
- Senses of Cinema Essay by Tag Gallagher
- Max Ophüls Award