Sybille Schmitz
Encyclopedia
Sybille Schmitz was a German
actress.
and got her first engagement at Max Reinhardt
's Deutsches Theater
in Berlin in 1927. Only one year later, she made her film debut with Freie Fahrt (1928), which attracted her first attention from the critics. Her other early movies include Pabst
's Diary of a Lost Girl
(1929), Dreyer's
Vampyr
(1932), and eventually F.P.1
(1932), where she played her first leading role.
Schmitz established herself as a prominent actress in the German cinema with the films which followed including Der Herr der Welt (1934), Abschiedswalzer (1934), Ein idealer Gatte (1935), and Fährmann Maria (1936). She also had roles in Die Umwege des schönen Karl (1937), Der Tanz auf dem Vulkan (1938), Die Frau ohne Vergangenheit (1939), Trenck, der Pandur (1940) and Titanic
(1943).
After World War II
, Schmitz was shunned by the German film community for continuously working during the Third Reich, and it became difficult for her to land roles. She appeared in supporting roles in such movies as Zwischen gestern und morgen (1947), Sensation im Savoy (1950), and Illusion in Moll (1952), but was beset with alcoholism, drug abuse, depression, several suicide attempts and the committal to a psychiatric clinic. Her self-destructive behavior and numerous affairs with both men and women further alienated Sybille from the film industry and her own husband, screenwriter Harald G. Petersson.
Ironically, the last film she made less than two years before taking her own life (1953's Das Haus an der Küste, now considered a lost film) had Sybille's character committing suicide as a last act of desperation.
with an overdose of sleeping pills, she was 45 years old. At the time of her death, Sybille had been living in Munich
with a woman named Ursula Mortiz, a physician who allegedly sold her morphine
at an inflated rate and kept Sybille doped up while squandering the little funds she had available to her. Schimtz's family claimed that once the actress proved to be of no use to Moritz, the "good doctor" facilitated her suicide. One year after Sybille Schmitz's death, charges were filed against Dr. Mortiz for improper medical treatment.
's 1982 movie Die Sehnsucht der Veronika Voss.
In 2000, she was the topic of a documentary about her life and career, titled Tanz mit dem Tod: Der Ufa-Star
Sybille Schimtz (English: Dance with Death: The Ufa Star Sybille Schmitz), written and directed by Achim Podak.
Both the documentary and the Fassbinder film are available on the Criterion
DVD
release of Veronika Voss.
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.
Biography
Schmitz attended an acting school in CologneCologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
and got her first engagement at Max Reinhardt
Max Reinhardt
----Max Reinhardt was an Austrian theater and film director and actor.-Biography:...
's Deutsches Theater
Deutsches Theater
The Deutsches Theater in Berlin is a well-known German theatre. It was built in 1850 as Friedrich-Wilhelm-Städtisches Theater, after Frederick William IV of Prussia. Located on Schumann Street , the Deutsches Theater consists of two adjoining stages that share a common, classical facade...
in Berlin in 1927. Only one year later, she made her film debut with Freie Fahrt (1928), which attracted her first attention from the critics. Her other early movies include Pabst
Georg Wilhelm Pabst
-Biography:Pabst was born in Raudnitz, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary , the son of a railroad employee.Returning from the United States, he was in France when World War I began...
's Diary of a Lost Girl
Diary of a Lost Girl
Diary of a Lost Girl is a 1929 silent film directed by Georg Wilhelm Pabst and starring the American silent star Louise Brooks. It is shot in black and white, and various versions of the film range from 79 minutes to 116 minutes in length. This was Brooks' second and last film with Pabst, and...
(1929), Dreyer's
Carl Theodor Dreyer
Carl Theodor Dreyer, Jr. was a Danish film director. He is regarded by many critics and filmmakers as one of the greatest directors in cinema.-Life:Dreyer was born illegitimate in Copenhagen, Denmark...
Vampyr
Vampyr
Vampyr is a 1932 horror film directed by Danish director Carl Theodor Dreyer. The film was written by Dreyer and Christen Jul based on elements from J. Sheridan Le Fanu's collection of supernatural stories In a Glass Darkly. Vampyr was funded by Nicolas de Gunzburg who starred in the film under...
(1932), and eventually F.P.1
F.P.1
F.P.1 antwortet nicht, or F.P.1 Doesn't Respond was the name of a novel written by noted science fiction and fantasy writer/director Kurt Siodmak, best known as the creator of The Wolf Man....
(1932), where she played her first leading role.
Schmitz established herself as a prominent actress in the German cinema with the films which followed including Der Herr der Welt (1934), Abschiedswalzer (1934), Ein idealer Gatte (1935), and Fährmann Maria (1936). She also had roles in Die Umwege des schönen Karl (1937), Der Tanz auf dem Vulkan (1938), Die Frau ohne Vergangenheit (1939), Trenck, der Pandur (1940) and Titanic
Titanic (1943 film)
Titanic was a 1943 Nazi propaganda film made during World War II in Berlin by Tobis Productions for UFA, which was later banned from Nazi Germany by Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels. The film used the sinking of the RMS Titanic as a setting for an attempt to discredit British and American...
(1943).
After World War II
World 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...
, Schmitz was shunned by the German film community for continuously working during the Third Reich, and it became difficult for her to land roles. She appeared in supporting roles in such movies as Zwischen gestern und morgen (1947), Sensation im Savoy (1950), and Illusion in Moll (1952), but was beset with alcoholism, drug abuse, depression, several suicide attempts and the committal to a psychiatric clinic. Her self-destructive behavior and numerous affairs with both men and women further alienated Sybille from the film industry and her own husband, screenwriter Harald G. Petersson.
Ironically, the last film she made less than two years before taking her own life (1953's Das Haus an der Küste, now considered a lost film) had Sybille's character committing suicide as a last act of desperation.
Death
On April 13, 1955, Schmitz committed suicideSuicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
with an overdose of sleeping pills, she was 45 years old. At the time of her death, Sybille had been living in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
with a woman named Ursula Mortiz, a physician who allegedly sold her morphine
Morphine
Morphine is a potent opiate analgesic medication and is considered to be the prototypical opioid. It was first isolated in 1804 by Friedrich Sertürner, first distributed by same in 1817, and first commercially sold by Merck in 1827, which at the time was a single small chemists' shop. It was more...
at an inflated rate and kept Sybille doped up while squandering the little funds she had available to her. Schimtz's family claimed that once the actress proved to be of no use to Moritz, the "good doctor" facilitated her suicide. One year after Sybille Schmitz's death, charges were filed against Dr. Mortiz for improper medical treatment.
Legacy
Schmitz's final years were used as the basis for Rainer Werner FassbinderRainer Werner Fassbinder
Rainer Werner Maria Fassbinder was a German movie director, screenwriter and actor. He is considered one of the most important representatives of the New German Cinema.He maintained a frenetic pace in film-making...
's 1982 movie Die Sehnsucht der Veronika Voss.
In 2000, she was the topic of a documentary about her life and career, titled Tanz mit dem Tod: Der Ufa-Star
Universum Film AG
Universum 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...
Sybille Schimtz (English: Dance with Death: The Ufa Star Sybille Schmitz), written and directed by Achim Podak.
Both the documentary and the Fassbinder film are available on the Criterion
The Criterion Collection
The Criterion Collection is a video-distribution company selling "important classic and contemporary films" to film aficionados. The Criterion series is noted for helping to standardize the letterbox format for home video, bonus features, and special editions...
DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
release of Veronika Voss.
Selected filmography
- Polizeibericht ÜberfallAccident (1928 film)- Plot :The film centers on the struggles of a German citizen who happens upon a counterfeit coin lying in a gutter. The opening sequence of the movie gives a brief glimpse into the notion that the coin might be "cursed," as another passerby is struck down by a car while reaching for the coin in...
(1928) - VampyrVampyrVampyr is a 1932 horror film directed by Danish director Carl Theodor Dreyer. The film was written by Dreyer and Christen Jul based on elements from J. Sheridan Le Fanu's collection of supernatural stories In a Glass Darkly. Vampyr was funded by Nicolas de Gunzburg who starred in the film under...
(1932) - Rivalen der Luft (1933)
- Musik im Blut (1934)
- Oberwachtmeister Schwenke (1934)
- Punks kommt aus Amerika (1935)
- Stradivari (1935)
- Wenn die Musik nicht wär/Das Lied der Liegbe (1935)
- Ich war Jack Mortimer (1935)
- Die Leuchter des Kaisers (1936)
- Die Unbekannte (1936)
- Die Kronzeugin (1937)
- Signal in der Nacht (1937)
- Es leuchten die Sterne (1938)
- Hotel Sacher (1939)
- Die fremde Frau (1939)
- Clarissa (1941)
- Wetterleuchten um Barbara (1941)
- Vom Schicksal verweht (1942)
- Die Hochstaplerin (1943)
- TitanicTitanic (1943 film)Titanic was a 1943 Nazi propaganda film made during World War II in Berlin by Tobis Productions for UFA, which was later banned from Nazi Germany by Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels. The film used the sinking of the RMS Titanic as a setting for an attempt to discredit British and American...
(1943) - Das Leben ruft (1944)
- Die letzte Nacht (1949)
- Die Lüge (1950)
- Kronjuwelen (1950)
- Illusion in Moll (1952)
- Das Haus an der Küste (1953)