
Acting
Fritz Kortner
Born — Died
1892-05-12 — 1970-07-22
Place of birth
Vienna, Austria-Hungary [now Austria]
Known for
Acting
Credits
83 titles
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Fritz Kortner (12 May 1892 – 22 July 1970) was an Austrian-born stage and film actor and theatre director. Kortner was born in Vienna as Fritz Nathan Kohn. He studied at the Vienna Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. After graduating, he joined Max Reinhardt in Berlin in 1911 and then Leopold Jessner in 1916. Also in that year he made his first appearance in a silent film. He became one of Germany's best known character actors. His speciality was playing sinister and threatening roles, though he also appeared in the title role of 1930's Dreyfus. With the coming to power of the Nazis, Kortner, being Jewish, chose to flee Germany in 1933. He emigrated to…
Known for
No synopsis available yet.
German Film Award
1951
7.4A keen chronicle of the unlikely rise to power of Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) and a dissection of the Third Reich (1933-1945), but also an analysis of mass psychology and how the desperate crowd can be deceived and shepherded to the slaughterhouse.
Hitler: A Career
1977
7.3Monitor was a BBC arts programme that was launched on 2 February 1958 and ran until 1965. Huw Wheldon was the first editor from 1958 to 1965. He was also the principal interviewer and anchor. Wheldon set about moulding a team of talents, including John Schlesinger, Ken Russell, Patrick Garland, David Jones, Humphrey Burton, John Berger, Peter Newington, Melvyn Bragg, Nancy Thomas and Alan Tyrer. Monitor ranged in subject over all the arts. Wheldon's Monitor lasted until he had "interviewed everyone I am interested in interviewing", and he was succeeded by Jonathan Miller for the series' last season.
Monitor
1958
7.4The rise and inevitable fall of an amoral but naive young woman whose insouciant eroticism inspires lust and violence in those around her.
Pandora's Box
1929
9.0Based on extensive interviews, shot on 16mm in a series of static long takes, Filmemigration aus Nazideutschland, is one of the most fascinating examples of "Film history on film" ever produced. Straschek devoted years to researching the topic and accumulating both film and non-film materials. Apart from some radio features and articles, however, this 290-minute TV programme remains the only published trace of Straschek's lifelong work on the emigration of film personnel. He had intended to publish a three-volume book, encompassing all available data about 3,000 emigrants originating from the centre and peripheries of film production, but the book never materialised.
Film Emigration from Nazi Germany
1975
6.9An adventurous young man goes off to find himself and loses his socialite fiancée in the process. But when he returns 10 years later, she will stop at nothing to get him back, even though she is already married.
The Razor's Edge
1946
Film credits
1940s · 9 titles
6.9An adventurous young man goes off to find himself and loses his socialite fiancée in the process. But when he returns 10 years later, she will stop at nothing to get him back, even though she is already married.
The Razor's Edge
1946
6.3In post-war Europe, a diverse group of passengers aboard a U.S. Army train to bombed-out Frankfurt becomes involved in a Nazi assassination plot.
Berlin Express
1948
6.7George Taylor returns from WWII with amnesia. Back home in Los Angeles, while trying to track down his old identity, he stumbles onto a three year old murder case and a hunt for a missing $2 million.
Somewhere in the Night
1946
4.7A Nazi propaganda film made to promote anti-Semitism among the German people. Newly-shot footage of Jewish neighborhoods in recently-conquered Poland is combined with preexisting film clips and stills to defame the religion and advance Hitler's slurs that its adherents were plotting to undermine European civilization.
The Eternal Jew
1940
6.3The Hitler Gang adopts the style of a gangster film as it charts Adolf Hitler’s rise from small-time politico to dictator of Germany.
The Hitler Gang
1944
6.0Mrs. Elizabeth Bright Murdock hires Marlowe to find an old rare coin, the Brasher Doubloon, that belonged in her deceased husband's collection. Marlowe begins investigating, but quickly finds himself entangled in a series of unexplained murders.
The Brasher Doubloon
1947
5.8In Hungary, a rich baron discovers that there are extensive oil deposits underneath nearby properties owned by villagers. He manages to convince all the property owners to sell to him, except for a few properties owned by Jewish families. Infuriated at their refusal to sell to him, he attempts, with the help of some corrupt local police, to have the men charged with the murder of a local woman, who in reality actually committed suicide.
The Vicious Circle
1948
6.4In this sequel to the original story, Monte Cristo count Edmund Dantes (Martin Kosleck) returns to Paris to get revenge but soon finds himself pursued by a cruel policeman. The count's brave wife Haydée throws the cop off her husband's scent by dressing up as the masked avenger herself and proving that she too is most competent with a sword.
The Wife of Monte Cristo
1946
5.2Austrian actor Franz Huber, known for his impressions, is captured by the Gestapo and forced into plastic surgery to become Hitler's body double. Their plan is to poison Hitler and use Huber to take control of the Reich. Meanwhile, Huber's wife Anna sees her life coming undone as her husband has disappeared and her two sons are indoctrinated into the Hitler Youth.
The Strange Death of Adolf Hitler
1943
1930s · 8 titles
6.5In 1908, Sultan Abdul Hamid rules the Turkish Empire, but he is faced with the threat of revolt by the Young Turk party. He allows Hilmi Pasha, the leader of the Young Turks, to return from exile and form the country's first constitutional government. With tensions still growing, chief of police Kadar Pasha assassinates Hassan Bey, the leader of the Old Turk party, and makes it look as if a Young Turk committed the crime, in order to give Abdul an excuse for arresting the Young Turk leaders. Meanwhile, Abdul becomes infatuated with a visiting Austrian singer. When she rejects his advances, she endangers both herself and her fiancé, a Turkish officer who also knows who really shot Hassan Bey.
Abdul the Damned
1935
5.0A girl becomes an unwilling witness in her parents' scandalous divorce case.
Little Friend
1934
6.0Loosely based on the story of the singer Nellie Melba...
Evensong
1934
6.4A psychological drama based on the popular Jekyll and Hyde theme involving a strict legal official. Based on the 1893 play "Der Andere" by Paul Lindau.
The Other
1930
9.0In 1915 during the First World War, a British secret agent is killed while stealing secret Turkish plans for the Gallipoli Campaign but manages to pass his information to an American journalist.
The Crouching Beast
1935
6.2Suspicion surrounds a lieutenant for killing his father; based on Dostoevsky's novel.
The Murderer Dmitri Karamazov
1931
5.6In late nineteenth century Alfred Dreyfus, a French army officer of Jewish heritage, is falsely accused of espionage. Found guilty of treason he is drummed out of the army and sent to prison on Devil's Island.
Dreyfus
1930
7.7A young woman leaves behind her job, home and family to try to make it in the movie business. Features cameos from about three dozen German film stars of the era.
The Great Desire
1930
1920s · 35 titles
7.4The rise and inevitable fall of an amoral but naive young woman whose insouciant eroticism inspires lust and violence in those around her.
Pandora's Box
1929
6.9A world-famous pianist loses both hands in an accident. When new hands are grafted on, he is horrified to learn they once belonged to a murderer.
The Hands of Orlac
1924
8.0A pharaonic tragedy to the content that spans six different eras. In the first episode, the emergence and dramatic end of the love story between the pharaoh's daughter Princess Amnertis and her beloved Tirhaka is told until the latter comes to a violent death. From this drama arises a curse, which in the following episodes has had far-reaching effects over the centuries. Everyone who possesses the skull of the long-lost pharaoh's daughter must die violently until the day the skull is sunk in the sea.
Der Schädel der Pharaonentochter
1920
7.0No synopsis available yet.
Draga Maschin
1927
6.6During a dinner given by a wealthy baron and his wife, attended by four of her suitors in a 19th century German manor, a shadow-player rescues the marriage by giving all the guests a vision what might happen tonight if the baron stays jealous and the suitors do not reduce their advances towards his beautiful wife. Or was it a vision?
Warning Shadows
1923
Deep in the forest lives the bitter Dr. Wislizenus, whose childhood sweetheart Maria committed suicide ten years ago. The visit of a childhood friend, he who wrote a poem about Mary, triggers a tragedy.
Dr. Wislizenus
1924
10.0Weltbrand is the first part of the two-part silent movie Christian Wahnschaffe.
Christian Wahnschaffe I: Weltbrand
1920
9.0No synopsis available yet.
Der Eisenbahnkönig, 2. Teil - Lauernder Tod
1921
5.8A young doctor gets stuck on a ship after treating an injured first mate. Later, he rescues a woman from plane wreckage, and with the help of the cook, he hides her away from the rowdy and dangerous crew.
The Ship of Lost Men
1929
What Belongs to Darkness (German: Die Finsternis und ihr Eigentum) is a 1922 German silent drama film directed by Martin Hartwig and starring Karl Etlinger, Erra Bognar, and Fritz Kortner. The film's sets were designed by the art director Alfred Columbus.
What Belongs to Darkness
1922
9.0No synopsis available yet.
Am Rande der Großstadt
1922
6.5At the height of Reign of Terror Maximilien Robespierre orchestrates the trial and execution of several of his fellow leading French revolutionaries including Georges Danton.
Danton
1921
9.0No synopsis available yet.
Die Geliebte des Gouverneurs
1927
10.0No synopsis available yet.
Der Eisenbahnkönig, 1. Teil - Mensch und Mammon
1921
The film depicts the marriage between the mad Charles VI of France and his wife Queen Isabeau.
The Night of Queen Isabeau
1920
10.0Mata Hari, die rote Tänzerin (English: Mata Hari: The Red Dancer), often shortened on release to Mata Hari, is a 1927 German silent drama film directed by Friedrich Feher and starring Magda Sonja, Wolfgang Zilzer and Fritz Kortner. It depicts the life and death of the German World War I spy Mata Hari. It was the first feature-length portrayal of Hari.
Mata Hari: the Red Dancer
1927
8.3Filmed in Austria for the hundredth anniversary of Beethoven's death, this 1927 silent film tells the story of the German genius' eventful emotional life. Presented in a restored version and with rearranged music, a biopic to be savored with ears wide open.
The Life of Beethoven
1927
10.0The Earl of Essex, a favourite of the Queen, is in jeopardy of losing her favor after secretly marrying one of the Queen's ladies-in-waiting.
Der Graf von Essex
1922
6.0An adaptation of Dostoevsky's novel.
The Brothers Karamazov
1920
An exploration of the misery of youth. A student, his friends, and the girl he loves all suffer due to the harsh and unforgiving nature of the adults in their lives.
Primanerliebe
1927
Adaptation of A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen.
Nora
1923
NROne evening at a ball, Count Georg de Clermont-Latour—a man who places great importance on convention and traditional notions of honor—surprises a young man in his wife Odette’s bedchamber. Despite her protestations that she had rebuffed the presumptuous youth and behaved with neither impropriety nor infidelity, her husband refuses to believe a word she says and casts her out of his home.
Odette
1928
No synopsis available yet.
Die Ausgestoßenen
1927
7.3German-language version. "Atlantic" is a drama film based on the sinking of the RMS "Titanic" and set aboard a fictional ship, called the "Atlantic". The main plotline revolves around a man who has a shipboard affair with a fellow passenger, which is eventually discovered by his wife. The ship also has aboard an elderly couple, Heinrich and Anna Thomas, who are on their anniversary cruise. Midway across the Atlantic Ocean, the "Atlantic" strikes an iceberg and is damaged to the point where it is sinking into the Atlantic. The German version was filmed at the same time as the British version, with each scene first being filmed in English for the British version, then the same scene being filmed in German by a German cast, using the same sets.
Atlantik
1929
NRThe Maharaja of Odhapur goes on a trip to Europe and meet the young dancer Ellen Esmond. In her London accommodation, the Savoy Hotel, the Indian prince can prove to be a gallant gentleman and protect Ellen from an intrusive theatrical agent. The Maharaja asks the artist to entertain his guests the following evening with her dancing skills, including England's representatives in India. The maharaja is thrilled with both the person Ellen and her dance performances. His brother Bhima, who was always in the shadow of the Maharajah, drinks excessively and also is also magically attracted to Ellen Esmond.
Die Lieblingsfrau des Maharadscha
1921
6.2In a poor neighborhood of a big city, a crippled mailman is in love with a maid who lives in his building. However, she is in love with a wealthy and handsome young man, who soon disappears. The mailman provides the maid with letters that get her hopes up... but tragedy will soon befall all three.
Backstairs
1921
7.0The House on the Moon
The House on the Moon
1921
7.0Young peasant Paul's life is one of poverty and hardship from an early age. His lifelong struggle as he is forced to take on the responsibility of caring for his dysfunctional relatives prevents him from experiencing personal happiness, love, or a life for himself.
Frau Sorge
1928
No synopsis available yet.
Armes kleines Mädchen
1924
7.0Peter the Great, having become Tsar of Russia, using his shipbuilding knowledge acquired in a foreign country to establish a navy, and being able to use it, provokes a war with Sweden, defeating that country at the Battle of Poltava. This battle marks a turning point between Peter and Russia. His only son turns out to be a coward, meets a refugee girl and makes her his Empress, alienating himself from the church and many nobles. All these factors lead to a conspiracy...
Peter the Great
1922
No synopsis available yet.
Alpine Tragedy
1927
7.0Two poor musicians rise from rags to riches. Money, fame and their love for the same woman begin to crumble their friendship, revealing the true natures of both men--one noble and kind, the other a greedy, ruthless beast.
Landstraße und Großstadt
1921
No synopsis available yet.
Die stärkere Macht
1929
No synopsis available yet.
Moderne Ehen
1924
No synopsis available yet.
Haschisch, das Paradies der Hölle
1921
1910s · 5 titles
NRThe young, dissolute Mathias, in conflict with his father, doesn't hesitate to set fire to his father's forge. When he returns to the farm after many years and falls unhappily in love with the maid Anna, Mathias stirs things up again...
Der Sonnwendhof
1918
No synopsis available yet.
The Eye of the Buddha
1919
A man tries to find the true culprit when his friend is accused of murdering a moneylender.
Frauenehre
1918
The film traces the individual stages in the life of Ludwig van Beethoven.
Der Märtyrer seines Herzens
1918
A professor discovers a way to separate the soul from the body.
Her Other Self
1918
Series credits
No synopsis available yet.
German Film Award
1951
7.3Monitor was a BBC arts programme that was launched on 2 February 1958 and ran until 1965. Huw Wheldon was the first editor from 1958 to 1965. He was also the principal interviewer and anchor. Wheldon set about moulding a team of talents, including John Schlesinger, Ken Russell, Patrick Garland, David Jones, Humphrey Burton, John Berger, Peter Newington, Melvyn Bragg, Nancy Thomas and Alan Tyrer. Monitor ranged in subject over all the arts. Wheldon's Monitor lasted until he had "interviewed everyone I am interested in interviewing", and he was succeeded by Jonathan Miller for the series' last season.
Monitor
1958
9.0Based on extensive interviews, shot on 16mm in a series of static long takes, Filmemigration aus Nazideutschland, is one of the most fascinating examples of "Film history on film" ever produced. Straschek devoted years to researching the topic and accumulating both film and non-film materials. Apart from some radio features and articles, however, this 290-minute TV programme remains the only published trace of Straschek's lifelong work on the emigration of film personnel. He had intended to publish a three-volume book, encompassing all available data about 3,000 emigrants originating from the centre and peripheries of film production, but the book never materialised.
Film Emigration from Nazi Germany
1975
No synopsis available yet.
Das Profil
1962
Behind the camera
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Emilia Galotti
1971
No synopsis available yet.
Der Sturm
—
9.0No synopsis available yet.
Die Geliebte des Gouverneurs
1927
9.0Persuaded by Lysistrata, the women of Athens agree to withdraw all sexual favours from the men until the men agree to end to war with Sparta.
Die Sendung der Lysistrata
1961
9.0Persuaded by Lysistrata, the women of Athens agree to withdraw all sexual favours from the men until the men agree to end to war with Sparta.
Die Sendung der Lysistrata
1961
The film traces the individual stages in the life of Ludwig van Beethoven.
Der Märtyrer seines Herzens
1918
5.2Austrian actor Franz Huber, known for his impressions, is captured by the Gestapo and forced into plastic surgery to become Hitler's body double. Their plan is to poison Hitler and use Huber to take control of the Reich. Meanwhile, Huber's wife Anna sees her life coming undone as her husband has disappeared and her two sons are indoctrinated into the Hitler Youth.
The Strange Death of Adolf Hitler
1943
8.5An industrial plant gets into difficulties. The factory owner then decides to sell the company and makes all the employees redundant. How do the dismissed employees deal with the new situation?
Secrets of the City
1955
8.5An industrial plant gets into difficulties. The factory owner then decides to sell the company and makes all the employees redundant. How do the dismissed employees deal with the new situation?
Secrets of the City
1955
8.0Leopold Pichler is a very orderly and trustworthy chief cashier who is asked by his boss to get a large sum of money from the bank which the boss urgently needs on a trip to Vienna. Due to some circumstances, getting the money takes a little longer than expected and the director leaves for Vienna without it.
The Upright Sinner
1931
8.0Leopold Pichler is a very orderly and trustworthy chief cashier who is asked by his boss to get a large sum of money from the bank which the boss urgently needs on a trip to Vienna. Due to some circumstances, getting the money takes a little longer than expected and the director leaves for Vienna without it.
The Upright Sinner
1931
10.0A GIRL YOU DON'T FORGET can be thought of as a backstage musical that treats the whole world as backstage. Melodies seem to be buzzing through the air, available to anyone in the right state of mind. Willi Forst always is, and he is also an actor who can transform any space into a stage. Fritz Kortner, one of the defining personalities of the German theatre scene of the 1920s, makes the most of his star’s talent in an intricately constructed romantic comedy that believes in the truth of artifice. Forst plays Paul Hartwig, a wannabe actor who is reduced to selling books in the cold streets of Berlin. While pursuing his big break, he meets Lisa Brandes (Dolly Haas), another victim of the global financial crisis who has just learned a new trick: cheating horny old men out of their money by selling promises she does not intend to keep. Dedicated theatre man Paul decides to win her over by putting on an act, but a misplaced slap leads to unintended consequences. - Lukas Foerster
A Girl You Don't Forget
1932
10.0A GIRL YOU DON'T FORGET can be thought of as a backstage musical that treats the whole world as backstage. Melodies seem to be buzzing through the air, available to anyone in the right state of mind. Willi Forst always is, and he is also an actor who can transform any space into a stage. Fritz Kortner, one of the defining personalities of the German theatre scene of the 1920s, makes the most of his star’s talent in an intricately constructed romantic comedy that believes in the truth of artifice. Forst plays Paul Hartwig, a wannabe actor who is reduced to selling books in the cold streets of Berlin. While pursuing his big break, he meets Lisa Brandes (Dolly Haas), another victim of the global financial crisis who has just learned a new trick: cheating horny old men out of their money by selling promises she does not intend to keep. Dedicated theatre man Paul decides to win her over by putting on an act, but a misplaced slap leads to unintended consequences. - Lukas Foerster
A Girl You Don't Forget
1932
No synopsis available yet.
Androcles and the Lion
1958
No synopsis available yet.
Der eingebildete Kranke
1964
No synopsis available yet.
Leonce und Lena
1964
7.0The film portrays the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in 1914.
Sarajevo
1955
7.2Professor Mauthner, after many years of exile (having emigrated in 1933 to the USA), returns to Germany in 1948. He can in fact return to his teaching post, but the rejection and petty intrigues of his reactionary colleagues and students make his work almost unbearable.
The Last Illusion
1949
No synopsis available yet.
Clavigo
1970


