Elsa Wagner

Acting

Elsa Wagner

Born 1881-01-24 · Reval, Harrien County, Governorate of Estonia, Russian Empire [now Tallinn, Harju County, Estonia]

Elsa Wagner (January 24, 1881 – August 17, 1975) was a German actress who appeared in numerous theatrical productions and feature films during the 20th century, including 1920's The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Born as Elisabeth Karoline Auguste Wagner on 24 January 1881 in Reval, in what is now Tallinn, Estonia, Elsa Wagner pursued training with Maria Spettini in Saint Petersburg, Russia prior to making her acting debut in Berlin, Germany in 1901. In addition to her performances on tour with multiple theater productions, including Faust and Peer Gynt, she went on to secure roles in more than 140 feature films, including Robert Wiene's Das Cabinet Des Dr. Caligari (The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari) and Karl Heinz Martin's Von Morgens bis Mitternachts (From Morn to Midnight) in 1920, F. W. Murnau's 1922 Das Brennende Acker (The Burning Earth), Gerhard Lamprecht's Die Buddenbrooks and Wiene's I.N.R.I. in 1923, and E. R. Dupont's 1929 Atlantik.

Acting credits

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari poster
7.9

Francis, a young man, recalls in his memory the horrible experiences he and his fiancée Jane recently went through. Francis and his friend Alan visit The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, an exhibit where the mysterious doctor shows the somnambulist Cesare, and awakens him for some moments from his death-like sleep.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

1920

No artwork available
6.6

No synopsis available yet.

Das Mädchen mit den fünf Nullen

1927

People Among Us poster
7.3

Gerhard Lamprecht sketches a cross-section of Germany's new post-war society, with its winners, social climbers, and losers, represented by the social microcosm of an apartment building. The gossip-mad Frau Mierig from the rear building gives the newly-arrived Frau Kaminski, the janitor's wife, a lively initiation into the tenants and their peculiarities.

People Among Us

1926

No artwork available
NR

A police chief raids a gambling den, and arrests the elderly mother of the young Assunta. Though she pleads with him, he will not release her mother. Years later, Assunta plots her revenge.

Die Marchesa d'Arminiani

1920

Dawn poster
5.6

Released three days after Adolf Hitler became Reichskanzler, it was the first film to have its screening in Nazi Germany. It became a symbol of the new times touted by the Nazi regime. The title (literally "morning-red") is the German term for the reddish coloring of the east sky about a half hour before the sunrise. On patrol Captain Liers and his submarine crew sink an important British ship, but while returning to harbour, they're lured into a trap by a British vessel disguised as a neutral Danish one. They sink it after it attacks them without warning, but while they prepare to rescue survivors, a British destroyer sinks the sub. On the sea bed 60 feet down, with all but the bridge flooded, the 10 surviving crew have only 8 rescue devices. Liers orders the crew to use them, but they disobey - either all escape or nobody does.

Dawn

1933

Joan of Arc poster
6.2

France in the 15th Century: The country is marked by the wars with England and internal power struggles. King Charles sees himself powerless against the state. As emerges from the people suddenly a young woman named Johanna, who claimed that the Archangel Gabriel to be appointed, to save France. First of all doubt the king in their words, but he remembers that the people through this "help of God" is gaining new courage. With the slogan "God and the Virgin!" pulls the revivified victorious army into battle against the English-Burgundian alliance. After Johanna King Charles is crowned at Reims, there breaks the plague over the country in. Now Johanna all the blame on the disaster: God would punish believe in the country for that a heretic; if Johanna were actual a holy, she would deal also with the plague. The waning faith weakens France, England is again on the rise. But Johanna is executed as a witch. Only years later annulled the verdict of the Holy and Johanna explained.

Joan of Arc

1935

The March to the Führer poster
7.0

During the colorful ceremonies of the Nuremberg rallies, Hitler Youth parade before their Fuehrer and are addressed by Nazi youth leader Baldur von Schirach, Rudolf Hess, and Hitler himself.

The March to the Führer

1940

Emil and the Detectives poster
6.2

When Emil travels by bus to Berlin to visit his family, his money is stolen by a crook who specializes in digging tunnels. While following the thief, Emil runs into Gustav, a young boy who gathers up all his friends to help Emil find the money. However, they get into more trouble than they bargained for when Emil's pickpocket turns out to be mixed up with a couple of notorious bank robbers.

Emil and the Detectives

1964

No artwork available
6.3

A love story between officer von Warp coming from a wealthy family and salesgirl Therese. When the social rules of the time would force the officer to resign from service in order to marry Therese the situation becomes tense.

Die Geliebte

1939

Moscow Shanghai poster
8.0

Spanning the years between the Bolshevik Revolution and 1930, this Negri vehicle focuses on an exiled Russian noblewoman who has lost track of her daughter and of a young officer she pined for.Until she finds them both again and together.

Moscow Shanghai

1936

Ehe in Not poster
10.0

No synopsis available yet.

Ehe in Not

1929

Die göttliche Jette poster
6.0

Cheeky Jette is a typical Berlin girl. Together with her mother, she performs couplets in a Berlin suburb theatre every night. Then, a young Austrian baron, who is worshipping Jette, enables her to audition for Königstädtisches Theater. Although she at first fails with an aria from an opera, Jette wins over the hearts of the board members with her fresh style when she performs a cheeky couplet that was written by Barsch, the stage manager of the suburb theater.

Die göttliche Jette

1937

The Student of Prague poster
6.4

Prague in the 1860s: Balduin is a popular, handsome student, the best fencer in town, in amicable rivalry with his friend Dahl for the affections of Lydia, the innkeeper's niece. While the students are celebrating Lydia's birthday, the opera singer Julia Stella arrives at the inn - and Balduin's life begins to unravel. He is immediately infatuated with the glamorous singer - but she is already kept by an admirer, the wealthy and foppish Baron Waldis. How can a poor student hope to compete? The mysterious Dr. Carpis, who also has ties to Julia and is jealous of the Baron, intervenes. But the price will be higher than Balduin can ever imagine. He risks his sanity and his life - perhaps his very soul - haunted by his own reflection.

The Student of Prague

1935

Dream Music poster
10.0

The young opera singer Carla is in love with the talented young composer Michele, who wants to make it big with classical music and writes his first opera, "The Return of Odysseus," for Carla. But Carla is more successful than he is and gets a gig at La Scala in Milan. Through her connections, she manages to find a publisher for Michele's opera. But when Michele learns what the publisher really thinks of his work, he leaves and abandons Carla. A year later, Carla finds Michele again. He has since become a sought-after composer, but is embittered because he is only successful with pop songs. His new revue "Dream Music," a reworking of his opera, is about to premiere. Carla then arranges for Michele's original opera to premiere in Budapest with her in the lead role.

Dream Music

1940

Children of No Importance poster
6.1

If watching a fellow facing indifference/rejection in the slums of Berlin didn't convey enough pathos, Gerhard Lamprecht gathered much of the same crew from Die Verrufenen and turned his attention to the city's population of unwanted children for the heart-tugging Die Unehelichen, released the following year. The trio of foster children at the center of Die Verrufenen are survivors who use their own resourcefulness to get by when the kids' guardians and the system itself let them down.

Children of No Importance

1926

The Haunted Castle poster
6.8

The ghosts of thieves help a beautiful young countess save her inherited castle from modern developers in this comic horror/musical.

The Haunted Castle

1960

Wandering Souls poster
8.0

No synopsis available yet.

Wandering Souls

1921

Anna Favetti poster
10.0

The daughter of a reclusive couple in the St. Moritz mountains tends to her brother, disabled from the Great War, though a handsome young architect who has just arrived waits for her attentions.

Anna Favetti

1938

The Loves of Pharaoh poster
6.5

The Ethiopian King offers his daughter to a powerful Pharaoh to secure peace between the two countries.

The Loves of Pharaoh

1922

The Leghorn Hat poster
7.5

Der Florentiner Hut (The Leghorn Hat), a 1939 German film directed by Wolfgang Liebeneiner

The Leghorn Hat

1939

The Gambler poster
8.0

A gambling-drama based on Dostoevsky’s works: The retired General Kirileff is addicted to gambling and also has a costly affair. He takes out a loan from the greedy imposter Vincent, for which he is to pay an exorbitant interest rate. Vincent, for his part, wants to get closer to Kirileff’s daughter Nina, who is to inherit her grandmother’s fortune one day. Nina tries to help her father and goes to the gambling tables, only to lose a lot of money. She asks Alexej, her father’s secretary, to play for her. Alexej is in love with Nina and would do anything for her. He plays; at first loses; then asks Nina to get Vincent out of there. Once that happens, he wins a large amount of money, becomes overbearing and treats Nina like a prostitute.

The Gambler

1938

Annemarie. Die Geschichte einer jungen Liebe poster
9.0

In Annemarie Brinkmann's small German village all the young men are recruited to the front in WWI. When her boyfriend Klaus Renken gets the call they spend their last romantic night together. Time goes by but one day when the pastor announces the names of the fallen villagers: Klaus is among them. Annemarie collapses while the congregation sings a funeral song.

Annemarie. Die Geschichte einer jungen Liebe

1936

A Beautiful Day poster
5.5

Three soldiers on very short home leave visit Berlin. One isn't from there and runs around with his guide book being perplexed by all the things that are different now. Another visits his wife and his baby. The third enters a romance due to a mistaken identity.

A Beautiful Day

1944

Sweetheart of the Gods poster
7.5

Biography of the famous German actress Renate Müller, who died in 1937 under unsettled circumstances; While doing her first movie for the UFA in Berlin, she meets the elderly secretary-general Dr. Simon and is impressed by his charm. Although her Nazi-friend Volker discourages her to befriend a Jew, they start dating. While she ascends to one of the most famous German actresses of her time, Simon is suffering more and more under the Nazi regime.

Sweetheart of the Gods

1960