Helmut Käutner

2025-09-04T07:51:11Z

2601:645:4300:5F80:F36C:C9A6:323B:1E59: /* Biography */

{{Short description|German film director (1908–1980)}}
{{Expand German|topic=bio|date=August 2010|Helmut Käutner}}
{{Infobox person
| image = Filmregisseur Helmut Kautne in Nederland, Bestanddeelnr 910-9501.jpg
| imagesize =
| caption = Helmut Käutner (1960)
| name = Helmut Käutner
| birth_date = {{birth date|1908|3|25|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Düsseldorf]], [[Rhine Province]], [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]], [[Imperial Germany|Germany]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|1980|4|20|1908|3|25|df=yes}}
| death_place = [[Castellina in Chianti]], [[Province of Siena]], Italy
| occupation = Film director, actor
| yearsactive = 1940–1976
}}
'''Helmut Käutner''' (25 March 1908 – 20 April 1980) was a German film director active mainly in the 1940s and 1950s. He entered the film industry at the end of the [[Weimar Republic]] and released his first films as a director in [[Nazi Germany]]. Käutner is relatively unknown outside of Germany, although he is considered one of the best filmmakers in German film history.<ref>[http://www.movingimagesource.us/articles/who-is-helmut-kutner-20080714 Who Is Helmut Käutner? A German master, ripe for centennial rediscovery.]</ref> He was one of the most influential film directors of German post-war cinema and became known for his sophisticated literary adaptations.

==Biography==
He was born in [[Düsseldorf]], [[German Empire|Germany]]. Käutner started out as a director in the Nazi era, but his films remained largely free of National Socialist propaganda.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.epd-film.de/themen/sehen-sie-kaeutner | title=Sehen Sie Käutner! | epd Film }}</ref> One of his early successes was ''Romanze in Moll'' (1943), an adaptation of Guy du Maupassant's short story "Les Bijoux". Other remarkable films were {{Lang|de|[[Große Freiheit Nr. 7]]}} and ''[[Under the Bridges]]''.

His 1956 film ''[[The Captain from Köpenick (1956 film)|Der Hauptmann von Köpenick]]'' was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film|Best Foreign Language Film]] at the [[29th Academy Awards]].<ref name="Oscars1957">{{Cite web|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1957 |title=The 29th Academy Awards (1957) Nominees and Winners|access-date=24 October 2011|work=oscars.org}}</ref> Three years later, his film ''[[The Rest Is Silence (1959 film)|The Rest Is Silence]]'' was entered into the [[9th Berlin International Film Festival]]. Käutner made two films for [[Universal Pictures]] in Hollywood: ''[[The Restless Years (film)|The Restless Years]]'' (1958) and ''[[A Stranger in My Arms]]'' (1959). However, neither of them received critical success and Käutner was unhappy with the lack of creative freedom he had, so he returned to Germany.<ref>[https://www.spiegel.de/politik/das-edelste-requisit-a-e36fc30e-0002-0001-0000-000042622283?context=issue "Das edelste Requisit"], [[Der Spiegel]] (1959, in German)</ref> He died in [[Castellina in Chianti]], [[Italy]].

==Selected filmography==
===Director===
'''Feature Films'''
* ''[[Kitty and the World Conference]]'' (1939)
* ''[[Woman Made to Measure]]'' (1940)
* ''[[Clothes Make the Man (1940 film)|Clothes Make the Man]]'' (1940)
* ''[[Goodbye, Franziska (1941 film)|Goodbye, Franziska]]'' (1941)
* ''[[Anuschka (film)|Anuschka]]'' (1942)
* ''[[We Make Music]]'' (1942)
* ''[[Romance in a Minor Key]]'' (1943)
* {{Lang|de|[[Große Freiheit Nr. 7]]}} (1944)
* ''[[Under the Bridges]]'' (1946)
* ''[[In Those Days]]'' (1947)
* ''[[The Original Sin (film)|The Original Sin]]'' (1948)
* ''[[Royal Children]]'' (1950)
* ''[[The Orplid Mystery]]'' (1950)
* ''[[White Shadows (1951 film)|White Shadows]]'' (1951)
* ''[[Captain Bay-Bay]]'' (1953)
* ''[[The Last Bridge]]'' (1954)
* ''[[Portrait of an Unknown Woman (film)|Portrait of an Unknown Woman]]'' (1954)
* ''[[Ludwig II (1955 film)|Ludwig II]]'' (1955)
* ''[[Des Teufels General]]'' (1955)
* ''[[Sky Without Stars]]'' (1955)
* ''[[The Girl from Flanders]]'' (1956)
* ''[[The Captain from Köpenick (1956 film)|The Captain from Köpenick]]'' (1956)
* ''[[The Zurich Engagement]]'' (1957)
* ''[[Love from Paris]]'' (1957)
* ''[[The Restless Years (film)|The Restless Years]]'' (1958)
* ''[[Der Schinderhannes]]'' (1958)
* ''[[A Stranger in My Arms]]'' (1959)
* ''[[The Rest Is Silence (1959 film)|The Rest Is Silence]]'' (1959)
* ''[[The Goose of Sedan]]'' (1959)
* ''[[A Glass of Water (1960 film)|A Glass of Water]]'' (1960)
* ''[[Black Gravel]]'' (1961)
* ''[[The Dream of Lieschen Mueller]]'' (1961)
* ''[[Redhead (1962 film)|Redhead]]'' (1962)
* ''[[The House in Montevideo (1963 film)|The House in Montevideo]]'' (1963)
* ''{{Ill|Tales of a Young Scamp|de|Lausbubengeschichten (1964)}}'' (1964)
* ''[[Die Feuerzangenbowle (1970 film)|Die Feuerzangenbowle]]'' (1970)

'''Television'''
* ''{{ill|Das Gespenst von Canterville|de|Das Gespenst von Canterville (1964)}}'' (1964, TV film) — (based on ''[[The Canterville Ghost]]'')
* ''Romulus der Große'' (1965, TV film) — (based on ''[[Romulus the Great]]'')
* ''Die Flasche'' (1965, TV film) — (based on a story by [[Joachim Ringelnatz]])
* ''Robin Hood, der edle Räuber'' (1966, TV film) — (Musical based on [[Robin Hood]])
* ''Leben wie die Fürsten'' (1966, TV film) — (based on ''{{ill|La Belle Vie (play)|fr|3=La Belle Vie (pièce de théâtre)|lt=La Belle Vie}}'' by [[Jean Anouilh]])
* ''Die spanische Puppe'' (1967, TV film) — (based on ''The Double Doll'' by [[Giles Cooper (playwright)|Giles Cooper]])
* ''Stella'' (1967, TV film) — (based on Goethe's ''[[Stella (play)|play]]'')
* ''Valentin Katajews chirurgische Eingriffe in das Seelenleben des Dr. Igor Igorowitsch'' (1967, TV film) — (based on a play by [[Valentin Kataev]])
* ''{{ill|Bel Ami (1968 film)|de|3=Bel Ami (1968)|lt=Bel Ami}}'' (1968, TV film) — (based on [[Guy de Maupassant]]'s ''[[Bel-Ami]]'')
* ''Tagebuch eines Frauenmörders'' (1969, TV film) — (screenplay by [[István Békeffy]])
* ''{{Ill|Christoph Kolumbus oder Die Entdeckung Amerikas|de}}'' (1969, TV film) — (based on a play by [[Walter Hasenclever]] and [[Kurt Tucholsky]])
* ''Einladung ins Schloß oder Die Kunst das Spiel zu spielen'' (1970, TV film) — (based on ''[[Invitation to the Castle]]'')
* ''[[Der Kommissar (TV series)|Der Kommissar]]: Anonymer Anruf'' (1970, TV series episode)
* ''Die seltsamen Abenteuer des geheimen Kanzleisekretärs Tusmann'' (1972, TV film) — (based on a story by [[E. T. A. Hoffmann]])
* ''Ornifle oder Der erzürnte Himmel'' (1972, TV film) — (based on a play by [[Jean Anouilh]])
* ''Die preußische Heirat'' (1974, TV film) — (based on ''Zopf und Schwert'' by [[Karl Gutzkow]])
* ''[[Derrick (TV series)|Derrick]]: {{ill|Stiftungsfest (Derrick)|de|3=Derrick: Stiftungsfest|lt=Stiftungsfest}}'' (1974, TV series episode)
* ''Margarete in Aix'' (1976, TV film) — (based on a play by [[Peter Hacks]])
* ''Mulligans Rückkehr'' (1978, TV film) — (based on a novel by {{Ill|Hans Frick (writer)|de|3=Hans Frick (Schriftsteller)|lt=Hans Frick}}) (final film)

===Screenwriter===
* ''[[Wibbel the Tailor (1939 film)|Wibbel the Tailor]]'' (1939, directed by [[Viktor de Kowa]])
* ''[[Film ohne Titel]]'' (1948, directed by [[Rudolf Jugert]])
* ''[[Nights on the Road]]'' (1952, directed by [[Rudolf Jugert]])

===Actor===
* ''[[Cruiser Emden]]'' (1932, directed by [[Louis Ralph]]), as Seaman
* ''[[A Far Country (1967 film)|A Far Country]]'' (1967, TV film, directed by [[Ida Ehre]]), as [[Sigmund Freud]]
* ''[[The Devil and the Good Lord (1967 film)|The Devil and the Good Lord]]'' (1967, TV film, directed by [[Peter Beauvais]]), as Archbishop
* ''{{ill|Ein Mann namens Harry Brent|de}}'' (1968, TV miniseries, directed by [[Peter Beauvais]]), as Sir Gordon Towns
* ''{{Interlanguage link multi|Babeck|de}}'' (1968, TV miniseries, directed by [[Wolfgang Becker (director, born 1910)|Wolfgang Becker]]), as Dr. Brenner
* ''[[Bend Sinister (1970 film)|Bend Sinister]]'' (1970, TV film, directed by [[Herbert Vesely]]), as Adam Krug
* ''[[Der Kommissar (TV series)|Der Kommissar]]: Messer im Rücken'' (1970, TV, directed by [[Wolfgang Staudte]]), as Hugo Blasek
* ''[[Hauser's Memory]]'' (1970, TV film, directed by [[Boris Sagal]]), as Dr. Kramer
* ''{{Interlanguage link multi|The Woman in White (1971 miniseries)|de|3=Die Frau in Weiß (1971)|lt=The Woman in White}}'' (1971, TV miniseries, directed by [[Wilhelm Semmelroth]]), as Sir Frederic Fairlie
* ''[[Tatort]]: {{Interlanguage link multi|Der Richter in Weiss (Tatort)|de|3=Tatort: Der Richter in Weiss|lt=Der Richter in Weiss}}'' (1971, TV, directed by [[Peter Schulze-Rohr]]), as Professor Kemm
* ''[[Temptation in the Summer Wind]]'' (1972, directed by [[Rolf Thiele]]), as Professor Bomhard
* ''{{Interlanguage link multi|Van der Valk und die Reichen|de}}'' (1973, TV film, directed by [[Wolfgang Petersen]]), as Canisius
* ''[[Karl May (film)|Karl May]]'' (1974, directed by [[Hans-Jürgen Syberberg]]), as [[Karl May]]
* ''[[Derrick (TV series)|Derrick]]: {{ill|Nur Aufregungen für Rohn (Derrick)|de|3=Derrick: Nur Aufregungen für Rohn|lt=Nur Aufregungen für Rohn}}'' (1975, TV, directed by [[Wolfgang Becker (director, born 1910)|Wolfgang Becker]]), as Paul Seibach
* ''[[Derrick (TV series)|Derrick]]: Auf eigene Faust'' (1976, TV, directed by [[Zbyněk Brynych]]), as Duktus

==Literature==
* Hans-Jürgen Tast: ''Helmut Käutner – Unter den Brücken. 1944/45''. Schellerten: Kulleraugen, 2007; {{ISBN|978-3-88842-033-7}}
* Hans-Jürgen Tast: ''Helmut Käutner – In jenen Tagen. 1947''. Schellerten: Kulleraugen, 2007; {{ISBN|978-3-88842-034-4}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Peter Cornelsen. ''Helmut Käutner. Seine Filme, sein Leben.'' München: Heyne 1980. {{ISBN|3-453-86027-6}}.
* Wolfgang Jacobsen & Hans-Helmut Prinzler: ''Käutner''. Berlin: Wiss.-Verl. Spiess 1992. {{ISBN|3-89166-159-2}}.
* Thomas Koebner, Fabienne Liptay, Claudia Mehlinger & René Ruppert (eds.): ''Helmut Käutner''. München: edition text + kritik 2008. {{ISBN|978-3-88377-943-0}}.
* Hans Dieter Schäfer. ''Moderne in Dritten Reich''. ''Kultur der Intimität bei Oskar Loerke, Friedo Lampe und Helmut Käutner.'' Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag, 2003; {{ISBN|3-515-08432-0}}.

==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline|Helmut Käutner}}
* {{IMDB name|id=0477702}}

{{Helmut Käutner}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kautner, Helmut}}
[[Category:1908 births]]
[[Category:1980 deaths]]
[[Category:Mass media people from Düsseldorf]]
[[Category:People from the Rhine Province]]
[[Category:German Film Award winners]]
[[Category:Best Director German Film Award winners]]
[[Category:Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany]]

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Helmut Käutner