Carl Mayer
Carl Mayer | |
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The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari (1920) (1927) |
Carl Mayer (20 November 1894 – 1 July 1944) was an
Early life and career
Mayer was the son of a stock speculator who committed suicide, forcing the young Carl to leave school at 15, and go to work as a secretary. Mayer moved from native
In 1917, Mayer went to
Kabinett led to Mayer working with many leading directors in Germany. He worked with F. W. Murnau on Der Letzte Mann (1924, known as The Last Laugh in the English-speaking world) in Germany, and he also wrote the scenario for Murnau's Sunrise (1927), made during Murnau's stay in Hollywood. Mayer also co-wrote Berlin: Symphony of a Metropolis (1927) with Karl Freund and Walter Ruttmann.
Being
Death
In 1942, Mayer was diagnosed with cancer. Near the end of his life, he wanted to make a documentary film on London, but due to anti-German sentiment and difficult economic conditions, he was unable to find a producer.
His illness was treated somewhat ineptly due to war conditions and he died at the age of 49 on 1 July 1944, poor and almost forgotten. He was buried in the eastern section of Highgate Cemetery, south of the entrance, facing the grave of William Friese-Greene, in London. His epitaph reads "Pioneer in the art of the cinema. Erected by his friends and fellow workers". The city of Graz has named a prize after him.[1]
Selected filmography
- Scherben (1921)
- Nights of Terror (1921)
- Hintertreppe(1921)
- Danton (1921)
- The Doll Maker of Kiang-Ning (1923)
- Earth Spirit (1923)
- New Year's Eve (1924)
- Fräulein Else (1929)
- The Man Who Murdered (1931)
- Ariane (1931)
- Dreaming Lips (1932)
- Dreaming Lips (1937)
- Dreaming Lips (1953, based on his original screenplay)
References
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