Carl Mayer

Carl Mayer

Carl Mayer (20 November 1894, Graz, Austria - 1 July 1944, London) was a Austrian screenplay writer who wrote or co-wrote the screenplays to "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" (1920), "Der Letzte Mann" (1924), "Tartuffe" (1926), and "Sunrise" (1927), the last three being films directed by F. W. Murnau.

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 Graz to Innsbruck and then Vienna, where he worked as a dramatist. The events of the World War I turned him into a pacifist.

In 1917, Mayer went to Berlin, where he worked at the small Residenztheater. He befriended Gilda Langer, a leading actress of the theater and fell in love with her. He wrote the script for "Das Kabinett des Doktor Caligari" (1920) with Hans Janowitz, and planned to have Langer star in the movie. However, Langer became engaged to director Paul Czinner, then Langer died unexpectedly early in 1920. (The role went to famous actress Lil Dagover instead.) Mayer paid for Langer's tombstone and had notes from Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde" engraved on it.

"Kabinett" made Mayer famous and soon he was a leading screenplay writer, working with many leading directors in Germany. He worked with F. W. Murnau on "Der Letzte Man" (1924, known as "The Last Laugh" in the USA) in Germany, and he also wrote the scenario for Murnau's "Sunrise" (1927), made during Murnau's stay in Hollywood.

Shortly after working with Béla Balázs on the script for "The Blue Light" (1932) -- directed by the infamous Leni Riefenstahl -- Mayer moved to London in 1933 to escape the Nazi regime. Being a Jew as well as a pacifist, he had to flee Germany when the Nazis came to power. In London, he worked as an adviser to the British film industry, and became friends with British film figures such as director and film writer Paul Rotha.

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 on July 1, 1944, poor and almost forgotten, having only 23 pounds in cash and two books. He was buried at Highgate Cemetery in London and 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.

Bibliography

* Michael Omasta, Brigitte Mayr, Christian Cargnelli (eds.): "Carl Mayer: Ein Script von ihm war schon ein Film" ("A Script by Carl Mayer Was Already a Film"), Vienna: Synema, 2003, ISBN 3-901644-10-5 (German/English)

External links

*imdb name|0562346|Carl Mayer


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Carl Mayer — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Carl Mayer Carl Mayer Nacimiento 20 de noviembre de 1894 …   Wikipedia Español

  • Carl Mayer — ist der Name folgender Personen: Carl Mayer (Politiker) (1884–1963), deutscher Politiker (SPD), Mitglied des Ernannten Landtags von Oldenburg Carl Mayer (Drehbuchautor) (1894–1944), österreichischer Drehbuchautor Carl Mayer (Neurologe)… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Carl mayer — est un scénariste autrichien né le 20 novembre 1894 à Graz (Autriche) et mort à Londres (Rotaume Uni) le 1er juillet 1944. Biographie Son père,spéculateur boursier, s étant suicidé, Carl doit quitter l école à l âge de quinze ans et travailler… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Carl Mayer — est un scénariste autrichien né le 20 novembre 1894 à Graz (Autriche) et mort à Londres (Royaume Uni) le 1er juillet 1944. Biographie Son père, spéculateur boursier, s étant suicidé, Carl doit quitter l école à l âge de quinze ans et travailler… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Carl Mayer (Drehbuchautor) — Carl Mayer Carl Mayer (* 20. November 1894 in Graz; † 1. Juli 1944 in London) war ein österreichischer Drehbuchautor. Inhaltsverzeichnis …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Carl Mayer von Rothschild — Kalman Mayer Rothschild (seit 1817 Carl Mayer von Rothschild, ab 1822: Carl Mayer Freiherr von Rothschild) (* 24. April 1788 in Frankfurt am Main; † 10. März 1855 in Neapel[1]) war ein deutscher Bankier aus der Familie Rothschild …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Carl Mayer von Rothschild — (April 24, 1788 March 10, 1855) was a German born banker in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and the founder of the Rothschild banking family of Naples.Born Calmann Mayer Rothschild in Frankfurt am Main, he was the fourth of the five sons of Mayer …   Wikipedia

  • Carl Mayer von Rothschild — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Carl Mayer von Rothschild Carl Mayer von Rothschild (24 de abril de 1788 10 de marzo de 1855) fue un banquero de origen alemán radicado en el Reino de las dos Sicilias, fundador de la familia de banqueros Rothschild… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Carl Mayer (disambiguation) — Carl Mayer (1894 1944) was a German screenplay writer.Carl Mayer may also refer to:*Carl Mayer (DJ), American DJ on WXPK *Carl Mayer von Rothschild (1788 1855), 19th century German bankeree also*Karl Mayer, a fictional character on the U.S. TV… …   Wikipedia

  • Carl Mayer (Soziologe) — Carl Mayer (* 18. Juli 1902 in Pforzheim; † 13. Mai 1974 in der Schweiz) war ein US amerikanischer Religionssoziologe deutscher Herkunft. Mayer studierte an der Universität Heidelberg Sozial und Staatswissenschaften bei Alfred Weber, Eduard… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”