Paul Leni
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Paul Leni (8 July 1885, Stuttgart – 2 September 1929, Los Angeles) born Paul Josef Levi was a German filmmaker and a key figure in German Expressionist filmmaking, making Backstairs (Hintertreppe, 1921) and Waxworks (1924) in Germany, and The Cat and the Canary (1927), The Chinese Parrot (1927), The Man Who Laughs (1928), and The Last Warning (1929) in the U.S.
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[edit] Biography
A native of Berlin, Leni became an avant-garde painter at age 15 and then began working as a set designer for theater, working with such prominent directors as Max Reinhardt.
Around 1914, he became an art director for German films. He later became a director of films such as Patience (1920), Backstairs (1921), and Waxworks (1924). He also made the short animation film Rebus-Film Nr. 1 -- actually a filmed crossword puzzle -- and two others numbered 2 and 3. The Rebus Films are occasionally shown on Classic Arts Showcase.
In 1927, he moved to Hollywood to accept Carl Laemmle's invitation to become a director at Universal Studios. There Leni made a distinguished directorial debut with The Cat and the Canary (1927) a haunted house film that had great influence over Universal's later classic horror series.
Unfortunately, Leni only made three more such films before dying of blood poisoning in Los Angeles on 2 September 1929.
[edit] Filmography
[edit] German films
- Das Tagebuch des Dr. Hart (1916)
- Prinz Kuckuck (1919)
- Patience (1920)
- Backstairs (1921)
- Waxworks (1924)
- Rebus-Film Nr. 1 (1925)
- Rebus-Film Nr. 2 (1925)
- Rebus-Film Nr. 3 (1925)
[edit] Universal Studio films
- The Cat and the Canary (1927)
- The Chinese Parrot (1927)
- The Man Who Laughs (1928)
- The Last Warning (1929)
[edit] External links
- Paul Leni, the forgotten master
- Paul Leni at All Movie Guide
- Paul Leni at the Internet Movie Database
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