{{short description|German director}} {{use dmy dates|date=February 2020}} {{for|the German entomologist|Erich Otto Engel}} {{distinguish|Erich Engels}} [[File:Erich Engel Bundesarchiv Bild 183-93752-0002, Berlin, AdK-Plenartagung(2).jpg|thumb|Erich Engel in 1962]] [[File:Grab von Erich Engel.jpg|thumb|Grave of Erich Engel in the Dorotheenstadt burial ground in Berlin]] '''Erich Gustav Otto Engel''' (14 February 1891 – 10 May 1966) was a [[Germans|German]] [[film director|film]] and [[theatre director]].<ref group=N>He is often confused with another German film director called [[Erich Engels]] (with an s), who specialised in comedy, and crime films.</ref>
== Biography == Engel was born in [[Hamburg]], where later he studied at the School of Applied Arts. After finishing there he worked briefly as a journalist, then learnt acting at the [[Thalia Theater (Hamburg)|Thalia Theatre]] in Hamburg, after which he spent several years with a touring theatre company.
In 1917 and 1918 Engel was the dramaturgist in the ''[[Deutsches Schauspielhaus]]'', and later in the ''[[Hamburger Kammerspiele]]''. After a short engagement with the ''[[Bayerisches Staatsschauspiel|Bayerische Staatstheater]]'' in [[Munich]] he moved in 1924 to [[Berlin]]. At the ''[[Deutsches Theater Berlin|Deutsche Theater]]'' he produced, among other pieces, [[Bertolt Brecht]]'s ''[[Im Dickicht der Städte]]'' and soon became one of the foremost interpreters of Brecht's works on the German stage.
His breakthrough came with Brecht's ''[[Dreigroschenoper]]'', the premiere of which he produced, opening on 31 August 1928 in the ''[[Theater am Schiffbauerdamm]]'', Berlin.
In 1930 Engel also began directing films, but in order to avoid being commissioned to make propaganda films for the [[National Socialist]]s he concentrated on comedies, characterised by their irony and wit. Among the principal actors in his early films were [[Jenny Jugo]] in ''Fünf von der Jazzband'' (1932), [[Gustav Waldau]] in ''Unser Fräulein Doktor'' (1940) and [[Otto Gebühr]] in ''Viel Lärm um Nixi'' (1942). In this period he worked closely with [[Theo Mackeben]] as composer and musical director. He was also engaged as theatrical director at the ''Berliner Deutsche Theater''.
In [[Vienna]] in 1935 he produced the film ''[[... nur ein Komödiant]]'', with [[Rudolf Forster]] in a double role. Set in the 18th century, this film was opposed to militarism and authoritarianism, as is recognisable inter alia in the scene when a military officer refuses an order to fire indiscriminately on a crowd of rebellious peasants. Probably because of the film's period setting, which seems to have veiled its political stance, it was passed by both the Austrian and the German censors.
During the [[National Socialist]] period Engel made numerous films for [[Universum Film AG|UFA]]. After [[World War II]] he became the director of the ''Münchner Kammerspiele'', but from 1949 lived and worked in the [[East Germany|DDR]]. Among other pieces he directed for [[DEFA]] in 1948 the film ''Affäre Blum'' and in 1951 ''Kommen Sie am Ersten'' with [[Inge Meysel]].
Later films that he made for DEFA included ''[[Geschwader Fledermaus]]'' (1958), in which he opposed the French colonial war in [[Vietnam]]. For his many DEFA productions he received the [[Nationalpreis der DDR]]. However, he also directed in [[West Germany]] for [[Artur Brauner]].
As senior director in Brecht's [[Berliner Ensemble]] Engel returned to the ''Theater am Schiffbauerdamm'', where after the death of Brecht he directed the premiere in 1957 of the ''[[Leben des Galilei]]'' with the [[choreographer]] [[Jean Soubeyran]].
He died in Berlin in 1966 and is buried in the Dorotheenstadt burial ground near the graves of Bertolt Brecht and [[Heinrich Mann]].
==Thomas Engel== His son [[Thomas Engel (director)|Thomas Engel]] (1922-2015) was also a director (for among others the [[ARD (broadcaster)|ARD]], for whom he produced the television series ''[[Tatort]]'') and screenplay writer. Father and son co-directed the film ''[[Annaluise and Anton]]'' (1953).
== Selected filmography == * ''[[Mysteries of a Barbershop|Mysterien eines Frisiersalons]]'' (1923), co-director with Bert Brecht (with [[Karl Valentin]], [[Blandine Ebinger]], [[Carola Neher]], and [[Max Schreck]]) * ''[[Love Is the Power of Women]]'' (1924) (with [[Fern Andra]]) * ''[[Who Takes Love Seriously?]]'' (1931) (with [[Jenny Jugo]] and [[Max Hansen (tenor)|Max Hansen]]) * ''[[Five from the Jazz Band]]'' (1932) (with Jenny Jugo) * ''[[Inge and the Millions]]'' (1933) (with [[Brigitte Helm]] and [[Paul Wegener]]) * ''[[Hard Luck Mary]]'' (1934) (with Jenny Jugo) * ''[[The Secret of Cavelli]]'' (Austria, 1934) (with [[Rudolf Forster]] and [[Hans Moser (actor)|Hans Moser]]) * ''[[... nur ein Komödiant]]'' (Austria, 1935) (with Rudolf Forster, [[Christl Mardayn]], [[Hilde von Stolz]], Paul Wegener) * ''[[Pygmalion (1935 film)|Pygmalion]]'' (1935) (with Jenny Jugo, [[Gustaf Gründgens]], and [[Käthe Haack]]) * ''[[The Night With the Emperor]]'' (1936) (with Jenny Jugo and [[Paul Henckels]]) * ''[[A Wedding Dream]]'' (1936) (with [[Ida Wüst]], [[Theo Lingen]], [[Ferdinand Marian]]) * ''[[Victoria in Dover (1936 film)|Victoria in Dover]]'' (1936) (with Jenny Jugo, Paul Henckels, and [[Erik Ode]]) * ''[[Dangerous Game (1937 film)|Dangerous Game]]'' (1937) * ''[[The Muzzle (1938 film)|The Muzzle]]'' (1938) (with [[Elisabeth Flickenschildt]], Paul Henckels, and [[Will Quadflieg]] based on the novel by [[Heinrich Spoerl]]) * ''[[A Hopeless Case]]'' (1938) (with [[Jenny Jugo]], [[Karl Ludwig Diehl]], [[Axel von Ambesser]] * ''[[Hotel Sacher (film)|Hotel Sacher]]'' (1939) (with [[Willy Birgel]] and [[Wolf Albach-Retty]]) * ''[[Our Miss Doctor]]'' (1940) * ''[[Nanette (film)|Nanette]]'' (1940) (with Jenny Jugo and [[Hans Söhnker]]) * ''[[Much Ado About Nixi]]'' (1942) * ''Sommerliebe'' (1942) (with [[O. W. Fischer]]) * ''[[Don't Talk to Me About Love (film)|Don't Talk to Me About Love]]'' (1943) * ''[[An Old Heart Becomes Young Again]]'' (1943) (with [[Emil Jannings]] and [[Viktor de Kowa]]) * ''Es lebe die Liebe'' (1944) (with [[Lizzi Waldmüller]] and [[Johannes Heesters]]) * ''Wo ist Herr Belling'' (1945) (with Emil Jannings) * ''[[Journey to Happiness]]'' (1948) (with [[Käthe Dorsch]], Rudolf Forster, and [[Hildegard Knef]]) * ''[[Blum Affair]]'' (East Germany, 1948) (with [[Hans Christian Blech]], [[Paul Bildt]], and [[Gisela Trowe]]) * ''[[The Beaver Coat (1949 film)|The Beaver Coat]]'' (East Germany, 1949) (with [[Fita Benkhoff]], [[Werner Hinz]], and Käthe Haack, based on an original work by [[Gerhart Hauptmann]]) * ''{{ill|Das seltsame Leben des Herrn Bruggs|de}}'' (West Germany, 1951) (with [[Gustav Knuth]]) * ''[[Under the Thousand Lanterns]]'' (West Germany, 1952) (with Inge Meysel, [[René Deltgen]], and Gisela Trowe) * ''[[The Merry Vineyard (1952 film)|The Merry Vineyard]]'' (West Germany, 1952) (with [[Gustav Knuth]], [[Camilla Spira]], and [[Willy Reichert]] based on an original work by [[Carl Zuckmayer]]) * ''[[Consul Strotthoff]]'' (West Germany, 1954) * ''Du bist die Richtige'' (West Germany, 1955) * ''[[Before God and Man]]'' (West Germany, 1955) * ''[[Love Without Illusions]]'' (West Germany, 1955) (with [[Sonja Ziemann]] and [[Curd Jürgens]]) * ''[[Geschwader Fledermaus]]'' (East Germany, 1958)
== Notes == {{reflist|group=N}} == References == {{reflist}} == External links == {{commons category}} *{{DNB portal|118684647|TYP=}} *{{IMDb name|id=0257068|name=Erich Engel}} * [http://www.thalia-theater.de Thalia Theatre, Hamburg] {{in lang|de}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20071001010617/http://www.film-zeit.de/home.php?action=result&sub=person&person_id=11452 film-zeit.de: biography] {{in lang|de}} <!-- * [http://www.norbert-schnitzler.de/Sammlungen/DDR/Friedhof/DF/Prominente.htm List of graves in the Dorotheenstadt burial ground] link dead - check later
archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050315174806/http://www.norbert-schnitzler.de/Sammlungen/DDR/Friedhof/DF/Prominente.htm
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Engel, Erich}} [[Category:1891 births]] [[Category:1966 deaths]] [[Category:Film directors from Hamburg]] [[Category:German-language film directors]] [[Category:German theatre directors]] [[Category:German silent film directors]]