# Kurt Maetzig

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Kurt_Maetzig
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Kurt_Maetzig.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Maetzig
> Source revision: 1344791033
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

{{Short description|German film director}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name        = Kurt Maetzig
| image       = Bundesarchiv Bild 183-33557-0001, Heusdorf, Kurt Maetzig.jpg
| caption     = Maetzig at a screening of the film [Ernst Thälmann – Führer seiner Klasse](/source/Ernst_Th%C3%A4lmann_(film)) in 1955. 
| birth_date  = {{birth date |1911|01|25|df=y}}
| birth_place = [Berlin](/source/Berlin), [German Empire](/source/German_Empire)
| death_date  = {{Death date and age|df=y|2012|08|08|1911|01|25}}
| death_place = Wildkuhl, [Mecklenburg](/source/Mecklenburg), [Germany](/source/Germany)
| occupation  = Film director
}}

'''Kurt Maetzig''' (25 January 1911&nbsp;– 8 August 2012) was a German film director who had a significant effect on the film industry in [East Germany](/source/East_Germany). He was one of the most respected filmmakers of the [GDR](/source/East_Germany).<ref name="Brockmann2010">{{cite book|last=Brockmann|first=Stephen|title=A Critical History of German Film|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hz1I0Ty9AUYC&pg=PA215|accessdate=28 March 2011|date=1 November 2010|publisher=Camden House|isbn=978-1-57113-468-4|page=215}}</ref> After his retirement he lived in Wildkuhl, [Mecklenburg](/source/Mecklenburg), and had three children.<ref name="Reference1">{{cite web|url=http://www.film-zeit.de/Person/33277/Kurt-Maetzig/Biographie/|title=Biography of Kurt Maetzig|accessdate=9 June 2009|work=film-zeit.de|language=de|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716135727/http://www.film-zeit.de/Person/33277/Kurt-Maetzig/Biographie/|archive-date=16 July 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Early life==
Kurt Maetzig was the son of Robert Maetzig and Marie Maetzig (née Lyon). He was born and grew up in the [Charlottenburg](/source/Charlottenburg) borough of Berlin. His mother came from a wealthy family of tea merchants.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Maetzig, Kurt {{!}} DEFA Film Library|url=https://ecommerce.umass.edu/defa/people/379|website=ecommerce.umass.edu|access-date=3 May 2020}}</ref> He gained an insight into the film industry from an early age as his father was the proprietor of a factory that produced film copies there.<ref name="Reference1" /> During the [First World War](/source/World_War_I), he stayed with his grandmother in [Hamburg](/source/Hamburg).<ref name="Reference1" /> After the end of the war, he moved back to Berlin, where he completed his secondary education at the Leibniz-Oberrealschule. He then enrolled at the [Technical University of Munich](/source/Technical_University_of_Munich) (TUM), where he studied chemistry, engineering and political and business economics. He also studied sociology, psychology and law for a year at the [Sorbonne](/source/University_of_Paris) in [Paris](/source/Paris).<ref name="Reference2">{{cite web|url=http://www.kurt-maetzig.de/Biografie/biografie.html |title=Biography of Kurt Maetzig |accessdate=9 June 2009 |work=kurt-maetzig.de |language=de |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081009185044/http://www.kurt-maetzig.de/Biografie/biografie.html |archivedate=9 October 2008 }}</ref>

In the late 1920s, Maetzig worked at his father's factory during the holidays, gaining experience in all areas of film production. He began shooting his own films in 1932, and three years later he ran his own cartoon workshop, where he also worked on titles and opening credits for short films.<ref name="Reference1" />

==Career==
He received his [PhD](/source/Doctor_of_Philosophy) from TUM in 1935 after he had completed his dissertation entitled "The accountancy of a film-copying institution." He then worked for various firms, including his father's, where he worked on film technology and [photochemistry](/source/photochemistry), and also gave lessons on copying techniques and problems with sound and colour in films.<ref name="Reference1" /><ref name="Reference2" /> However, following the [Nuremberg Laws](/source/Nuremberg_Laws) of 1935, his work permit was revoked by the [Film Chamber of the Reich](/source/Reichsfilmkammer) in 1937 due to his mother's [Jew](/source/Jew)ish heritage.<ref name="Reference1" /> Maetzig then ran a small photochemical laboratory in Berlin and gave lectures on film technology.<ref name="Reference1" /> 

During the [Second World War](/source/World_War_II), Maetzig became a member of the illegal [Communist Party](/source/Communist_Party_of_Germany) in 1944.<ref name="Reference2" /> After the war, he moved back to Berlin, where he co-founded a group called "''Filmaktiv''" in 1945, whose aim was to organise a resumption of film production.<ref name="Reference1" /> He joined the newly founded state-owned film studio, [DEFA](/source/DEFA_(film_studio)), in 1947, where he worked as a director both of documentaries and feature films. He became DEFA's artistic director in 1946.<ref name=":0" /> He was also the first director and editor of the weekly newsreel "''[Der Augenzeuge](/source/Der_Augenzeuge)''" ([English](/source/English_Language): ''The Eyewitness'').<ref name="Reference2" />

Maetzig's first feature film was ''[Ehe im Schatten](/source/Marriage_in_the_Shadows)'' (''Marriage in the Shadows''), released in 1947. It was the most successful film of the post-war period, attracting over 12 million viewers in total.<ref name="Reference1" /> His other notable films include ''[Die Buntkarierten](/source/Die_Buntkarierten)'' (1949), which was entered into the [Cannes Film Festival](/source/1949_Cannes_Film_Festival),<ref name="Reference3">{{cite web |url=http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/4131/year/1949.html |title=Festival de Cannes: Die Buntkarierten |accessdate=9 June 2009|work=festival-cannes.com}}</ref> the ''[Ernst Thälmann films](/source/Ernst_Th%C3%A4lmann_(film))'' (1954–55), and the science fiction film ''[Der schweigende Stern](/source/Der_schweigende_Stern)'' (1960). Some of Maetzig's work has been described as East German propaganda particularly his two part series on Ernst Thalman ([Ernst Thälmann - Sohn seiner Klasse](/source/Ernst_Th%C3%A4lmann_-_Sohn_seiner_Klasse), [Ernst Thälmann - Führer seiner Klasse](/source/Ernst_Th%C3%A4lmann_-_F%C3%BChrer_seiner_Klasse)), though nearly all his films in production from 1965–66 were banned by East German authorities.<ref name=":0" /> He also directed the film ''[Das Kaninchen bin ich](/source/Das_Kaninchen_bin_ich)'' (''The Rabbit is Me'') (1965), which was one of twelve films that were banned in East Germany after the 11th plenum of the [SED](/source/Socialist_Unity_Party_of_Germany)'s [Central Committee](/source/Central_Committee) for being too critical of the internal social problems within the country.<ref name="Reference4">Berghahn, Daniela (2004), ‘Film Censorship in a “Clean State”: The Case of Klein and Kohlhaase’s Berlin um die Ecke’, in ''Critical Studies'', 22, pp. 111–139.</ref>

He retired as a film director in 1976.<ref name="Reference2" /> He died on 8 August 2012 in Wildkuhl, [Mecklenburg](/source/Mecklenburg).<ref name="obituary">{{cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/entertainment-us-germany-film-director-idUSBRE8780FG20120809 |title=Former East German director Maetzig dies at 101 |accessdate=9 August 2012 |work=reuters.com}}</ref>

==Other commitments==
From 1954 to 1964, Maetzig was the first president of the German University of Cinema in [Potsdam-Babelsberg](/source/Potsdam-Babelsberg), where he also held the post of Professor of Stage Direction. From 1967 to 1988 he was an executive member of the Verband der Film- und Fernsehschaffenden der DDR (GDR Federation of Film and Television Producers). He then became the vice-president of the Fédération Internationale des Ciné-Clubs (International Federation of Cinema Clubs) (FICC) in 1974.<ref name="Reference2" />

He was also president of the Nationales Spielfilmfestival der DDR (English: GDR National Film Festival)  on four separate occasions between 1980 and 1990, and he has been a member of the [Academy of Arts, Berlin](/source/Academy_of_Arts%2C_Berlin) since 1950, where a considerable archive of his works is located.<ref name="Reference1" /> In 1973 he was a member of the jury at the [8th Moscow International Film Festival](/source/8th_Moscow_International_Film_Festival).<ref name="Moscow1973">{{cite web|url=http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1973 |title=8th Moscow International Film Festival (1973) |accessdate=25 December 2012 |work=MIFF |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116194922/http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1973 |archivedate=16 January 2013 }}</ref> In 1979 he was a member of the jury at the [11th Moscow International Film Festival](/source/11th_Moscow_International_Film_Festival).<ref name="Moscow1979">{{cite web|url=http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1979 |title=11th Moscow International Film Festival (1979) |accessdate=14 January 2013 |work=MIFF |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140403102012/http://www.moscowfilmfestival.ru/miff34/eng/archives/?year=1979 |archivedate=3 April 2014 }}</ref> In 1983 he was a member of the jury at the [33rd Berlin International Film Festival](/source/33rd_Berlin_International_Film_Festival).<ref name="Berlinale">{{cite web |url=https://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1983/04_jury_1983/04_Jury_1983.html |title=Berlinale: 1983 Juries |accessdate=14 November 2010 |work=berlinale.de}}</ref>

==Filmography==
* 1946: ''[Der Augenzeuge](/source/Der_Augenzeuge)'' (weekly newsreel)
* 1946: ''[Berlin im Aufbau](/source/Berlin_im_Aufbau)'' (documentary)
* 1946: ''Musikalischer Besuch'' (documentary)
* 1946: ''1.Mai 1946'' (documentary)
* 1946: ''Leipziger Messe 1946'' (documentary)
* 1946: ''Einheit SPD – KPD'' (documentary)
* 1947: ''[Marriage in the Shadows](/source/Marriage_in_the_Shadows)''
* 1949: ''[Girls in Gingham](/source/Girls_in_Gingham)''
* 1950: ''[The Council of the Gods](/source/The_Council_of_the_Gods)''
* 1950: ''Immer bereit'' (documentary)
* 1950: ''[The Benthin Family](/source/The_Benthin_Family)'' (co-directors: [Slatan Dudow](/source/Slatan_Dudow), [Richard Groschopp](/source/Richard_Groschopp))
* 1951: ''[The Sonnenbrucks](/source/The_Sonnenbrucks)''
* 1952: ''[Story of a Young Couple](/source/Story_of_a_Young_Couple)''
* 1954: ''[Ernst Thälmann - Sohn seiner Klasse](/source/Ernst_Th%C3%A4lmann_-_Sohn_seiner_Klasse)''
* 1955: ''[Ernst Thälmann - Führer seiner Klasse](/source/Ernst_Th%C3%A4lmann_-_F%C3%BChrer_seiner_Klasse)''
* 1957: ''[Castles and Cottages](/source/Castles_and_Cottages)''
* 1957: ''[Don't Forget My Little Traudel](/source/Don't_Forget_My_Little_Traudel)''
* 1958: ''[The Sailor's Song](/source/The_Sailor's_Song)''
* 1960: ''[First Spaceship on Venus](/source/First_Spaceship_on_Venus)''
* 1961: ''[September Love](/source/September_Love)''
* 1961: ''Der Traum des Hauptmann Loy''
* 1961: ''Der Schatten''
* 1963: ''An französischen Kaminen''
* 1964: ''Preludio 11''
* 1965: ''[The Rabbit Is Me](/source/The_Rabbit_Is_Me)''
* 1967: ''[Das Mädchen auf dem Brett](/source/Das_M%C3%A4dchen_auf_dem_Brett)''
* 1967: ''[The Banner of Krivoi Rog](/source/The_Banner_of_Krivoi_Rog)''
* 1970: ''Aus unserer Zeit''
* 1972: ''Januskopf''
* 1976: ''Mann gegen Mann''

==Awards==
* 1949 [Bambi (prize)](/source/Bambi_(prize)) for ''[Ehe im Schatten](/source/Ehe_im_Schatten)''
* 1949 [National Preis II. Klasse](/source/National_Prize_of_East_Germany) for ''[Ehe im Schatten](/source/Ehe_im_Schatten)'' and ''[Die Buntkarierten](/source/Die_Buntkarierten)'' (with others)
* 1950 [National Preis I. Klasse](/source/National_Prize_of_East_Germany) for ''[Der Rat der Götter](/source/Der_Rat_der_G%C3%B6tter)'' (with others)
* 1954 [National Preis I. Klasse](/source/National_Prize_of_East_Germany) for ''[Ernst Thälmann - Sohn seiner Klasse](/source/Ernst_Th%C3%A4lmann_-_Sohn_seiner_Klasse)'' (with others)
* 1959 [National Preis II. Klasse](/source/National_Prize_of_East_Germany) for ''[Das Lied der Matrosen](/source/Das_Lied_der_Matrosen)'' (with others)
* 1961 [Vaterländischer Verdienstorden](/source/Patriotic_Order_of_Merit) in Silver
* 1968 [National Preis I. Klasse](/source/National_Prize_of_East_Germany) for ''[Die Fahne von Kriwoj Rog](/source/Die_Fahne_von_Kriwoj_Rog)'' (with others)
* 1986 [Findling Award](/source/Findling_Award) for his life's work
* 1986 [Vaterländischer Verdienstorden](/source/Patriotic_Order_of_Merit) in Gold

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb name|id=0535512}}

{{Kurt Maetzig}}
{{GDR cinema}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maetzig, Kurt}}
Category:1911 births
Category:2012 deaths
Category:Cinema of East Germany
Category:Politicians from Berlin
Category:German people of Jewish descent
Category:Communist Party of Germany politicians
Category:German men centenarians
Category:People from East Berlin
Category:Recipients of the Patriotic Order of Merit
Category:Recipients of the National Prize of East Germany
Category:Technical University of Munich alumni
Category:Jewish centenarians
Category:German propagandists
Category:German propaganda film directors
Category:East German television personalities
Category:East German film directors

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Kurt Maetzig](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Maetzig) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Maetzig?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.