Used to giving his characters a particularly funny and amusing touch, Josef Meinrad was actually perfectly capable of changing tone depending on the situation. And thinking back to the fact that he was originally supposed to become a priest, it is interesting to note that, in the course of his career, the actor actually played the role of the priest no less than twenty-one times.
The great actor Karl Merkatz (1930 – 2022), who in the course of his long and prolific career played numerous characters in film, theatre and television, was a true Austrian film star. A few months after his death, we would like to pay him this tribute.
In the course of his life, Peter Kubelka made only nine films, with a total running time of about ninety minutes. Each of his films runs no longer than fifteen minutes, but this is a well-reasoned choice. Each frame has a precise aspect and only finds its fulfilment when it is edited together with a certain sound. Metrics therefore play a central role.
Many people, especially in Austria and Germany, will remember the famous Peter Alexander singing joyful Christmas songs on television. Yet the popular and versatile Viennese artist – still fondly remembered by many viewers today – also made a name for himself as an actor and TV host.
Not only literature, but also theatre and film are fields in which Elfriede Jelinek feels particularly at home. And, in fact, a constant fusion of genres in a style that is difficult to classify – together with a strong autobiographical nature and a marked feminism – has become one of the trademarks of her works.
An honourable career and numerous controversies have made Attila Hörbiger’s life comparable to a true novel, although today the actor is remembered mainly for his extraordinary talent and the unforgettable characters he gave us over the years.
At the 1948 Venice International Film Festival, The Trial, Georg Wilhelm Pabst’s masterpiece, was presented in competition. What caught particular attention was the extraordinary performance of actor Ernst Deutsch, who won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor. But who was, in fact, Ernst Deutsch?
Rosa Albach-Retty was an extremely famous personality in Austria, a fundamental figure in Austrian theatre and film history, although today she is mainly remembered as Romy Schneider’s grandmother.
The Gierke family is actually the family that contributed the most to the spread of cinema in Styria. With great curiosity and passion, Oskar Gierke was able to create a true empire, ensuring that the locals could fully enjoy this new, magical invention.
When we think of a name like Max Reinhardt, we inevitably refer to one of the most important personalities of the Austrian and world cultural scene of the last century. Thanks to him, important innovations both from the point of view of staging and, indeed, with regard to the enhancement of actors and their direct relationship with the audience are still being adopted today.