How Did German-American Influence On Hollywood

German-Americans are major influence on movies in Hollywood throughout the years and still until this day. According to Peter Kramar, author of Hollywood in Germany by the “1940’s 10,000 to 15,000 Germans had migrated to Southern California”. 30,000 intellectuals and radicals were exiled from Europe after the rise of Hitler. 80% of these people were Jewish. Many fled from Europe to the United States specifically Hollywood. Many of people had musical, theater and film talents. The first wave of émigrés Germans came in the 1920’s as talent raids happened at UFA in German. The second wave of exiles happened in the late 1930’s as the Nazi regime began and Jewish people faced persecution or racial discrimination. Between the 1930s-1940s, 800 Germans had found employment in Hollywood, in which many were directors, cinematographers, sound technicians, and set designers. This mass migration meant that in American genre the highest German profession was in the horror genre. “It was the greatest transfer of it’s kind ever
seen” and is what shaped Hollywood.

A major influence on this mass migration of cinematographers, sound technicians, and set designers was that Hollywood had “established itself as the international film capital”(Kramer pg) . Hollywood had many resources for the film industry allowing these talented people to utilize the resources in Hollywood. Hollywood had the resources to allow the movies to have the largest possible audience. Some of the most famous cinematographers, sounds technicians, directors and set designer are: Karl Freund, Alexander Granach, Fritz Land, Peter Lorre, F.W Murnau, Max Reinhardt, Conrad Vedit and Franz Waxman. All of these people have produced some of the most famous horror movies of today. Karl Freund is known for his cinematography work in both Dracula and Metropolis.
He moved from Berlin, Germany to Hollywood and became a cinematographer for Universal studios after the talent raids in Germany. Freund like many other people in Germans faced death or racial discrimination if he continued a life in German. After a brief spell the in Austrian army he was spotted during the UFA raids. His outstanding work in Germany left Hollywood in need of such talent. Freund influenced horror movies after he raised the bar with fluid camera movements as well as low lightening in his movies. Both of these techniques became popular for movies after the talented Freund used these techniques in Dracula. After a remarkable career in cinematography Freund changed his career and became a photographer in Hollywood. He was responsible for the famous sitcom I love Lucy in which 400 episodes were produced. Many Americans enjoyed the sitcom before his death in
1965.

Fritz Lang worked closely with Karl Freund to produce one of the most fascinating movies of the expressionist era. He moved to Hollywood from Germany after the Nazi regime began, he was half Jewish. Lang was known for being a director who was hard to work with as he struggled to adapt to the changes from Germany to Hollywood. Although he was hard to work with and many people did not want to do the painful things he wanted, it meant that his work was extraordinary. Lang was known for his mis-en-scéne and this helped to focus other horror movies. To ensure that it was perfect actors had to take undertake extreme measures to get exactly what he wanted. During the filming of Metroplis, Brigitte Helm the actor of Maria spent many hours in an uncomfortable outfit rarely being allowed to take a break under Langs directing. Max Reinhardt was another émigré from Germany who was born in Austria. Both of his parents were Jewish. Being a Jew, he fled the country under the Nazi regime as his life was in danger. The cabinet of Dr. Calagri was a movie that was one of the scariest movies released in that time period. The sets which are in the movie and make the movie ever so much scary was influenced by Reinhardt. Reinhardt influence movies and the culture in America today as his close attention to the acting makes movies more realistic and actors portray the characters they are trying to be.

Peter Lorre is widely known for his acting in the movie M. He moved to Hollywood in 1933 as the Nazi came to power. As they came into power he was forced to move or face the prospect of being kill by the Nazi’s. Lorre’s ability to play the bad guy influenced horror movies today. His acting in the movie M showed others how to portray an evil child murderer in M.

All of these cinematographers, sounds technicians, directs and set designer influence today’s horror movie industry today and Hollywood. Their intellect and close attention to detail in the acting, sets and music have meant that horror movies look realistic and play on social anxieties. Although the circumstances in which these people had to migrate to the United States they have all made Hollywood the place it is today.