Hanns Eisler

Distinguished German composer Hanns Eisler has composed film and stage music on both sides of the Atlantic. Born in Leipzig, Germany, he studied under Arnold Schoenberg and began writing musical scores in the late 1920s. During this time he worked with noted composers Bertolt Brecht, Slatan Dudow and Walter Ruttmann. Throughout his life, his leftist leanings got him in considerable trouble. In 1932 his work on the radical film Kuhle Wampe resulted in him being exiled from Germany. He spent a few years working throughout Europe scoring documentaries and feature films until the early 1940s when he came to the U.S. to compose music for Broadway productions and Hollywood films. During his time in Hollywood he worked with such directors as Fritz Lang, Jean Renoir and Frank Borzage. In 1947, his Marxist tendencies again caused him trouble when Eisler became one of the first forced to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee. They declared him an unfriendly witness and deported him. Eisler moved to East Germany and there composed the country's national anthem, many songs, concert works and the occasional film score.

~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide