German-born scenarist Curt Siodmak, who also directed several minor movies, distinguished himself writing scripts for imaginative horror pics, as well as visionary science fiction films. The young man from Dresden, with a doctorate in mathematics, came to Berlin, found work as a reporter and, as an extra, became the only journalist with access to Fritz Lang's closed of "Metropolis" (1927). His story (expanded by friend Billy Wilder) was the inspiration for "People on Sunday" (1929), one of the last notable German silents. The film, directed by brother Robert (in association with Edgar Ulmer), became a landmark in the development of the docudrama, using a neo-realistic documentary technique, authentic locations and amateur actors to tell a simple story about a day in the life of two German couples. The hand-held camerawork of cinematographer Eugene Schuftan (assisted by Fred Zinnemann) prefigured both the Italian neorealism of the 1940s and the French New Wave of the 50s.The success of "People on Sunday" led to contracts with UFA studio-head Erich Pommer (producer of "The Blue Angel") for the Siodmaks and their collaborators, and Curt worked alone and with his brother at UFA until 1933 when he fled Germany to escape fascism. Landing in Hollywood's emigre community in 1938, he found it easy to find work, despite English being his second language, and scored his first success as co-screenwriter of "The Invisible Man Returns" (1939). Siodmak's script for "The Wolf Man" (1941) introduced the legendary creature to the horror genre, and he also penned (alone or in tandem) such literate and engrossing delights as Jacques Tourneur's "I Walked with a Zombie", his brother's "Son of Dracula" (both 1943) and Robert Florey's "The Beast with Five Fingers" (1947), not to mention the post-war spy thriller, "Berlin Express" (1948). As a novelist in exile, unlike many of his fellow countrymen who continued writing in German, Siodmak made the difficult transition to English prose, publishing the seminal sci-fi novel "Donovan's Brain" in 1942. This tale of the first brain transplant spawned a radio adaptation by Orson Welles and four film versions, the best one arguably being "Donovan's Brain" (1953), starring Lew Ayres.
Siodmak made his directorial debut with "The Bride of the Gorilla" (1951) and followed with perhaps his best effort, "The Magnetic Monster" (1953), lifting special effects for its stunning climax from the 1930s German film, "Gold", but his efforts at the helm were decidedly lackluster. It is as a screenwriter that he made his mark on film, combining elements of Gothic tales with German Expressionism, the style of his generation. Many of his stories centered on the concept of Harmatia, the Greek idea that humans must endure the whims of the gods. "We all have Harmatia in us," he wrote in his 1991 introduction to the publication of "The Wolf Man". "Life itself contains the curse of the Wolf Man: suffering without having been guilty." For his contributions to the cinema, the 1998 Berlin Film Festival honored Siodmak (along with his late brother Robert) with a retrospective and presented him with the Berlinale Camera, an award founded in 1986 to express the Festival's gratitude and appreciation for a celebrity to whom it feels particularly indebted.
Profession(s):
screenwriter, novelist, director, producer, reporter
Sometimes Credited As:
1998 Honored (along with his late brother Robert) with a retrospective at the Berlin Film Festival; presented with the Berlinale Camera, an award founded in 1986 to express the Festival's gratitude and app
1970 "Hauser's Memory", a Cold War, sci-fi thriller adapted from his novel, aired on NBC
1965 Last feature, "Liebsspiele im Schnee/Ski Fever"
1961 Directed first 13 episodes (eight which he also scripted) of syndicated TV series, "Number 13 Demon Street"; series which starred Chaney was filmed in Sweden; never aired in USA, however, three segmen
1957 Produced "Love Slaves of the Amazon"; also wrote and directed
1953 Wrote and directed "The Magnetic Monster", featuring special effects lifted from the 1930s German film "Gold"
1953 Second movie adaptation of "Donovan's Brain", the most faithful to the book of any of the versions; starred Lew Ayres and featured future First Lady Nancy Davis [Reagan]
1951 Directorial debut, "Bride of the Gorilla", starring Raymond Burr, Barbara Payton and Chaney
1944 First of four film adaptation of "Donovan's Brain", "The Lady and the Monster"
1943 Wrote story for "Son of Dracula", directed by brother Robert; banner year also saw him write screenplays for "False Faces", "Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman", "I Walked with a Zombie", "The Mantrap", a
1942 Black Mask magazine accepted his seminal sci-fi novel, "Donovan's Brain" for serialization; Knopf published book, eventually translated into a dozen languages
1941 Wrote screenplay for "The Wolf Man"; first of six collaborations with Lon Chaney Jr
1939 Collaborated on the screenplay for Joe May's "The Invisible Man Returns"; first Hollywood success
1938 Moved to the USA; settled in Hollywood
1938 First US credit, story for "Her Jungle Love"
1937 Last novel in German, "Die Macht in Dunklen/The Power in the Dark", published in Switzerland; foresaw Nazi invasion of Poland
1937 Gestapo confiscated all copies of his books in Germany
1934 Brother Robert directed "The Depression Is Over" (in France), based on his novel
1933 Left Germany for France, then England
1929 Began film career as co-scripter (with Billy Wilder) of "People on Sunday", co-directed by his brother Robert and Edgar Ulmer; future Hollywood luminaries Fred Zinnemann and Eugene Schuftan also invol
1927 While a reporter, hired as an extra on Fritz Lang's "Metropolis", becoming the only journalist to see the closed set
