EUGEN SCHÜFFTAN

GREAT CINEMATOGRAPHERS

EUGEN SCHÜFFTAN

Born: 21 July 1893, Breslau [now Wroclaw, Poland], Silesia, Germany. A.k.a.: Eugen Shuftan and Eugene Schuftan.

Died: 6 September 1977, New York City, N.Y., USA.

Education: Kunstakademie, Breslau [Painting & Architecture].

Career: Started as impressionist painter in Berlin. Entered film industry in 1920 as visual effects ph. In 1923 he [with Ernst Kunstmann] developed the 'Schüfftan-Verfahren' [a method of combining into a single shot portions of a full-scale studio set (+ actors) with art work or a miniature component using a mirror], which was used in 'Metropolis', a.o. The system was patented in 1924. Left Germany in 1933 and went, via Austria, to France. After the invasion of France by the Nazis, he left for the USA in April 1941. Because of problems with the unions he couldn't be credited with the ph of several films. Became US citizen in 1947.

Books & Films: 'Nachrichten aus Hollywood, New York und anderswo - Der Briefwechsel Eugen und Marlise Schüfftans mit Siegfried und Lili Kracauer' [2003; ed: Helmut G. Asper; Schüfftan's correspondence with film critic Kracauer] & 'Wie haben sie's gemacht...? Babelsberger Kameramänner öffnen ihre Trickkiste' [2004, Helge Trimpert & Uwe Fleischer]. Eila Hershon & Roberto Guerra made the tv-doc 'Eugen Schüfftan, Kameramann' [1975]; Andreas Reichstein dir the tv-doc 'Spiegel, Licht und Schatten' [1992].

Awards: 'Oscar' AA [1961; b&w] & Golden Laurel Award [1962] for 'The Hustler'; Deutscher Filmpreis [1964] for his body of work; Billy Bitzer Award [1975] for 'outstanding contribution to the motion picture industry'.

FILMS

1929	Menschen am Sonntag [, ein Film ohne Schauspieler.] [- Das Dokument der Gegenwart]/People on Sunday [Robert Siodmak, Rochus Gliese (first day) & Edgar G. Ulmer (1 week)] b&w/silent; dram doc/1,615mtr, 1,839mtr (reconstruction; 74m) & 2,014mtr (original); the original negative is lost; prod Filmstudio 1929 (Berlin)
1929	Jagd auf dich - Filmdarsteller aus dem Kinopublikum [Ernst Angel] b&w/silent; short/42m; prod Erdeka-Film GmbH (Berlin)
1930	Abschied [- Ernstes und Heiteres aus einer Familienpension] [- So sind die Menschen]/Farewell [Robert Siodmak] b&w
1930	Das gestohlene Gesicht/The Stolen Face [Philipp Lothar Mayring & Erich Schmidt] b&w; cph: Werner Bohne
1930	Gassenhauer/Marie und ihre vier Freier [Lupu Pick] b&w; 2uc: Robert Baberske
1930	Les quatres vagabonds [Lupu Pick] b&w; 2uc: Robert Baberske; French-language version of 'Gassenhauer'
1931	Das Ekel/The Scoundrel [Franz Wenzler & Eugen Schüfftan] b&w; cph: Bernhard Wentzel
1931	Meine Frau, die Hochstaplerin [Kurt Gerron] b&w; cph: Karl Puth
1931	Dann schon lieber Lebertran/I'd Rather Have Cod Liver Oil [Max Ophüls] b&w; short/24m; cph: Karl Puth
1931	Die Wasserteufel von Hieflau [Eugen Schüfftan & Erich Kober] b&w; cph: Richard Angst, Herbert Körner & Ernst Kunstmann
1932	Die Herrin von Atlantis/Queen of Atlantis [G.W. Pabst] b&w; cph: Ernst Körner
1932	L'Atlantide [G.W. Pabst] b&w; cph: Joseph Barth; French-language version of 'Die Herrin von Atlantis'
1932	The Mistress of Atlantis/The Lost Atlantis [G.W. Pabst] b&w; cph: Ernst Körner & Joseph Barth; English-language version of 'Die Herrin von Atlantis'
1932	Zigeuner der Nacht [Hanns Schwarz] b&w
1932	Coeurs joyeux [Hanns Schwarz & Max de Vaucorbeil] b&w; French-language version of 'Zigeuner der Nacht'
1932	Der Läufer von Marathon/The Marathon Runner [E.A. Dupont] b&w
1933	Unsichtbare Gegner/Öl ins Feuer/Invisible Opponent [Rudolf Katscher] b&w; cph: Georg Bruckbauer
1933	Les requins du pétrole [Henri Decoin & Rudolf Katscher] b&w; cph: Georg Bruckbauer; French-language version of 'Unsichtbare Gegner'
1933	La voix sans visage/La voix du châtiment [Leo Mittler] b&w
1933	Du haut en bas/From Top to Bottom/High and Low [G.W. Pabst] b&w
1934	Irish Hearts/Norah O'Neale [Brian Desmond Hurst] b&w; 69m; cph: Walter Blakeley
1934	Le scandale [Marcel L'Herbier] b&w; cph: Christian Matras
1934	La crise est finie/The Depression Is Over [Robert Siodmak] b&w
1935	The Invader/An Old Spanish Custom [Adrian Brunel] b&w; English- & French-language versions
1935	Riders to the Sea [Brian Desmond Hurst] b&w; short/40m; loc ph; ph: Nicholas de Beliaeff
1935	Children of the Fog [Leopold Jessner & John Quin] b&w; 62m
1935	The Robber Symphony [Friedrich Feher] b&w
1935	La symphonie des brigands [Friedrich Feher] b&w; French-language version of 'The Robber Symphony'
1935	La tendre ennemie/The Tender Enemy [Max Ophüls] b&w

Eugen Schüfftan [?] - ? - actor Cor Ruys - "Komedie om geld" - photo Thys Ockersen Archive

1936	Komedie om geld/The Trouble with Money [Max Ophüls] b&w
1936	María de la O. [Francisco Elías] b&w; cph: Josep Gaspar
1936	Mademoiselle Docteur/Salonique nid d'espions/Street of Shadows/Spies from Salonika [G.W. Pabst] b&w; planned in 1933 as a project in Germany, but banned by the authorities
1937	Drôle de drame [ou L'étrange aventure de Docteur Molyneux]/Bizarre, Bizarre [Marcel Carné] b&w
1937	Yoshiwara [Max Ophüls] b&w
1937	Forfaiture/The Cheat [Marcel L'Herbier] b&w
1937	Mollenard/Hatred [Robert Siodmak] b&w
1937	Le drame de Shanghaï/The Shanghai Drama [G.W. Pabst] b&w; cph: Curt Courant
1938	Quai des brumes/Port of Shadows [Marcel Carné] b&w
1938	Werther/Le roman de Werther/The Novel of Werther [Max Ophüls] b&w; on the credits: Opérateurs - Schufftan. Portier, Bourgassof et Stilly
1938	Les trois valses/Three Waltzes [Ludwig Berger] b&w
1939	Sans lendemain/There's No Tomorrow [Max Ophüls] b&w
1939	L'émigrante [Léo Joannon] b&w
1939	Les musiciens du ciel [Georges Lacombe] b&w
1942	Hitler's Madman/Hitler's Hangman [Douglas Sirk] b&w; uncred ph, but cred as tech dir; cred ph: Jack Greenhalgh
1943	Summer Storm [Douglas Sirk] b&w; uncred ph, but cred as tech adv; cred ph: Archie Stout
1944	Bluebeard [Edgar G. Ulmer] b&w; uncred ph, but cred as prod des; his c.op Jockey Arthur Feindel was cred as ph
1944	Strange Illusion/Out of the Night [Edgar G. Ulmer] b&w; uncred cph; ph: Philip Tannura & (uncred) Benjamin H. Kline
1945	Club Havana [Edgar G. Ulmer] b&w; 61m; uncred cph; cph: Benjamin H. Kline
1945	The Wife of Monte Cristo [Edgar G. Ulmer] b&w; uncred cph, but cred as prod superv; cph: Adolph Edward Kull & (uncred) Benjamin H. Kline
1945	A Scandal in Paris/Thieves' Holiday [Douglas Sirk] b&w; uncred ph, but cred as prod superv; his c.op Guy Roe was cred as ph
1947	Women in the Night/When Men Are Beasts/Curse of a Teenage Nazi [William Rowland] b&w; cph: José Ortiz Ramos; + uncred art dir/set decorator
1950	Gunman in the Streets/Time Running Out [Frank Tuttle] b&w; cph: Claude Renoir
1950	Le traqué [Borys Lewin] b&w; French-language version of 'Gunman in the Streets'
1950	Les joyeux pélerins [Fred Pasquali] b&w
1951	Le banquet des fraudeurs/Das Bankett der Schmuggler/The Smuggler's Banquet/Het banket van de smokkelaars [Henri Storck] b&w
1951	Le rideau cramoisi/The Crimson Curtain [Alexandre Astruc] b&w; short/44m; see 1953
1952	Mina de Vanghel [Maurice Barry & Maurice Clavel] b&w; short/47m; see 1953
1952	La putain respectueuse/La p... respectueuse/Respectful Prostitute [Charles Brabant & Marcello Pagliero] b&w
1952	Le chemin de Damas [Max Glass] b&w
1952	Die Venus vom Tivoli/Venus of Tivoli/Zwiespalt des Herzens [Leonard Steckel] b&w
1952	Sterren stralen overal [Gerard Rutten] b&w
1953	Les crimes de l'amour/Deux crimes d'amour/Two Love Crimes [Alexandre Astruc, Maurice Barry & Maurice Clavel] b&w; 91m; comp of 'Le rideau cramoisi' & 'Mina de Vanghel'; see 1951 & 1952
1954	Una Parigina a Roma/Begegnung in Rom [Erich Kobler] b&w; cph: Francesco Izzarelli
1957	Along the Mohawk Trail [Sam Newfield] b&w; comp of 2 ep of tv-series 'Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans'
1957	The Pathfinder and the Mohican [Sam Newfield] b&w; comp of 2 ep of tv-series 'Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans'
1957	The Redman and the Renegades [Sam Newfield] b&w; comp of 2 ep of tv-series 'Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans'
1957	La première nuit [Georges Franju] b&w; short/23m

1958	La tête contre les murs/Head Against the Wall/The Keepers [Georges Franju] cs/b&w
1959	Les yeux sans visage/Eyes Without a Face/The Horror Chamber of Dr. Faustus/House of Dr. Rasanoff [Georges Franju] b&w
1959	The Bloody Brood [Julian Roffman] b&w
1959	Un couple/A Couple [Jean-Pierre Mocky] b&w
1961	The Hustler [Robert Rossen] cs/b&w

1961	Something Wild [Jack Garfein] b&w
1962	Captain Sindbad [Byron Haskin] c; uncred cph; ph: Günther Senftleben; spec pfx: Tom Howard
1962	Les vierges/The Virgins [Jean-Pierre Mocky] b&w
1964	The Long Rifle and the Tomahawk [Sidney Salkow & Sam Newfield] b&w; cph: Kenneth Peach; comp of 2 ep (e.g. the pilot 'Hawkeye's Homecoming') of tv-series 'Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans'
1964	The Parisienne and the Prudes/The Bashful Bikini [Robert J. Gurney Jr.] b&w; cph: Al Mozell
1964	Lilith [Robert Rossen] b&w
1964	La grande frousse/La cité de l'indicible peur/The Big Scare/The Big Score [Jean-Pierre Mocky] b&w; uncred cph: Edmond Séchan
1965	Trois chambres à Manhattan/Three Rooms in Manhattan [Marcel Carné] b&w
1966	Der Arzt stellt fest.../§ 218 - Gegen das keimende Leben/Angeklagt nach § 218/The Doctor Says/The Doctor Speaks Out/The Price of Sin/Wages of Sin [Aleksander Ford] b&w-c; dram doc/89m

TELEVISION
1956	Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans [38 ep dir by Sam Newfield] 39-part series/b&w, 1957; other ph: Kenneth Peach (pilot dir by Sidney Salkow) & Frank (La) Follette; the pilot was filmed in Hollywood, but the other ep were filmed in Canada

MISCELLANEOUS
1922	Die Nibelungen - 1. Teil: [Siegfried] [Siegfrieds Tod]/Siegfried's Death [Fritz Lang] sfx ph; ph: Carl Hoffmann & Günther Rittau
1922	Die Nibelungen - 2. Teil: Kriemhilds Rache/Kriemhild's Revenge [Fritz Lang] sfx ph; ph: Carl Hoffmann & Günther Rittau
1925	Eifersucht [Karl Grune] trick ph; ph: Karl Hasselmann
1925	Varieté/Vaudeville/Variety/Jealousy [E.A. Dupont] trick ph; ph: Karl Freund & Carl Hoffmann
1925	Manon Lescaut [Artur Robison] trick ph; ph: Karl Freund (uncred) & Theodor Sparkuhl
1925	Ein Walzertraum [Ludwig Berger] optical efx; ph: Werner Brandes
1925	Metropolis [Fritz Lang] co-spec vfx; ph: Karl Freund, Günther Rittau & Helmar Lerski
1926	Eine Dubarry von heute/A Modern Dubarry [Alexander Korda] trick ph; ph: Fritz Arno Wagner
1926	Love Me and the World Is Mine [E.A. Dupont] sfx ph; ph: Jackson Rose
1926	Dagfin [, der Schneeschuhläufer] [Joe May] co-vfx; ph: Carl Drews & Edgar Ziesemer
1926	Napoléon/Napoléon vu par Abel Gance/Abel Gance's Napoleon [Abel Gance] co-sfx & vfx superv; ph: Jules Kruger
1939	De Mayerling à Sarajevo [Max Ophüls] superv ph; ph: Curt Courant & Otto Heller
1942	The Dark Mirror [Robert Siodmak] vfx; ph: Milton Krasner; released in 1946
1943	A Voice in the Wind [Arthur Ripley] tech adv; ph: Richard Fryer
1943	It Happened Tomorrow [René Clair] tech dir; ph: Archie Stout
1945	The Strange Woman [Edgar G. Ulmer] co-prod; ph: Lucien Andriot
1946	Carnegie Hall [Edgar G. Ulmer] prod technique; ph: William Miller
1952	The Magnetic Monster [Curt Siodmak & (uncred) Herbert L. Strock] uncred sfx & vfx superv; ph: Charles Van Enger

1953	Ulisse/Ulysses [Mario Camerini & (uncred) Mario Bava] spec pfx (direttore degli effetti speciali); ph: Harold Rosson
1954	Marianne de ma Jeunesse/Marianne of My Youth [Julien Duvivier] sfx ph; ph: Léonce-Henri Burel
1954	Marianne, meine Jugendliebe [Julien Duvivier] sfx ph; ph: Léonce-Henri Burel; German-language version of 'Marianne de ma Jeunesse'
1966	Chappaqua [Conrad Rooks] ph cons; ph: Étienne Becker & Robert Frank

FILMS AS DIRECTOR
1929	Ins Blaue hinein [b&w/silent; short/1 reel] ph: László Schäffer
1931	Das Ekel/The Scoundrel [co-dir; + ph] see Films
1931	Die Wasserteufel von Hieflau [co-dir; + cph] see Films
1952	Hospices de Beaune [doc/22m] ph: Georges Mic (?)
1952	L'hostel-dieu de Beaune [16mm/b&w; doc/28m] ph: Georges Mic