Horst von Harbou Metropolis

Fritz Lang's Metropolis from 1927 is the undisputed prototype of science fiction films in the twentieth century. A collection of images by the still photographer Horst von Harbou, bequeathed by Brigitte Helm who had appeared in the film as a seventeen-year-old, has re-emerged at an auction in Berlin in late 2010. Edition 7L Paris, the new owner of the originals, has now printed an identical facsimile of the original album which was once given to Brigitte Helm as a souvenir by von Harbou and his wife. Metropolis displays the photographs and some of their reverse sides which feature hand-written notes. The images exclusively show scenes from the film during its making and off-camera action and mainly feature the young actress. They not only offer a rare insight into Lang's film but have been crucial in reconstructing missing scenes from it. Horst von Harbou was born in 1879 in Hutta, Posen, and died in 1953 in Potsdam-Babelsberg. Very little is known about von Harbou, except for the films on which he worked as a still photographer: these include Mensch ohne Namen (1932), Starke Herzen im Sturm (1937) and Augen der Liebe (1951).

Featured in the August 2014 Creative Enterprises Newsletter.
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