Ep. 5 / Fritz Lang & Thea von Harbou, Pt. II:
A Marriage—and a Country—on the Brink

Peter Lorre in M.

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Things fall apart…

As the 1920s became the 1930s, both the Lang-von Harbou marriage and German democracy itself teetered on the edge of collapse. In this moment of personal and political chaos, the couple made movies—and choices—that would define their legacies.

M and The Testament of Dr. Mabuse are available for free on YouTube and the Internet Archive.

Images

Podcasts have their limits, especially podcasts about a medium as visual as film. Below are some images that may enrich your experience with this episode.

Even as the realism of the New Objectivity came into fashion, Lang and von Harbou’s Spies (1928) veered toward an Expressionist-influenced ornamentation.

1929’s Woman in the Moon contains some spectacular visuals, but they’re not enough to distract from a plodding story.

 
 

The star of both Spies and Woman in the Moon was Gerda Maurus. Though still married to von Harbou, Lang carried on an affair with Maurus—one that became physically abusive.

Peter Kürten—”the Vampire of Düsseldorf”—was one of several serial killers to captivate the popular imagination of Weimar Germany.

His performance as child murderer Hans Beckert in M (1931) established Peter Lorre’s reputation as one of the best actors of his generation.

Lorre’s distinctive appearance and mannerisms have made him a favorite object of parody for animators and cartoonists. Here you see versions of him in Looney Tunes, The Simpsons, SpongeBob SquarePants, and as the mascot for Boo Berry Cereal.

 
 

Lang being interviewed by hero of the French New Wave Jean-Luc Godard. The two filmmakers agreed that M was Lang’s best movie.

 
 

In the early 1930s, Thea von Harbou finally left Lang for the Indian-born Ayi Tendulkar.

Hitler greeting President Paul von Hindenburg, who appointed him Chancellor on January 30, 1933.

 
 

On the night of February 27, 1933, the Reichstag went up in flames. Though some historians disagree, the general consensus is that the fire was set by a 24-year-old Dutch communist named Marinus van der Lubbe. The Nazis deftly used the arson to justify authoritarian measures that effectively ended democracy in Germany, causing some to suspect that they set the fire themselves.

A 1985 illustration from the Atlantic depicting the alleged meeting where Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels pressured Lang to accept a position as the German “Führer of Film.” The cartoon and the accompanying article accept Lang’s version of events, where he immediately dismisses the offer and flees to France that same night. Later research, however, suggests that Lang invented the story to burnish his reputation as an anti-fascist.

Music & Clips

The theme for The Haunted Screen is “Nostromo” by The Great Pacific Garbage Vortex, who also contributed the song “Cloud City.” Additional music:

In accordance with the principles of fair use, this episode uses clips from Hot Tub Time Machine 2, William Friedkin’s interview with Fritz Lang, Kristbergur Steinarsson, Copacabana, Casablanca, Looney Tunes, The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, The Flintstones Meet Rockula and Frankenstone, The Simpsons, Tiny Toon Adventures, The Ren & Stimpy Show, Boo Berry Cereal, M, SpongeBob SquarePants, British Pathé, the Associated Press, KGW8 Portland, and BoJack Horseman.