Movies - Karl May movies

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	Movies - Karl May movies

Karl May movies are movies based on stories and characters by German author Karl May (1842-1912). The characters Old Shatterhand, Winnetou, and Kara Ben Nemsi are very famous in Germany.

In most of the film versions the novels were reworked to a great extent, some movies using only the names of characters invented by Karl May. For example, in the book "Der Schatz im Silbersee" (The treasure of Silver Lake) the main character was called "Old Firehand" - in the movie he was renamed "Old Shatterhand" (played by American actor Lex Barker) after the more famous character. The movies Old Shatterhand (Apaches Last Battle) and "Winnetou und sein Freund Old Firehand" (Thunder at the Border) are not based on any of May's works, but were completely invented by the screenwriters. Several TV productions, such as Das Buschgespenst and Kara Ben Nemsi Effendi, were much closer to the novels.

In foreign distribution, most of the movie titles were not translated directly into the target language, but new movie titles were made up. For American distribution the makers of the movie posters also invented some new color formats such as Flaming Arrow Color for the movie "Der Schatz im Silbersee" and Apache Color for Winnetou 1. Teil (called Apache Gold in America).

The silent movies of the 1920s are now probably lost.

For 11 movies in the 1960s, German composer Martin Böttcher wrote landmark film scores, whose success also helped the movies' international success and influenced the Italian movie industry to make Western movies of their own and create a whole new genre, the Spaghetti western (whose most successful composer Ennio Morricone came to fame just after Martin Böttcher).

Cinema movies

(American movie titles in brackets)

Auf den Trümmern des Paradieses (-) (1920), dir.: Josef Stein (silent movie)
Die Todeskarawane (Caravan of Death) (1920), dir.: Josef Stein (silent movie)
Die Teufelsanbeter (The Devil Worshippers, informal) (1921), dir.: Ertugrul Moussin-Bey (silent movie)
Durch die Wüste (-) (1936), dir.: Johannes Alexander Hübler-Kahla (first sound movie)
Die Sklavenkarawane (-) (1958), dir.: Georg Marischka / Ramón Torrado (first color movie)
Der Löwe von Babylon (-) (1959), dir.: Johannes Kai (= Hanns Wiedmann) / Ramón Torrado
Der Schatz im Silbersee (The Treasure of Silver Lake) (1962), dir.: Dr. Harald Reinl
Winnetou 1. Teil (Apache Gold) (1963), dir.: Dr. Harald Reinl
Old Shatterhand
(Apaches Last Battle) (1964), dir.: Hugo Fregonese
Der Schut (The Shoot or Yellow Devil) (1964), dir.: Robert Siodmak
Winnetou 2. Teil (Last of the Renegades) (1964), dir.: Dr. Harald Reinl
Unter Geiern (Frontier Hellcat) (1964), dir.: Alfred Vohrer
Der Schatz der Azteken (The Treasure of the Aztecs) (1965), dir.: Robert Siodmak
Die Pyramide des Sonnengottes (Pyramid of the Sun God) (1965), dir.: Robert Siodmak
Der Ölprinz (Rampage at Apache Wells) (1965), dir.: Harald Philipp
Durchs wilde Kurdistan (The Wild Men of Kurdistan) (1965), dir.: Franz Joseph Gottlieb
Winnetou 3. Teil (The Desperado Trail) (1965), dir.: Dr. Harald Reinl
Old Surehand 1. Teil (Flaming Frontier) (1965), dir.: Alfred Vohrer
Im Reiche des silbernen Löwen (Fury of the Sabers) (1965), dir.: Franz Joseph Gottlieb
Das Vermächtnis des Inka (Legacy of the Incas) (1965), dir.: Georg Marischka
Winnetou und das Halbblut Apanatschi (Half-Breed) (1966), dir.: Harald Philipp
Winnetou und sein Freund Old Firehand (Thunder at the Border) (1966), dir: Alfred Vohrer
Winnetou und Shatterhand im Tal der Toten (Winnetou and Shatterhand in the Valley of Death) (1968), dir.: Dr. Harald Reinl

TV-series / -movies

Mit Karl May im Orient - 1963, 6 episodes
Kara Ben Nemsi Effendi - 1973/75, 26 episodes
Mein Freund Winnetou (My Friend Winnetou - French: Winnetou le Mescalero) - 1980, 14 episodes
Das Buschgespenst - 1986, 2 episodes
Präriejäger in Mexiko - 1988, 2 episodes
Winnetous Rückkehr - 1998, 2 episodes

Discography

"Wilder Westen - Heißer Orient" - Karl-May-Filmmusik 1936 - 1968

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