Joseph Vilsmaier
Encyclopedia
Joseph Vilsmaier is a German film director.
, he was trained as a technician to make film cameras and then spent nine years at a music conservatory. Following this he was a member of a jazz group. Following his work as a technician he moved into film, first as an assistant, then as a cameraman.
His debut film, Autumn Milk (German
: Herbstmilch) in 1988, additionally starring his wife, Dana Vávrová
, was a huge success, which was only to be outdone by Comedian Harmonists in 1997. Film critics are not that fond of Vilsmaier's work.
On most of the films he has directed, Vilsmaier is also the first cameraman.
While filming his latest film The Last Train (German: Der Letzte Zug), probably the last movie produced by Artur Brauner
, he was injured by the collapse of a camera tower. From then on his ability to work was very limited, so Vávrová took over directing. The two of them were awarded the special prize by the jury at the 2006 Bavarian Film Awards
for The Last Train.
His wife Dana Vávrová
died on 5 February 2009. He has three daughters with her: Janina Vilsmaier, Theresa Vilsmaier, and Josefina Vilsmaier who are also actresses and have starred in a number of his films.
Work
After attending a boarding school near AugsburgAugsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
, he was trained as a technician to make film cameras and then spent nine years at a music conservatory. Following this he was a member of a jazz group. Following his work as a technician he moved into film, first as an assistant, then as a cameraman.
His debut film, Autumn Milk (German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
: Herbstmilch) in 1988, additionally starring his wife, Dana Vávrová
Dana Vávrová
Dana Vávrová was a Czech-German film actress and director.-Biography:Vávrová was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia and played her first main film role in Ať žijí duchové! in 1976, having played a minor role in Jak se točí Rozmarýny...
, was a huge success, which was only to be outdone by Comedian Harmonists in 1997. Film critics are not that fond of Vilsmaier's work.
On most of the films he has directed, Vilsmaier is also the first cameraman.
While filming his latest film The Last Train (German: Der Letzte Zug), probably the last movie produced by Artur Brauner
Artur Brauner
Artur "Atze" Brauner is a polish film producer and entrepreneur. He was born to a Jewish family in Łódź, Poland. Artur and his brother Wolf survived the Holocaust by fleeing to the Soviet Union, then emigrated to Berlin after the war. As a young man he saw Fritz Lang's film The Testament of Dr...
, he was injured by the collapse of a camera tower. From then on his ability to work was very limited, so Vávrová took over directing. The two of them were awarded the special prize by the jury at the 2006 Bavarian Film Awards
Bayerischer Filmpreis
The Bavarian Film Awards have been awarded annually since 1979 by the State Government of Bavaria in Germany for “exceptional achievement in German filmmaking.” Along with the German Film Awards, these are the most highly regarded awards for filmmaking achievement in Germany.The Bavarian Film...
for The Last Train.
His wife Dana Vávrová
Dana Vávrová
Dana Vávrová was a Czech-German film actress and director.-Biography:Vávrová was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia and played her first main film role in Ať žijí duchové! in 1976, having played a minor role in Jak se točí Rozmarýny...
died on 5 February 2009. He has three daughters with her: Janina Vilsmaier, Theresa Vilsmaier, and Josefina Vilsmaier who are also actresses and have starred in a number of his films.
Awards
- 1990 Bavarian Film AwardBayerischer FilmpreisThe Bavarian Film Awards have been awarded annually since 1979 by the State Government of Bavaria in Germany for “exceptional achievement in German filmmaking.” Along with the German Film Awards, these are the most highly regarded awards for filmmaking achievement in Germany.The Bavarian Film...
, Best Production - 1992 Bavarian Film Awards, Best Producing, Best Cinematography
- 1995 Bavarian Film Award, Best Production
- 1997 Bavarian Film Award, Best Director http://www.bayern.de/Anlage19170/PreistraegerdesBayerischenFilmpreises-Pierrot.pdf
- 2006 Bavarian Film Award, Special Prize http://www.bayern.de/Pressemitteilungen-.1255.19209/index.htm
Filmography
- HerbstmilchHerbstmilchHerbstmilch is the German autobiography of a previously unknown peasant woman, Anna Wimschneider , published in 1985, written in simple, everyday language...
(1988) - Rama dama (1990)
- StalingradStalingrad (film)Stalingrad is a 1993 war drama film directed by Joseph Vilsmaier. It depicts combat on the Eastern Front of World War II, specifically the Battle of Stalingrad and showing the German Wehrmacht in a sympathetic light....
(1993) - Charlie & Louise - Das doppelte LottchenCharlie & Louise - Das doppelte LottchenCharlie & Louise – Das doppelte Lottchen is a German children's film directed by Joseph Vilsmaier in 1994, starring Corinna Harfouch. It is a film adaptation of the novel Das doppelte Lottchen by Erich Kästner.-Synopsis:...
(1994) - Schlafes BruderBrother of SleepBrother of Sleep is a 1995 German film directed by Joseph Vilsmaier and based on a novel by Austrian writer Robert Schneider. It was chosen as Germany's official submission to the 68th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film, but did not manage to receive a nomination....
(1995) - Und keiner weint mir nach (1996)
- Comedian HarmonistsComedian Harmonists (film)Comedian Harmonists is a 1997 German film by Joseph Vilsmaier. It is a biopic about the popular German vocal group Comedian Harmonists...
(1997) - Marlene (2000)
- Leo und Claire (2002)
- Der letzte ZugDer letzte ZugDer Letzte Zug is a 2006 German film directed by Joseph Vilsmaier and Dana Vávrová, and starring Gedeon Burkhard, Lale Yavas, and Lena Beyerling. The film depicts the fate of some of the last remaining Jews in Berlin, who in April 1943 were rounded up at the Berlin-Grunewald station and sent to...
(2006) - M/S Gustloff - Ship Of No Return
- Nanga Parbat (2010)