Post by Mary Ellen Byrne on Jan 10, 2011 23:43:53 GMT -5
How did you first hear about Connie or what was the first movie you ever saw him in? If you weren't initially a Conrad Veidt fan from first sight (as I wasn't), what was that hooked you?
My first sight of Connie was the same as most everyone's - as Major Strasser in "Casablanca". I was impressed enough. I mean, he did a good job. There was Strasser, nasty Nazi who gets it in the end as he should have. The closest I think I came was once time while watching Strasser initial scene at the airport with Captain Renault and Strasser says "Oh, ve Germans must get used to all climates." I, for no reason, just blurted out "Ve're going to rule ze verld, you know!" and just cracked up everyone in the room.
It was more though another movie where he played a dastardly Nazi "All Though The Night", which I had more for the sake of my other fan love, Peter Lorre
, that I started to notice Conrad whenever he was on screen and I started to think 'Hmm, Conrad Veidt. How much do you know about him. I mean, sure there's Strasser and Ebbing but what do you know about the man himself?'
So I began to search the Internet. I was stunned by the absolute treasure trove of information I found. Even with Hitler and the business with the Nazis taken out of it, this man's story was amazing! One thing I found interesting about Connie's early life is that, like Peter, he felt the strong desire early on to be part of the theater, to the point of being a holy calling and like Peter, Connie had to defy his own family in order to follow that calling. Kinda makes me stop and wonder if the fates aren't trying to send me a message in all this?
Oh, well! Back to what really matters and that's Connie!
I then began to read about his very open and vocal defiance of the Nazi party and as impressed as I may have been with him before this chapter in his life, he was really taking on heroic proportions now!
From that point on, every time I'd see Connie in a film I was now taking a completely different view of him! Here was an actor who was being called upon to play a villain on the screen in film after film but who was in reality lived one of the bravest, most heroic men of that era.
In the end of my research I was very sad to hear of his untimely death. Someone who had lived as bright a life as Connie had up to that point, I'm sure had only more good to give. The drama of politics aside, here was a man who had lived to be a major star of the silent film era, a major star of the German Expressionist Movement, and successfully made the transition to being a major star of the moder film era. Think of what a resource he could have been to up and coming filmmakers in his later years! What a mentor he would have made for young actors had he lived through the 50's and 60's.
Anyhow, that is my story. What are some of yours?
My first sight of Connie was the same as most everyone's - as Major Strasser in "Casablanca". I was impressed enough. I mean, he did a good job. There was Strasser, nasty Nazi who gets it in the end as he should have. The closest I think I came was once time while watching Strasser initial scene at the airport with Captain Renault and Strasser says "Oh, ve Germans must get used to all climates." I, for no reason, just blurted out "Ve're going to rule ze verld, you know!" and just cracked up everyone in the room.
It was more though another movie where he played a dastardly Nazi "All Though The Night", which I had more for the sake of my other fan love, Peter Lorre
, that I started to notice Conrad whenever he was on screen and I started to think 'Hmm, Conrad Veidt. How much do you know about him. I mean, sure there's Strasser and Ebbing but what do you know about the man himself?'So I began to search the Internet. I was stunned by the absolute treasure trove of information I found. Even with Hitler and the business with the Nazis taken out of it, this man's story was amazing! One thing I found interesting about Connie's early life is that, like Peter, he felt the strong desire early on to be part of the theater, to the point of being a holy calling and like Peter, Connie had to defy his own family in order to follow that calling. Kinda makes me stop and wonder if the fates aren't trying to send me a message in all this?
Oh, well! Back to what really matters and that's Connie!
I then began to read about his very open and vocal defiance of the Nazi party and as impressed as I may have been with him before this chapter in his life, he was really taking on heroic proportions now!
From that point on, every time I'd see Connie in a film I was now taking a completely different view of him! Here was an actor who was being called upon to play a villain on the screen in film after film but who was in reality lived one of the bravest, most heroic men of that era.
In the end of my research I was very sad to hear of his untimely death. Someone who had lived as bright a life as Connie had up to that point, I'm sure had only more good to give. The drama of politics aside, here was a man who had lived to be a major star of the silent film era, a major star of the German Expressionist Movement, and successfully made the transition to being a major star of the moder film era. Think of what a resource he could have been to up and coming filmmakers in his later years! What a mentor he would have made for young actors had he lived through the 50's and 60's.
Anyhow, that is my story. What are some of yours?
