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23 June, 2007

The Man Behind Jess Franco

Here's a picture of the very prolific and well known European producer who bankrolled a number of Jess Franco's most popular films. He also contributed to the scripts of several. Can you ID him and the Franco films he was involved with?

We'll be discussing his career and relationship to JF in the future.




5 comments:

  1. Anonymous2:39 AM

    I think it's Artur Brauner.

    His films with Franco started with The Devil Came from Akasava, Vampiros Lesbos, X-312 and She Killed in Ecstacy in 1971. And Virgin Report, Robinson and his Wild Slaves and the Corpse Packs his Bags in 72.

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  2. Anonymous9:37 AM

    From Masayuki Kino in Japan

    Hello, Bob!
    How are you?

    I think he is Brauner,too.
    http://www.jowi.de/ccc-film/brauner.html
    My best title of this term is [Robinson and his Wild Slaves].
    I like Anne Libert very much!

    Best!

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  3. Correct, Tom. That's Artur "Atze" Brauner, the German magnate whose CCC company produced numerous "krimis" during the late 50s and 1960s. He's produced many different genres. He alsom coproduced JF's LA VENGANZA DEL DR MABUSE (1971) through Telecine and contributed to the script as "Art Bernd". This was the last of his Mabuse series which he revived by producing Fritz Lang's last film DER TAUSEND AUGEN DER DR MABUSE (1960). Lang, of course, started the series in the early 1920s with DR MABUSE THE GAMBLER, a film which Franco often cites as a significant influence, as have other directors of thrillers, spy and crime films. Lang refused Brauner's offer to make a follow up and retired. Harald Reinl made THE RETURN OF DR MABUSE (which can be seen in a fullframe English language version of Retromedia's DR MABUSE COLLECTIION) in 1961. Franco's MABUSE looks nothing like the ones lensed by the German diretors. I've just seen the Spanish version. There's also a longer German version, DR M SCHLAGT ZU which I would like to see. Has anyone read any of the original "Dr. Mabuse" novels by Norbert Jacques?

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  4. BTW, the image shows him during the production of his 1966 epic DIE NIEBULUNGEN, Harald Reinl directed, once again following Fritz Lang, who make the 2 part classic 1924 version.

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  5. Greetings, Masayuki! You are also correct. Always pleased to see you here. ROBINSON... is also a favorite of mine. I like the satire of the German "working classs comedy" genre and the fantasy element. I enjoy Franco's sudden appearance as the film director. Anne Libert and Andrea Rau are very very appealing here. I wish this could come out on DVD.

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