Filmography

From 1927 to 1962, Hanns Eisler composed the music to over 40 films. The following list features all films currently known in chronological order as well as available DVDs and VHS cassettes. If you are having difficult finding a specific film, please send us an e-mail.

Opus III              

Silent animated film, Germany 1925
Production, Direction: Walter Ruttmann

For the Baden-Baden Music Festival in 1927, Eisler wrote the music for this film, which he later used as the first movement of his Suite für Orchester Nr. 1 op. 23.

Reconstructed version (3:20 mins) available on DVD (bonus track: "Walter Ruttmann – Berlin. Die Symphonie der Großstadt".

Das Lied vom Leben (Song of Life)  

Feature, Germany 1931
Production: Film-Kunst AG, Tonbild-Syndikat AG (Tobis)

Direction: Alexis Granowsky
Screenplay: Victor Trivas, Hans Lechner, Walter Mehring

In addition to the music by Franz Wachsmann, the film includes "Songs“ by Friedrich Hollaender and H. Adams (i.e. Hanns Eisler).

Currently unavailable commercially on DVD or VHS.

Niemandsland (No Man's Land)

Feature, Germany 1931
Production: Resco-FilmProduction

Direction: Victor Trivas
Screenplay: Victor Trivas, after a draft by Leonhard Frank

Eisler grouped together parts of his music for this film as the Suite für Orchester Nr. 2 op. 24.

Available on VHS cassette, only second-hand or in libraries.

Kuhle Wampe oder Wem gehört die Welt? (Kuhle Wampe or Who Owns the World?)

Feature, Germany 1932
Production: Prometheus-Film, Praesens-Film

Direction: Slatan Dudow
Screenplay: Bertolt Brecht, Ernst Ottwalt

Eisler grouped together parts of his music for this film as the Suite für Orchester Nr. 3 op. 26; the film includes Die Spaziergänge and the Solidaritätslied.

Available on DVD and DVD (NTSC).

Pesn o gerojach (Song of Heroes)           

Documentary, Soviet Union 1932
Production: Meshrabpom-Film

Direction: Joris Ivens
Screenplay: Josif Skljut, with the assistance of Sergej Tretjakow

Eisler grouped together parts of his music for this film as the Suite für Orchester Nr. 4 op. 30.

Available in the DVD box set "Joris Ivens - Wereldcineast" (5 DVDs).

Dans les rues (Song of the Streets)             

Feature, France 1933, Production: Société Internationale Cinématographique (SIC)
Direction: Victor Trivas

Screenplay: Victor Trivas, Alexandre Arnoux

Eisler grouped together parts of his music for this film as the Suite für Orchester Nr. 5 op. 34.

Currently unavailable commercially on DVD or VHS..

Nieuwe Gronden (New Earth)

Documentary, Holland 1934
Production: CAPI

Screenplay and Direction: Joris Ivens

Eisler took some of the music for this film from his Suite für Orchester Nr. 3 op. 26.

Available in the DVD box set "Joris Ivens - Wereldcineast" (5 DVDs).

Le grand jeu      

Feature, France 1934
Production: Les Films de France
Direction: Jacques Feyder

Screenplay: Charles Spaak, Jacques Feyder

Eisler grouped together parts of his music for this film as the Suite für Orchester Nr. 6 op. 40.

Available on DVD.

Abdul the Damned           

Feature, Great Britain 1935
Production: British International Pictures, Capitol
Direction: Karl Grune

Screenplay: Ashley Dukes, Warren C. Strode, Roger Burford, after a novella by Robert Neumann

Part of the film music was published after Eisler's death as the Invention für Orchester.

Availability: as a bonus track on the DVD "Chin Chin Chou" (Region Code 1) at Amazon (USA).

The 400 Million    

Documentary, USA 1939
Production: History Today, Inc.

Screenplay und Direction: Joris Ivens, John Ferno

Eisler published parts of this film music as the Fünf Orchesterstücke and Thema mit Variationen ("Der lange Marsch“).

Available in the DVD box set "Joris Ivens - Wereldcineast" (5 DVDs).

Pete Roleum and his Cousins           

Animated film, USA 1939
Production: Petroleum Industries Exhibition, Inc.
Direction: Joseph Losey

Screenplay: Joseph Losey, Kenneth White

The film also includes a song by Oscar Levant ("I have got something for you to sing“).

Availability: excerpts as a bonus track on the DVD "Time without Pity" (Region Code 1) at Amazon (USA). These excerpts are also available online.

The Living Land                     

Documentary, USA 1939
Production: U.S. Soil Conservation Service

Scenario: Helen Hill

Eisler published this film music as his Nonett Nr. 1.
Currently unavailable commercially on DVD or VHS.

White Flood                     

Documentary, USA 1940
Production: Frontier Films

Screenplay and Direction: David Wolff, Robert Strebbins, Lionel Berman

Original image material by William O. Field, jr. and Sherman Pratt

Eisler published this film music as his Kammer-Symphonie.

Availability: DVD as supplement to the book Komposition für den Film.

A Child Went Forth    

Documentary, USA 1941
Production: National Association of Nursery Educators

Direction: Joseph Losey, John Ferno
Screenplay: Joseph Losey

Eisler grouped together parts of his music from this film as the Suite für Septett Nr. 1 op. 92a.

Availability: DVD as supplement to the book Komposition für den Film.

The Forgotten Village  

Feature (with documentary sections), USA 1941
Production: Pan-American Films

Direction: Herbert Kline
Screenplay: John Steinbeck

Eisler grouped together parts of his music from this film as the Nonett Nr. 2; following Eisler's death, Manfred Grad published the further Sätze für Nonett, also from the music to this film..

Available on DVD (NTSC) (all regions).

Regen (Rain)

Silent film, Holland 1929
Production: CAPI
Direction: Joris Ivens

Screenplay: Joris Ivens, Mannus Franken

In 1941, Eisler wrote music for a revised cut of this film from 1932. He later published his film music as Vierzehn Arten den Regen zu beschreiben.

Availability: DVD as supplement to the book Komposition für den Film.

[Scenes from] The Grapes of Wrath

Feature, USA 1940 (Original film music by Alfred Newman)
Production: Twentieth Century Fox

Direction: John Ford
Screenplay: Nunnally Johnson after the novel by John Steinbeck

Eisler wrote alternative for selected scenes in this film in 1941/42.

Availability: DVD as supplement to the book Komposition für den Film.

Hangmen Also Die    

Feature, USA 1943
Production: Arnold Productions, United Artists
Direction: Fritz Lang

Screenplay: John Wexley; "Original Story“: Bertolt Brecht, Fritz Lang

Eisler's music was nominated for an Oscar in the category "Best Film Music" in 1943.

Available on DVD (includes the full American original version and a questionable German hybrid version based on the DEFA issue of 1984)

None but the Lonely Heart

Feature, USA 1944
Production: RKO
Direction: Clifford Odets

Screenplay: Clifford Odets, after a novella by Richard Llewellyn

Eisler's music was nominated for an Oscar in the category "Best Film Music" in 1944.

Available on DVD and DVD (NTSC) (remastered) as well as VHS (NTSC)..

Jealousy          

Feature, USA 1945
Production: Republic Pictures
Direction: Gustav Machaty

Screenplay: Arnold Philips, after an idea by Dalton Trumbo

Available on DVD (NTSC).

The Spanish Main  

Feature, USA 1945
Production: RKO
Direction: Frank Borzage

Screenplay: Herman J. Mankiewicz, George W. Yates, after a story by Aeneas MacKenzie

Available on DVD as "Pavillon noir".

Deadline at Dawn    

Feature, USA 1946
Production: RKO
Direction: Harold Clurman

Screenplay: Clifford Odets, after a novella by William Irish

Availability: VHS (NTSC)

A Scandal in Paris

Feature, USA 1946
Production: Arnold Productions, United Artists
Direction: Douglas Sirk

Screenplay: Ellis St. Joseph

Available on DVD as "Vidocq, ein eleganter Gauner".

The Woman on the Beach        

Feature, USA 1947
Production: RKO
Direction: Jean Renoir

Screenplay: Jean Renoir, Frank Davis, Michael Hogan, after a novel by Mitchell Wilson

Available on: DVD as "La Femme sur la Plage"

So Well Remembered                 

Feature, USA 1947
Production: Alliance Productions London, RKO
Direction: Edward Dmytryk

Screenplay: John Paxton, after a novel by James Hilton

Available on VHS

[Scenes from] The Circus               

Silent film, USA 1928
Production: United Artists

Screenplay und Direction: Charlie Chaplin

For Chaplin, Eisler composed music for a number of scenes of the planned sound version of this film for Chaplin, which the latter ultimately released with his own music. Eisler published his compositions as the Septet Nr. 2.

Available on DVD, but without Eisler's music. With Eisler's music currently unavailable commercially on DVD or VHS.

Krizova trojka (Austria: Das Geheimnis des schwarzen Ritters, GDR: Kreuz drei)        

Feature, Czechoslovakia 1948
Production: Filmové Studio Barrandov
Direction: Vaclav Gajer

Screenplay: F. A. Dvorak, Vladimir Tumar

Currently unavailable commercially on DVD or VHS.

Unser täglich Brot (Our Daily Bread)     

Feature, DDR 1949
Production: DEFA
Direction: Slatan Dudow

Screenplay: Slatan Dudow, Hans Joachim Beyer, Ludwig Turek

Availability: DVD.

Der Rat der Götter (Council of the Gods)

Feature, DDR 1950, Production: DEFA

Screenplay: Slatan Dudow, Hans Joachim Beyer, Ludwig Turek

Direction: Slatan Dudow

Availability: DVD und DVD (NTSC)

Wilhelm Pieck – Das Leben unseres Präsidenten (Wilhelm Pieck - The Life of Our President) 

Documentary, GDR 1951
Production: DEFA 
Direction: Andrew Thorndike

Screenplay: Andrew Thorndike, Otto Winzer

Available on DVD in box set "DEFA-Dokumentarfilme 2".

Frauenschicksale (Destinies of Women)

Feature, GDR 1952
Production: DEFA
Direction: Slatan Dudow

Screenplay: Gerhard Bengsch, Ursula Rumin, Slatan Dudow

The film includes the song Das Lied vom Glück (Text: Bertolt Brecht).

Availability: VHS (NTSC).

Schicksal am Lenkrad

Feature, Austria 1954
Production: Wien-Film, Akkord-Production
Direction: Aldo Vergano

Screenplay: Ruth Wieden

Available as a legal download.

Bel Ami                                                      

Feature, Austria 1954
Production: Projektograph Film
Direction: Louis Daquin

Screenplay: Vladimir Pozner, after the novel by Guy de Maupassant

Available on VHS

Herr Puntila und sein Knecht Matti     

Feature, Austria 1955
Production: Wien-Film
Direction: Alberto Cavalcanti

Screenplay: Alberto Cavalcanti, Ruth Wieden, Vladimir Pozner, nach dem Stück von Bertolt Brecht

Available on VHS (currently not commercially, only in libraries or video stores).

Nuit et brouillard (Night and Fog)

Documentary, France 1956
Production: Argos Films, Como Films, Cocinor
Direction: Alain Resnais

Screenplay: Alain Resnais, Jean Cayrol

Available on DVD (NTSC) or DVD (Region Code 2)

Les sorcières de Salem (Die Hexen von Salem)  

Feature, France and GDR 1957
Production: Films Borderie, Pathé Cinema, DEFA
Direction: Raymond Rouleau

Screenplay: Jean Paul Sartre, after the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller

Available on VHS (currently not commercially, only in libraries or video stores).

Geschwader Fledermaus     

Feature, DDR 1958
Production: DEFA
Direction: Erich Engel

Screenplay: Rolf Hunold, Hans Szekely, after the play by Rolf Hunold

Currently unavailable commercially on DVD or VHS.

Das verlorene Gesicht            

Feature, DDR 1958
Production: Deutscher Fernsehfunk
Direction: Erich-Alexander Winds

Screenplay: after the play Lofter oder Das verlorene Gesicht by Günter Weisenborn

Currently unavailable commercially on DVD or VHS.

La rabouilleuse (Trübe Wasser)                

Feature, Frankreich and GDR 1960
Production: Nouvelles Pathé Cinema, DEFA
Direction: Louis Daquin

Screenplay: Louis Daquin, Klaus Wischnewski, after the novel by Honoré Balzac
Currently unavailable commercially on DVD or VHS.

Aktion J                          

Documentary, GDR 1961
Production: Deutscher Fernsehfunk

Screenplay and Direction: Walter Heynowski
Currently unavailable commercially on DVD or VHS.

Esther                                          

Feature, GDR 1962
Production: Deutscher Fernsehfunk
Direction: Robert Trösch

Screenplay: Robert Trösch, Bruno Apitz, after the novel by Bruno Apitz
Currently unavailable commercially on DVD or VHS.

Eisler contributed to the arrangement of original music and partly also the screenplay in the following music films:

Pagliacci (USA: A Clown Must Laugh)     

Opera screen adaptation, Great Britain 1936

Production: Trafalgar Films
Direction: Karl Grune

Screenplay: Monckton Hoffe, John Drinkwater, Roger Burford, after the eponymous opera by Ruggiero Leoncavallo

Availability: VHS

Gasparone                                   

Operetta screen adaptation, Austria 1955

Production: Projektograph-Film
Direction: Karl Paryla

Screenplay: Karl Paryla, Hanns Eisler, after the eponymous operetta by Carl Millöcker

Available as a legal download.

Fidelio                                          

Opera screen adaptation, Austria 1955

Production: Wien-Film, Akkord-Production
Direction: Walter Felsenstein

Screenplay: Walter Felsenstein, Hanns Eisler, after the eponymous opera by Ludwig van Beethoven

Available on DVD or as a legal download.

If you are having difficulty finding a particular film, please send us an email.