Karl Freund

Karl Freund Trailers

You Can't Fool a Camera TrailerMichael Trailer

​   Karl W. Freund, A.S.C. (January 16, 1890-May 3, 1969) was a cinematographer and film director. Born in Dvůr Králové (Königinhof), Bohemia, his career began in 1905 when, at age 15, he got a job as an assistant projectionist for a film company in Berlin where his family moved in 1901. He worked as a cinematographer on over 100 films, including the German Expressionist films The Golem (1920), The Last Laugh (1924) and Metropolis (1927). Freund emigrated to the United States in 1929 where he continued to shoot well remembered films such as Dracula (1931) and Key Largo (1948). He won an Academy Award for Best Cinematography for The Good Earth (1937). In 1937, he went to Germany to bring his only daughter, Gerda Maria Freund, back to the United States, saving her from almost certain death in the concentration camps. Karl's ex-wife, Susette Freund (née Liepmannssohn), remained in Germany where she was interned at the Ravensbrück concentration camp and eventually taken in March, 1942 to Bernburg Euthanasia Center where she was murdered. Between 1921 and 1935, Freund also directed ten films, of which the best known are probably The Mummy (1932) starring Boris Karloff, and his last film as director, Mad Love (1935) starring Peter Lorre. Freund's only known film as an actor is Carl Dreyer's Michael (1924) in which he has a cameo as a sycophantic art dealer who saves the tobacco ashes dropped by a famous painter. At the beginning of the 1950s, he was persuaded by Desi Arnaz at Desilu to be the cinematographer in 1951 for the televisions series I Love Lucy. Critics have credited Freund for the show's lustrous black and white cinematography, but more importantly, Freund designed the "flat lighting" system for shooting sitcoms that is still in use today. This system covers the set in light, thus eliminating shadows and allowing the use of three moving cameras without having to modify the lighting in-between shots. And where Freund did not invent the three camera shooting system, he did perfect it for use with film cameras in front of a live audience. Freund and his production team also worked on other sitcoms produced at/through Desilu such as "Our Miss Brooks".

Most Popular Karl Freund Trailers

Total trailers found: 137

Die Ehe der Luise Rohrbach Trailer (1917)

02 February 1917

Die blaue Laterne Trailer (1918)

29 November 1918

Based on a novel by Paul Lindau.

You Can't Fool a Camera Trailer (1941)

23 May 1941

This short starts out as a documentary. In a dramatization, Eadward Muybridge's photographic experiments prove that when a horse gallops, there are times when all four of the animal's feet are off the ground.

A Knight in London Trailer (1928)

17 December 1928

A prince makes a socialite think she spent the night in his room.

Dracula Trailer (1931)

12 February 1931

A British estate agent travels to Transylvania to meet with the mysterious Count Dracula, who is interested in leasing a London castle.

Die Nacht auf Goldenhall Trailer (1920)

16 April 1920

Metropolis Trailer (1927)

10 January 1927

In a futuristic city sharply divided between the rich and the poor, the son of the city's mastermind meets a prophet who predicts the coming of a savior to mediate their differences.

Tail Spin Trailer (1939)

19 February 1939

Trixie is a female pilot looking to win a big race to advance her career. During one race, however, her plane becomes damaged, and she needs help to repair it.

The Mummy Trailer (1932)

22 December 1932

An ancient Egyptian priest named Imhotep is revived when a British archaeological expedition finds his mummy and one of the researchers accidentally reads an ancient life-giving spell.

Dangerous Partners Trailer (1945)

07 June 1945

A young couple's accident could make them rich, if they can evade a Nazi spy ring.

All Quiet on the Western Front Trailer (1930)

29 April 1930

When a group of idealistic young men join the German Army during the Great War, they are assigned to the Western Front, where their patriotism is destroyed by the harsh realities of combat.

Poor Mother Trailer (1912)

20 March 1912

"Poor Mother" is a Serbian melodrama film.

Strictly Dishonorable Trailer (1931)

01 December 1931

A hopelessly silly young flibbertigibbet from Mississippi is faced with the choice of her poor, boorish New Jersey boyfriend or a dashing Opera star, a man of experience.

Countess Kitchenmaid Trailer (1918)

18 January 1918

Henny Porten plays the dual role of a rather indecorous Countess and her kitchen maid Karoline Blum, an amateur actress.

Man-Proof Trailer (1938)

07 January 1938

A newspaper illustrator tries to remain best friends with the man she secretly loves, even though he recently married another woman.

Der Liebesbrief der Königin Trailer (1917)

30 March 1917

a silent movie by Robert Wiene

Agnes Arnau und ihre drei Freier Trailer (1918)

24 May 1918

Two rich men decide that their son and daughter will marry when they're grown. Now, as adults, the fathers decide the two should meet.

Catherine the Great Trailer (1920)

22 October 1920

The film was an epic portrayal of the life of Catherine the Great of Russia.

Sleeping Partners Trailer (1930)

18 March 1930

A neglected wife spends the night with a roué after drinking a sleeping draught.

Letter of Introduction Trailer (1938)

05 August 1938

An aging actor, trying to make a comeback on Broadway, is surprised when his estranged daughter shows up.

The Golem Trailer (1960)

04 April 1960

A shortened, sixty-minute version of Der Golem, re-edited for US release and featuring a score by Cordula Heth.

Phantome des Lebens Trailer (1919)

01 January 1919

Bummelstudenten Trailer (1916)

01 January 1916

The Robber Bride Trailer (1916)

29 September 1916

a silent movie by Robert Wiene

Christa Hartungen Trailer (1917)

04 May 1917

Satan Trailer (1920)

30 January 1920

A three-part historical film: the first episode takes place in ancient Egypt, the second is based on the Hugo novel La Fin de Satan, and the third takes place during the 1917 Russian revolution.

Up for Murder Trailer (1931)

26 May 1931

Young reporter accidentially kills his newspaper's editor in a fight over the publisher's mistress, who is also the paper's society editor.

The Affairs of Martha Trailer (1942)

21 June 1942

Members of a well-to-do small community become worried when it is revealed that one of their maids is writing a telling exposé.

The White Roses Trailer (1916)

23 October 1916

The actress Thilda Wardier is courted by the wealthy Adam de Rochord, who presents her with a large bouquet of white roses every time they see each other.

The Last Laugh Trailer (1924)

23 December 1924

An aging doorman, after being fired from his prestigious job at a luxurious hotel, is forced to face the scorn of his friends, neighbours and society.

The Suffragette Trailer (1913)

12 September 1913

Nelly's mother is a suffragette and persuades her daughter to join the good cause. Placing a bomb under Lord William's chair love develops between the two.

Pride and Prejudice Trailer (1940)

26 July 1940

In early 19th century England, Mr and Mrs Bennet's five unmarried daughters vie for the affections of rich and eligible Mr Bingley and his status-conscious friend, Mr Darcy, who have moved into their neighbourhood.

The Arc Trailer (1919)

05 September 1919

Engineer Walter Fahr has constructed a massive passenger submarine, the 'Gloria'. The vessel undertakes a test journey with various esteemed invitees aboard, together with several animals, and the blind passenger Professor Keigo Sotuma.

The War Against Mrs. Hadley Trailer (1942)

07 August 1942

Wealthy American society matron, Stella Hadley refuses to sacrifice her material comforts to aid the war effort until she realizes that her selfishness is cheating the boys overseas who are fighting for her freedom.

Auf Probe gestellt Trailer (1918)

15 March 1918

Countess Marlene, a young and impoverished widow, is set to marry an old and wealthy count when she falls for a painter.

Das Maskenfest des Lebens Trailer (1918)

30 August 1918

Personal Maid Trailer (1931)

12 September 1931

Nora Ryan, a poor Irish girl, living in New York decides to change her life by working as a personal maid for the wealthy, Gary family.

Cry 'Havoc' Trailer (1943)

23 November 1943

The Army nurses on Bataan need help badly, but when it arrives, it sure isn't what they expected. A motley crew, including a Southern belle, a waitress, and a stripper, show up.

Manon Lescaut Trailer (1926)

15 February 1926

A French adventurer fights to save a woman in the life of prostitution.

Murders in the Rue Morgue Trailer (1932)

27 January 1932

In 19th century Paris, a maniac abducts young women and injects them with ape blood in an attempt to prove ape-human kinship but constantly meets failure as the abducted women die.

Key Largo Trailer (1948)

16 July 1948

A hurricane swells outside, but it's nothing compared to the storm within the hotel at Key Largo. There, sadistic mobster Johnny Rocco holes up - and holds at gunpoint hotel owner James Temple, his widowed daughter-in-law Nora, and ex-GI Frank McCloud.

The Golem: How He Came into the World Trailer (1920)

29 October 1920

In 16th-century Prague, a rabbi creates the Golem - a giant creature made of clay. Using sorcery, he brings the creature to life in order to protect the Jews of Prague from persecution.

The Seventh Cross Trailer (1944)

24 July 1944

In Nazi Germany in 1936 seven men escape from a concentration camp. The camp commander puts up seven crosses and, as the Gestapo returns each escapee he is put to death on a cross.

Camille Trailer (1936)

26 December 1936

Life in 1847 Paris is as spirited as champagne and as unforgiving as the gray morning after. In gambling dens and lavish soirees, men of means exert their wills and women turned courtesans exult in pleasure.

The Countess of Monte Cristo Trailer (1934)

18 March 1934

A distraught movie extra flees a movie set with a fancy costume and car. Circumstances lead her to begin impersonating a Countess, while a fellow extra takes on the role of her servant.

Das blinde Glück Trailer (1922)

01 January 1922

Tortilla Flat Trailer (1942)

21 May 1942

Danny, a poor northern Californian Mexican-American, inherits two houses from his grandfather and is quickly taken advantage of by his vagabond friends.

The Earl of Chicago Trailer (1940)

05 January 1940

A behind the times Chicago bootlegger goes to England with his lawyer to claim his estate as the Earl of Gorley.

The Thin Man Goes Home Trailer (1944)

24 December 1944

Hoping for a peaceful visit with his parents in the small town of Sycamore Springs, Nick Charles and his wife Nora soon find themselves surrounded by old rivalries, family tensions, and a mysterious murder.

A Guy Named Joe Trailer (1944)

25 February 1944

A cocky U.S. Army Air Force pilot stationed in England during World War II falls for a daring female flier.

Green Hell Trailer (1940)

26 January 1940

In the jungles of the Amazon, a group of Western adventurers and two local native guides try to locate a lost treasure buried beneath an ancient Incan city.

Golden Boy Trailer (1939)

05 September 1939

Despite his talent as a musician, a city boy decides to become a boxer. He's successful as a fighter — much to the dismay of his father.

Mad Love Trailer (1935)

12 July 1935

An insane surgeon's obsession with an actress leads him to replace her wounded pianist husband's hands with those of a knife-throwing murderer.

Madame Spy Trailer (1934)

10 February 1934

Maria is married to Captain Franck of German Intelligence. He does not know she is a Russian assigned to spy on him.

Florian Trailer (1940)

05 June 1940

Set against the backdrop of WWI Europe, a man and woman of different classes are brought together by their love of Lippizan horses.

Du Barry Was a Lady Trailer (1943)

13 August 1943

Hat check man Louis Blore is in love with nightclub star May Daly. May, however, is in love with a poor dancer but wants to marry for money.

Tartuffe Trailer (1926)

25 January 1926

A young man shows his millionaire grandfather a film based on Molière's play "Tartuffe" in order to expose the old man's hypocritical governess who covets the young man's inheritance.

The Spiders: Part 1 - The Golden Sea Trailer (1919)

03 October 1919

In San Francisco, well-known sportsman Kay Hoog announces to a club that he has found a message in a bottle with a map drawn by a Harvard professor who has gone missing.

Conquest Trailer (1937)

22 October 1937

A Polish countess is dispatched by her country to become Napoleon Bonaparte's mistress at the urging of Polish leaders, who feel she might influence him to support Polish independence.

The Good Earth Trailer (1937)

02 June 1937

China, during the rule of the Qing Dynasty. The arranged marriage between Wang Lung, a humble farmer, and O-Lan, a domestic slave, will endure the many hardships of life over the years; but the temptations of a fragile prosperity will endanger their love and the survival of their entire family.