Gudrun Hildebrandt (1892-1967) was a well-known German dance artist, who also appeared in a few silent films. Although she was one of the most photographed artists of her time and there are dozens of postcards of Hildebrandt, she seems forgotten now.
German postcard by P.M.B., no. 4526/1.
German postcard by GL Co., no. 4114/6. Sent by mail in 1910.
Gudrun Hildebrandt was norn in Berlin, Germany, in 1892. She was the daughter of Paul Emil Hildebrandt, a journalist and writer, who worked for Kaiser Wilhelm II, and Anna Auguste Hildebrandt, née Guppien. Her father was Jewish but christened as a baby. Gudrun was already performing on Berlin stages as a young child. She received her artistic training at the drama school of the Königliches Schauspielhaus Berlin at a very young age. It was followed by private lessons at the Max Reinhardt School in Berlin. Her teachers included Alexander Strakosch, Gertrud Eysoldt and Emil Milan.
At the age of four, Gudrun Hildebrandt played the Infanta in Schiller's 'Don Carlos' and was then also seen as the boy Tell in Schiller's 'William Tell'. According to her own statements, she danced and spoke at the Berlin Court Theatre for nine years and gave her first dance and recitation recital at the Kursaal Wiesbaden at the age of 16. She is said to have been honoured with a gold medal for art and science at the age of less than 18.
As a dance and lecture artist, Gudrun Hildebrandt was travelling throughout Germany before the First World War and was considered a very active guest performer. Gudrun danced to the music of Chopin in theatrical productions and performed in productions such as 'Wolk und Wind' (Cloud and Wind). In these early years, countless photos of her were taken and distributed on postcards. It was a logical step to the cinema.
According to IMDb, Gudrun Hildebrandt appeared in only two films. Under the lemma 'Gudrun Hildebrand' you can find Das Leben ein Roman/Life is a Novel (1913). Produced by Alfred Duskes for Duskes Kinematographen- und Film-Fabriken GmbH and directed by Carl Bernhardt.
Under ‘Gudrun Hildebrandt’ we found the short comedy Fräulein Puppe - Meine Frau/Miss Doll - My wife (1914) about a puppet which comes to life. This is a Uranus-Film-Gesellschaft Franz Scholling & Co production directed by the Polish director Danny Kaden (a.k.a. Nunek Danuky), and produced by Franz Scholling. Hildebrandt played the title character and the cast also included Kurt Gerron, Hermann Picha and Fritz Schulz.
The German Early Cinema Database gives a third title: Zwischen den Jahrhunderten/Between the Centuries (?, 1916), a production by Luna Film. This site also gives a description of the manuscript by Carl Schönfeld for Das Leben ein Roman: “A foster child is chased away. An earl takes her in. When his son is going to marry, she takes poison, but not enough.”
German postcard, no. 1445/46.
German postcard by EAS, no. 5 / 1899.
After these films, Gudrun Hildebrandt largely stayed away from cinematography. She soon concentrated exclusively on working on dance and spoken theatre stages, primarily in variety theatres and classrooms, but also in municipal and court theatres. She is said to have performed in over 300 cities and also wrote numerous articles (including essays in relevant magazines) about dance. Shortly after the First World War, Gudrun Hildebrandt founded her own dance school in Berlin and gradually turned her back on her own artistic activities on stage.
She published the book 'Grammatik der Modernen Tänze' (Grammatics of Modern Dance) and also published in dance magazines. In 1926 she published a novel with autobiographical features under the title 'Steffi Walborg, der Roman einer Tänzerin' (Steffi Walborg, the Novel of a Dancer). In her book, 'Frenchy: I Wanted to Get Back at Hitler', Tracy L. Shaler relates the life of the niece of Hildebrandt, Jeannette Grünfeld Marx, and gives also information about Hildebrandt.
Gudrun Hildebrandt married Grünfeld’s uncle, Benjamin (or Benedikt) Marx, in 1927. 'Benno' was a successful businessman and an elected member of the Social Democratic Party.
In 1930 their bourgeois lifestyle was interrupted by the elections when the Nazi party won 107 seats in the Reichstag. Benedikt and Gudrun fled from Germany to England shortly before Hitler was made Reichs Chancellor.
What later happened with Gudrun Hildebrandt is still shrouded in mystery. Decades later, Gudrun Marx lived in Cologne as a widow and died there in 1967 a few days before her 75th birthday in Cologne University Hospital.
German postcard, no. 1381/82.
German postcard by Bromüra, no. B 238.
German postcard by Rotophot, no. 1381/82. Sent by mail in 1909.
Sources: Tracy L. Shaler (Frenchy: I Wanted to Get Back at Hitler), The German Early Cinema Database (now defunct), Wikipedia (German) and IMDb.
This post was last updated on 13 September 2024.
German postcard by P.M.B., no. 4526/1.
German postcard by GL Co., no. 4114/6. Sent by mail in 1910.
Beautiful dancer
Gudrun Hildebrandt was norn in Berlin, Germany, in 1892. She was the daughter of Paul Emil Hildebrandt, a journalist and writer, who worked for Kaiser Wilhelm II, and Anna Auguste Hildebrandt, née Guppien. Her father was Jewish but christened as a baby. Gudrun was already performing on Berlin stages as a young child. She received her artistic training at the drama school of the Königliches Schauspielhaus Berlin at a very young age. It was followed by private lessons at the Max Reinhardt School in Berlin. Her teachers included Alexander Strakosch, Gertrud Eysoldt and Emil Milan.
At the age of four, Gudrun Hildebrandt played the Infanta in Schiller's 'Don Carlos' and was then also seen as the boy Tell in Schiller's 'William Tell'. According to her own statements, she danced and spoke at the Berlin Court Theatre for nine years and gave her first dance and recitation recital at the Kursaal Wiesbaden at the age of 16. She is said to have been honoured with a gold medal for art and science at the age of less than 18.
As a dance and lecture artist, Gudrun Hildebrandt was travelling throughout Germany before the First World War and was considered a very active guest performer. Gudrun danced to the music of Chopin in theatrical productions and performed in productions such as 'Wolk und Wind' (Cloud and Wind). In these early years, countless photos of her were taken and distributed on postcards. It was a logical step to the cinema.
According to IMDb, Gudrun Hildebrandt appeared in only two films. Under the lemma 'Gudrun Hildebrand' you can find Das Leben ein Roman/Life is a Novel (1913). Produced by Alfred Duskes for Duskes Kinematographen- und Film-Fabriken GmbH and directed by Carl Bernhardt.
Under ‘Gudrun Hildebrandt’ we found the short comedy Fräulein Puppe - Meine Frau/Miss Doll - My wife (1914) about a puppet which comes to life. This is a Uranus-Film-Gesellschaft Franz Scholling & Co production directed by the Polish director Danny Kaden (a.k.a. Nunek Danuky), and produced by Franz Scholling. Hildebrandt played the title character and the cast also included Kurt Gerron, Hermann Picha and Fritz Schulz.
The German Early Cinema Database gives a third title: Zwischen den Jahrhunderten/Between the Centuries (?, 1916), a production by Luna Film. This site also gives a description of the manuscript by Carl Schönfeld for Das Leben ein Roman: “A foster child is chased away. An earl takes her in. When his son is going to marry, she takes poison, but not enough.”
German postcard, no. 1445/46.
German postcard by EAS, no. 5 / 1899.
A bourgeois lifestyle interrupted
After these films, Gudrun Hildebrandt largely stayed away from cinematography. She soon concentrated exclusively on working on dance and spoken theatre stages, primarily in variety theatres and classrooms, but also in municipal and court theatres. She is said to have performed in over 300 cities and also wrote numerous articles (including essays in relevant magazines) about dance. Shortly after the First World War, Gudrun Hildebrandt founded her own dance school in Berlin and gradually turned her back on her own artistic activities on stage.
She published the book 'Grammatik der Modernen Tänze' (Grammatics of Modern Dance) and also published in dance magazines. In 1926 she published a novel with autobiographical features under the title 'Steffi Walborg, der Roman einer Tänzerin' (Steffi Walborg, the Novel of a Dancer). In her book, 'Frenchy: I Wanted to Get Back at Hitler', Tracy L. Shaler relates the life of the niece of Hildebrandt, Jeannette Grünfeld Marx, and gives also information about Hildebrandt.
Gudrun Hildebrandt married Grünfeld’s uncle, Benjamin (or Benedikt) Marx, in 1927. 'Benno' was a successful businessman and an elected member of the Social Democratic Party.
In 1930 their bourgeois lifestyle was interrupted by the elections when the Nazi party won 107 seats in the Reichstag. Benedikt and Gudrun fled from Germany to England shortly before Hitler was made Reichs Chancellor.
What later happened with Gudrun Hildebrandt is still shrouded in mystery. Decades later, Gudrun Marx lived in Cologne as a widow and died there in 1967 a few days before her 75th birthday in Cologne University Hospital.
German postcard, no. 1381/82.
German postcard by Bromüra, no. B 238.
German postcard by Rotophot, no. 1381/82. Sent by mail in 1909.
Sources: Tracy L. Shaler (Frenchy: I Wanted to Get Back at Hitler), The German Early Cinema Database (now defunct), Wikipedia (German) and IMDb.
This post was last updated on 13 September 2024.
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