Directed by Max Neufeld

Austrian actor, film director and screenwriter Max Neufeld (1887-1967) played in 48 films and directed 70 films between 1919 and 1957, in Austria and Germany. After the National Socialists came to power, the Jewish Neufeld had to leave Berlin and became a European traveller who worked in Vienna, Paris, Rome and Madrid. After the war, he returned to Vienna, where he made his last films. He was the younger brother of actor Eugen Neufeld.


German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 509/1, 1919-1924. Photo: Arenberg Atelier, Vienna.


Austrian postcard. Photo: Arenberg Atelier, Vienna.


Austrian postcard. Photo: Arenberg Atelier, Vienna.


German postcard by Ross Verlag, unnumbered. Photo: Arenberg Verlag, Vienna. Max's older brother, Eugen Neufeld.


German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 309/2, 1919-1924. Photo: Arenberg Atelier, Vienna.


Austrian postcard by Iris Verlag, no. 770. Photo: Fayer, Vienna.

The lover of the Viennese art film industry

Maximilian 'Max' Neufeld, also Massimiliano Neufeld and Massimo Neufeld, was born in 1887 in Guntersdorf, Austria-Hungary. He was the younger brother of the actor Eugen Neufeld.

Max Neufeld initially played in his father's theatre company and received his first job as an actor at the old Stadttheater Klagenfurt in 1905. He subsequently appeared both in provincial theatres and, from 1912, at the Theater in der Josefstadt in Vienna.

He received his first film roles in 1913 from Wiener Kunstfilm (Viennese Art Film Industry), the leading Austrian studio of the era. Founded in 1910 as the Erste österreichische Kinofilms-Industrie, it was a pioneer in almost every field of silent film in Austria. After several supporting roles in films such as Johann Strauss an der schönen blauen Donau / Johann Strauss on the beautiful blue Danube (Carl von Zeska, 1913), Treue Seelen / Loyal Souls (?, 1913) and Unter falscher Flagge / Under false pretences (?, 1913), the studio gave Neufeld his first leading role in Der Pfarrer von Kirchfeld / The Priest from Kirchfeld (Jacob Fleck, Luise Fleck, 1914). He mainly played ‘youthful lovers’ and ‘pithy lads’ in rural dramas.

During the First World War, he served as an artillery officer between 1916 and 1918. He returned to film while the war was still raging. He now became a popular actor for lovers, whom he played in films such as the war drama Freier Dienst (Luise Kolm, Jakob Fleck, 1918), Don Cäsar, Graf von Irun / Don Cesar, Count of Irun (Jacob Fleck, Luise Fleck, 1918), the drama Die Ahnfrau / The Ancestress (Jacob Fleck, Luise Fleck, 1919), and Der tote Hochzeitsgast / The Dead Wedding Guest (Max Neufeld, 1921) starring his brother Eugen Neufeld.

As the first male film star in Viennese art film, he played alongside popular actresses and film stars such as the Viennese folk actress Hansi Niese in Frau Gertrud Namenlos / Mrs Gertrud Nameless (Jakob Fleck, 1914) and the debuting Liane Haid in the Propaganda film Mit Herz und Hand fürs Vaterland / With Heart and Hand for the Fatherland (Jacob Fleck, Luise Fleck, 1915). There were only rare exceptions to his typecasting as the lover of the heroin. He played the lunatic doctor in Das Weib des Irren / The Madman's Wife (Heinz Hanus, Ladislaus Tuszynski, 1921) and the seduced monk in Eva, die Sünde / Eva, The Sin (Jacob Fleck, Luise Fleck, 1920). In his own production Brandstifter Europas / The Arsonists of Europe (Max Neufeld, 1926), he even played a sinister, demonic role as ‘Monk Rasputin’, which remained an absolute exception.


German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 593/1, 1919-1924. Photo: Filmzentrale. Siegmund Breitbart in the Austrian film Der Eisenkönig / The Iron King (Max Neufeld, 1923).


Austrian postcard by Iris-Verlag, no. 5363. Photo: Hugo Engel-Film. Werner Fuetterer and Dina Gralla in Befehl zur Ehe / Command to marriage (Max Neufeld, 1928).


German postcard by Ross Verlag, no. 7395/1, 1932-1933. Photo: Aafa Film. Liane Haid and Ivan Petrovich in Der Diamant des Zaren / Der Orlow (Max Neufeld, 1932).


Dutch postcard by distributor City-Film. Hermann Thimig and Magda Schneider in Glück über Nacht / Overnight Sensation (Max Neufeld, 1932). Mark the modern furniture and set design.


Latvian postcard by JDA, Riga, no. 2175. Iren Agay and Hans Jaray in the Operetta film Hoheit tanzt Walzer / Her Highness Dances the Waltz (Max Neufeld, 1935).


Romanian postcard. Photo by Ciolfi / Italcine. Alida Valli and André Mattoni (here presented as Andrea Mattoni) in the white telephone comedy Taverna rossa / Red Tavern (Max Neufeld, 1940), shot at the Cinecittà studios.

A European traveller

After 1921, Max Neufeld mainly worked as a director, but he continued to take on film roles, mostly in his own films. He regularly directed dramas, melodramas, comedies and adventure stories. In the second half of the 1920s, he developed into an experienced master of light, Viennese comedies, such as Der Balletterzherzog / The Prince and the Dancer (Max Neufeld, 1926), but also chamber drama-like films with depth, such as Die Strecke / The Route (Max Neufeld, 1927). He became a member of the board of the organisation representing the interests of Austrian filmmakers, the Filmbund, after it was founded in 1922.

Neufeld directed and played the leading role of E. T. A. Hoffmann in the first film adaptation of Hoffmanns Erzählungen / Hoffmann's Tales (Max Neufeld, 1923) for the Viennese Vita-Film. From the mid-1920s, he also occasionally wrote the screenplays for his films, and from the late 1920s, he also worked in Germany from time to time. For the Berlin-based Nero-Film, he directed the drama Eine Nacht im Grandhotel / A Night at the Grand Hotel (Max Neufeld, 1931) with Martha Eggerth. In 1932, he directed for Cine-Allianz the German-Austrian co-production Sehnsucht 202 / Longing 202 (Max Neufeld 1932) with Luise Rainer in her film debut. The musical comedy focused on those affected by the then-high level of unemployment following the Great Depression of 1929.

In 1933, after the National Socialists came to power in Germany, Max Neufeld had to leave Berlin because of his Jewish origins. He became a European traveller for the next few years with productions in Vienna, Paris, Rome and Madrid. An application to the Reich Film Chamber in Berlin in 1936 for a special permit to continue making films in Germany was rejected, as was the import of productions in which Max Neufeld was involved.

Although Jews were no longer allowed to work in film in Austria after 1936, he remained in Vienna until Austria's annexation by Germany. Meanwhile, he had directed in Austria films like Csibi, der Fratz / A Precocious Girl (Max Neufeld, Richard Eichberg, 1934) with Franciska Gaal, Ein Stern fällt vom Himmel / A Star Fell from Heaven (Max Neufeld, 1934) with Joseph Schmidt, and Fräulein Lilli / Miss Lilli (Hans Behrendt, Robert Wohlmuth, Max Neufeld, 1936) with Gaal in her final European film. In 1937 or 1938 he fled to Rome, where he directed various romantic comedies until 1941, such as Mille lire al mese / A Thousand Lire a Month (Max Neufeld, 1938), Ballo al castello / The Castle Ball (Max Neufeld, 1939), La prima donna che passa / The First Woman Who Passes (Max Neufeld, 1940) and Taverna rossa / Red Tavern (Max Neufeld, 1940), all starring Alida Valli.

Neufeld then worked in Spain and directed, e.g. Madrid de mis sueños / Madrid of My Dreams (Max Neufeld, Gian Maria Cominetti, 1942) with Maria Mercader. After the Second World War, he returned to Rome, where he directed the historical film Il tiranno di Padova / The Tyrant of Padua (Max Neufeld, 1946), but from 1948 on, he also made films in Vienna again, such as the historical romance Anni (Max Neufeld, 1948) with Elfie Mayerhofer and L'inconnu d'un soir / Liebling der Welt (Hervé Bromberger, Max Neufeld, 1949) with Nadia Gray. In 1957, he directed his last film, the family drama Der schönste Tag meines Lebens / The Most Beautiful Day of My Life (Max Neufeld, 1957), starring Paul Hörbiger and the young Michael Ande. Max Neufeld died in 1967 in Vienna and was buried in the Wiener Zentralfriedhof (Vienna's Central Cemetery).


Austrian film programme Illustrierter Film-Kurier, no. 374. Hermann Thimig in the German film Ein bißchen Liebe für Dich / A Bit of Love (Austrian title: Geschäft mit Amerika) (Max Neufeld, 1932), also with Magda Schneider, Lee Parry and Georg Alexander.


Austrian film programme Illustrierter Film-Kurier, no. 544. Magda Schneider in the German film Glück über Nacht / Overnight Sensation (Max Neufeld, 1932), also with Hermann Thimig and S.Z. Szakall (Cuddles).


Austrian film programme Illustrierter Film-Kurier, no. 749. Franciska Gaal in the Austrian romantic musical film Csibi, der Fratz / A Precocious Girl (Max Neufeld, 1934).


Austrian film programme Illustrierter Film-Kurier, no. 792. Camilla Horn and Gustav Fröhlich in the German film Rund um eine Million / Money Governs the World (Max Neufeld, 1933).


Austrian film programme Illustrierter Film-Kurier, no. 805. Italian tenor Giacomo Lauri Volpi in the film musical Märchen von Venedig / Das Lied der Sonne / La canzone del sole / The Song of the Sun (Max Neufeld, 1934), also with Lilliane Dietz.


Austrian film programme Illustrierter Film-Kurier, no. 948. Joseph Schmidt in the Austrian musical film Ein Stern fällt vom Himmel / A Star Fell from Heaven (Max Neufeld, 1934), also with Evi Panzner.

Sources: Wikipedia (German and English) and IMDb.