Conrad Veidt : From Caligari to Casablanca

by Jerry C. Allen

Genres: Nonfiction

253 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

Reviews

[Ajša P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Conrad Veidt was a German film actor who I got obsessed with some time ago, and watched way more obscure films in which he starred than I would like to admit, and at some point, his Wikipedia entry was not enough for me anymore. I wanted to find out more about his life, and eventually, I was led to this biography. To my knowledge, it's the only one available in English, which is a shame, as even though everyone is to some extent aware of Veidt's influence (the Joker was inspired by his role in the film The Man Who Laughs, for example), very few are aware of him as a magnificent actor in his own right. So the lack of biographies is somewhat understandable.

As far as this one goes, it was okay. And really just okay. The first few chapters were off to a good start, introducing us to his upbringing and entry into the theatrical profession. It is when the author reaches the 1920s, the books starts meandering. Suddenly, the descriptions of Veidt's life takes a back seat to the author's meticulous documentations of every film he starred in, their casts and full plotlines. Sure, the names of films are crucial to mention in a biography of a film actor, but at the same time, these entries seem to be trying to obscure the fact that Mr. Allen didn't really have much else to write about, may that be because of a lack of research or the lack of available information. The book is also surprisingly murky with its timeline, having a tendency to jump back and forth between events that were happening at different times, decades even. This bothered me.

Another problem was just how much the author let show his love for the subject of his writing. Of course, he wouldn't have taken on such a project if he didn't like Veidt, but sometimes, as an author, you have to chill a little bit. This was especially obvious in his constant reassurances to his readers that even if a movie Veidt starred in was bad, he was definitely the best part of it. He does try to introduce some objectivity to his writing by also presenting some more unflattering parts of his life (getting pissed on by a gorilla at the zoo?), but it is one chapter that throws all those attempts out the window. In said chapter, Allen describes with meticulous care just how heterosexual Veidt was. Sure, whether he was bisexual or not remains a partially open question, but just how defensive Allen was at the idea of Veidt being anything other than straight didn't stick right with me. You know, you can still be a loving father and a family man who is faithful to his wife while being bisexual... who would have thought.

The parts that actually do talk about Veidt's life are in some parts written with a lot of emotion. I was especially touched by the part in which Veidt has to send his daughter Viola back home to Geneva from a summer vacation at his residence in London due to the impending war. The fact that this was the last time the father and daughter saw each other made it even more heartbreaking.

Overall, I would like for more to be written about Veidt, but this biography is okay for anyone looking to find out at least something about the wonderful actor, and you can get some great film recommendations from it too!

[Bill Wallace · Rating 2 out of 5]

Chatty, informal, and not very good. Honestly hard to believe this biography of Veidt was professionally published, it's pretty good evidence that a book can be so laudatory of its subject that credibility suffers. Each page is a collection of superlative adjectives about Veidt, his family, and everyone who ever knew him, pleasant enough but numbing and ultimately unconvincing. Still, it's not like there are shelves of books about the actor in English and this hagiography will have to plug the hole until something better comes along.

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's kind of heartbreaking that this is literally the only book written/published in English about Conrad Veidt. But as a fan, I felt like I *had* to read it, even though I knew it was going to be rough. For a biography, there's way too much of the author in the text. It's repetitive, poorly structured, has a lot of unnecessary name-dropping, and glosses over a few important events in Veidt's life. Also CW homophobia, biphobia: Allen makes it blatantly clear that he does not consider bisexuality "normal or respectable" and that queerness of any sort is "immoral" -- which makes his choice of subject for this book seem odd. A few seconds on the search engine of your choice will lead you to much better-written articles and blogs about Connie.

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

ok so i did learn a thing or two but BROOOO WHAT IS THIS AUTHORS PROBLEMMMMM literally me when im lying. uh this guy cannot write and dedicates an entire chapter to trying to prove connie was not bisexual which is interesting. i liked viola's stories though they were so cute. this dude has the most annoying writing style ever.