Mauritz Stiller

Directing

Mauritz Stiller

Born July 17, 1883 · Helsinki, Finland

Died November 8, 1928 · aged 45

Mauritz Stiller (Moshe Stiller) was a Finnish-Swedish film director, actor and writer, probably best known for discovering Greta Garbo and bringing her to America. With Victor Sjöström he created the production company AB Svensk Filminspelning in 1922. Stiller was a major force in the international film industry and recognized for his refined narrator structure with different fictional levels. He …

Known For

Brother Against BrotherBrother Against Brother · 1913
Brother Against Brother
5.01913
MovieDrama
Two brothers compete for the love of a woman while the impending war threatens to separate them from both sides of the border. Based on the novel "La Débâcle" by Émile Zola.
The MannequinThe Mannequin · 1913
The Mannequin
1913
MovieDrama
Lili is a young and courageous woman. She does things that create confusion. She suddenly begin to act in a film's plot in a movie theater, or take a mannequin from a shop.
Madame de ThèbesMadame de Thèbes · 1915
Madame de Thèbes
5.91915
MovieDrama
The story is wacky – a gypsy is cursed by her father, so that she has to deny her illegitimate son in order for him to have a successful life. She gives him to a well-to-do lady who has lost her own child. Later, he has grown up to be a politician who wants to become the foreign minister. He doesn’t know that his real mother is the famous Madame de Thebes, the fortuneteller who all politicians make sure to visit! This information falls into the hands of a rival, who tries to use it to ruin his career. Meanwhile, the rival’s attractive daughter is attacked by a ruffian and needs to be rescued… There are a lot of striking images in this film. You can see the beauty of them even if the state of the print is far from perfect. The Norwegian actress Ragna Wettergreen gives a haunting performance as Madame de Thebes, with wisdom and regret – and quite a few melodramatic gestures. Understatement was not the norm in those days.
The Unknown WomanThe Unknown Woman · 1913
The Unknown Woman
1913
MovieDrama
A rich young man falls for a beautiful girl and meets with trouble. An adaptation of Hugo von Hofmannsthal's Das fremde Mädchen.
The BrothersThe Brothers · 1914
The Brothers
1914
MovieDrama
Brothers Paul and Georg Williams' latest invention is of great military importance, and a foreign nation enlist it's most deadly spy, Mylady, to get information about it.
The ChildThe Child · 1913
The Child
1913
MovieDrama
Mary and Georg love each other, but he is rejected by Mary's father who has suffered insecurity and sees his rescue in marrying Mary with the rich shipowner Harry Gordon.
Love and JournalismLove and Journalism · 1916
Love and Journalism
5.81916
MovieComedyDrama
A woman journalist employed as a maid by a great explorer is overcome with remorse at revealing his private life to the public. He shares her feelings and marries her
The Street of SinThe Street of Sin · 1928
The Street of Sin
8.01928
MovieDrama
"Basher Bill," a retired prizefighter turned criminal, pretends to reform by joining a Salvation Army shelter in London run by a pious wraith named Elizabeth. Attracted to Elizabeth (although he is engaged to a street girl named Annie), Bill confesses to a bank robbery, has a spiritual revelation, and decides to go straight. His cast-off sweetheart reports him to the police; then, contrite, she warns Bill of the impending danger. Bill is captured immediately, but he escapes and sacrifices his life to save Elizabeth and the Salvation Army nursery when the rest of the gang use them as a human barricade against the police.

Filmography

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Madame de ThèbesMadame de Thèbes · 1915
Madame de Thèbes
5.91915
MovieDrama
The story is wacky – a gypsy is cursed by her father, so that she has to deny her illegitimate son in order for him to have a successful life. She gives him to a well-to-do lady who has lost her own child. Later, he has grown up to be a politician who wants to become the foreign minister. He doesn’t know that his real mother is the famous Madame de Thebes, the fortuneteller who all politicians make sure to visit! This information falls into the hands of a rival, who tries to use it to ruin his career. Meanwhile, the rival’s attractive daughter is attacked by a ruffian and needs to be rescued… There are a lot of striking images in this film. You can see the beauty of them even if the state of the print is far from perfect. The Norwegian actress Ragna Wettergreen gives a haunting performance as Madame de Thebes, with wisdom and regret – and quite a few melodramatic gestures. Understatement was not the norm in those days.

Director