Robert A. Dietrich
Art
Known For

Prague, Bohemia, 1820. Balduin, a penniless student, falls in love with Countess Margit, a wealthy noblewoman whom he has saved from drowning.
The Student of Prague

This mostly lost film is often confused with director Paul Wegener third and readily available interpretation of the legend; Der Golem, wie er in die Welt kam (1920). In this version of the golem legend, the golem, a clay statue brought to life by Rabbi Loew in 16th century Prague to save the Jews from the ongoing brutal persecution by the city's rulers, is found in the rubble of an old synagogue in the 20th century. Brought to life by an antique dealer, the golem is used as a menial servant. Eventually falling in love with the dealer's wife, it goes on a murderous rampage when its love for her goes unanswered.
The Golem

A working-class couple with four children live in extreme poverty in a rear building. When the woman becomes pregnant again, she goes to a young doctor and asks him to terminate the pregnancy, as the child would be too much of a burden for her. The doctor refuses to perform the procedure because it is against the law, so she has the abortion herself and dies in the process. The public prosecutor has the man arrested and the four children are left to fend for themselves. The prosecutor's fiancée, a young teacher, lives in the front building. When she is raped and becomes pregnant in her apartment by the porter's wife's mentally disturbed son, the doctor, deeply affected by the case of the working-class couple, performs an illegal abortion on the teacher and confronts the public prosecutor with the case of his own fiancée. The public prosecutor resigns because he can no longer reconcile his office with his conscience.
The Wife's Crusade

A painter working at the Louvre is struck by the Mona Lisa. When he meets a girl whom he believes bears a resemblance to the painting, and who wants him to become famous, he comes up with the idea of stealing the painting. Based on the real-life theft of 1911.
The Theft of the Mona Lisa

A loose, unauthorized adaptation of the 1896 novel The Island of Doctor Moreau by H. G. Wells. Somewhat illogical, the film has more emphasis on comedy and romance than horror, but offers "memorable glimpses of human-animal hybrids".
The Island of the Lost

A man must choose between his mother and his wife as the rivalry ratchets up throughout New Year's Eve. Like Pick's previous films, New Year's Eve does not use intertitles.
New Year's Eve

One autumn, Edgar, a 12 year old boy, spends a holiday with his mother at a plush hotel in Switzerland. His father, a busy lawyer, remains at the family home in Vienna. When he sees a stylish motorcar pull up at the hotel, Edgar wastes no time befriending its owner, an amiable dandy. The latter pays more attention to the boy’s mother than to the boy himself, and decides to use Edgar to wheedle his way into her affections. When Edgar realises he has been used, he is far from happy...
The Burning Secret

The young Evelyne lives with a man, her fiancee Frank, with whom she has a child. But her fiancee is a rundown drunk constantly hanging over the bottle. Evelyne wants to leave Frank.
Nights of Terror

James Mistoll, one of the owners of a factory, and working on a process to turn copper ore into radium, falls from a window on the fourth floor and dies; This was no accident, but a murder. A detective sends his assistant, Barnes, to investigate and soon the number of suspects from within the company multiplies.
The Secret of the American Docks

Otto is pressured by his former girlfriend Mila to marry her. His friend and colleague Franz gets him a new job at Bernhard Münchow's remote auto repair shop, where Otto is safe from Mila for the time being. But then he falls in love with Käthe, the daughter of the owner of the shipyard “Zum grauen Hecht,” and finds a bitter enemy in Ladewig, who is also in love with Käthe and who puts Mila back on Otto's trail. Mila, however, falls in love with garage owner Münchow, who is only interested in her supposed fortune...
The Grey Pikes Wharf

The homunculus and his companion Edgar Rodin make an invention that would allow the hateful homunculus to destroy the world. But first he wants to find out about love. When he observes how young Anna is rejected by her parents, he takes care of her and asks her parents for forgiveness - without success. He brings her to her seducer, who also rejects the girl. The homunculus then takes revenge by ruining the man financially and throwing Anna at his feet. But she still loves the villain and asks Homunculus for mercy. The homunculus cannot understand this feeling of love - he wants to try it out on himself. He puts a young woman who loves him to the hardest test, but she will do anything for him, sacrificing her fiancé and her parents. Only when he reveals his artificial nature to her, she leaves him. This experience confirms the homunculus in his intention to destroy mankind.
The Love Tragedy of the Homunculus
Richard Ortmann the artificial man (Homunculus) has become the head of the corporation that represents the capital and power of the country, but he has stopped believing in human love. All the more clear is his goal now: the annihilation of mankind.
The Revenge of the Homunculus

After finding her sister dead, Maria tries to find out who or what is to blame.
Wenn Tote sprechen

Part of the artificial-creature series encompassing Der Golem (1914 and 1920), Alraune (1918, 1928, 1930) and Metropolis (1926), 'Homunculus' was the most popular serial in Germany during World War I even influencing the dress of fashionable Berlin. Foenss, a Danish star, is the perfect creature manufactured in a laboratory by Kuehne. Having discovered his origins, that he has no 'soul' and is incapable of love, he revenges himself on mankind, instigating revolutions and becoming a monstrous but beautiful tyrant, relentlessly pursued by his creator-father who seeks to rectify his mistake.
The Artificial Man
No description available.
Hearts Are Trumps

A middle-class man falls in love with a woman from a more ordinary background, and they end up working in a variety act where they sink into alcoholism. He then kills another man whom he mistakenly believes is a rival.
Alcohol

A group of scientists, led by a Professor Ortmann, produce a living human child using scientific processes - a "homunculus." This creature is human in every way, except that he cannot experience love.
The End of the Homunculus

A gentleman thief plans a jailbreak when one of his targets is unjustly accused of murder.
Lux, der König der Verbrecher

For a long time the homunculus had to hide from his pursuers. But now he mingles with humanity again and sows discord, strife and murder. One day, when he meets an orphaned girl, he takes her to the shepherd Rudolf's parents. His goal is to pair the two together in order to breed a new human race from them. To this end, he kidnaps her to a deserted island. But the plan fails because Rudolf tries to kill the homunculus after learning his true identity. In revenge, the homunculus destroys the entire island, including the young couple. His hitherto loyal companion Edgar Rodin is so horrified by this deed that he renounces the homunculus and threatens him with death.
The Destruction of Mankind
The young sculptor Cramer is inspired by the idea of modeling a statue of Aphrodite that reflects the beauty and perfection of the female body. He found his ideal model in the happily married Frau von Versen. After initial hesitation, the lady, flattered by the offer, agrees to be a model. But suddenly she is overcome by moral concerns, because as the wife of a respected legation councilor, this could cause social misunderstandings.