Gustaf Gründgens Biography
Gustaf Gründgens (22 December 1899 – 7 October 1963), born Gustav Heinrich Arnold Gründgens, was one of Germany's most famous and influential actors of the 20th century, and artistic director of theatres in Berlin, Düsseldorf, and Hamburg. His career continued unimpeded through the years of the Nazi regime; the extent to which this can be considered as deliberate collaboration with the Nazis is hotly disputed.
His best known roles were that of Mephistopheles in Goethe's Faust in 1956/57, and as "Der Schränker" (The Safecracker) who is the chief judge of the kangaroo court presiding over Peter Lorre in Fritz Lang's M.
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Gustaf Gründgens Movies
Gustaf Gründgens Quotes
Struggle with Inner Demons and Control
Hans Beckert:
I can't help what I do! I can't help it, I can't…
Criminal: [[Courts|court]
The old story! We never can help it in ]!
Hans Beckert: [[Criminals]
What do you know about it? Who are you anyway? Who are you? ]? Are you proud of yourselves? Proud of breaking safes or cheating at cards? Things you could just as well keep your fingers off. You wouldn't need to do all that if you'd learn a proper trade, or if you'd work. If you weren't a bunch of lazy bastards. But I… I can't help myself! I have no control over this, this evil thing inside of me, the fire, the voices, the torment!
Schränker:
Do you mean to say that you have to murder?
Hans Beckert:
It's there all the time, driving me out to wander the streets, following me, silently, but I can feel it there. It's me, pursuing myself! I want to escape, to escape from myself! But it's impossible. I can't escape, I have to obey it. I have to run, run… endless streets. I want to escape, to get away! And I'm pursued by ghosts. Ghosts of mothers and of those children… they never leave me. They are always there… always, always, always! Except... when I do it, when I… Then I can't remember anything. And afterwards I see those posters and read what I've done, and read, and read… did I do that? But I can't remember anything about it! But who will believe me? Who knows what it's like to be me? How I'm forced to act… how I must, must… don't want to, must! Don't want to, but must! And then a voice screams! I can't bear to hear it! I can't go on! I can't… I can't…
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Demand for Jurisdiction and Mockery of Performance
Hans Beckert: [[common law]
I demand to be handed over to the jurisdiction of the ]!
Criminal 1:
Quite a performance! That's not bad, that, ha, ha, ha!
Schränker:
That would suit you, wouldn't it?
Conman: [sarcastically]
Anything else you'd like?
Schränker:
So that you can invoke paragraph fifty-one…
Criminal 2:
That's it.
Schränker: [[Psychiatric hospital|institution; [Weimar Republic|the state; [Mental health|mental illness]
And spend the rest of your life in an ] at ]'s expense ... And then you'd escape… or else there'd be a pardon and there you are, free as air, with a pass, protected by the law because of ]. Off again chasing little girls. No, no. Very dry. We're not going to let that happen.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
