Frank Wisbar
The Director of Ferryman Maria, from Germany to America and Back
Average rating:
0 | rating | ![]() |
0 | rating | ![]() |
0 | rating | ![]() |
0 | rating | ![]() |
Your rating: -
Book Presentation:
German director Frank Wisbar (1899–1967) had the misfortune of achieving success as a filmmaker just as Hitler came to power. While critics praised his work, Nazi cultural watchdogs were scornful of his attempts to chart “the landscape of the soul” in films like Ferryman Maria (1936) and Anna and Elisabeth (1933). Wisbar fled to America, where Hollywood saw him as no more than a technician, good for churning out low-budget horror like Strangler of the Swamp (1945) and Devil Bat’s Daughter (1946).
A successful stint in early television allowed him to return home to a very different Germany, where he abandoned his earlier mystical themes to tackle questions of war and peace, tabloid journalism and racial conflict. The author examines the films and career of an under-appreciated auteur who ultimately lost faith in his own vision.
About the Author:
Henry Nicolella, of Syracuse, New York, retired from a ministry of working for the homeless.
See the publisher website: McFarland & Co
See the complete filmography of Frank Wisbar on the website: IMDB ...
> From the same author:
Down from the Attic (2016)
Rare Thrillers of the Silent Era through the 1950s
by John T. Soister and Henry Nicolella
> On a related topic:
The Oneiric in the Films of David Lynch (2026)
A Phenomenological Approach
Subject: Director > David Lynch
Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions (2025)
My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood
by Ed Zwick
Subject: Director > Edward Zwick
The Passion of Pedro Almodóvar (2025)
A Self-Portrait in Seven Films
by James Miller
Subject: Director > Pedro Almodóvar
Ingmar Bergman Out of Focus (2025)
Film Cultures and International Reception
Dir. Jono Van Belle, Fernando Ramos Arenas and María Paz Peirano
Subject: Director > Ingmar Bergman
Miss May Does Not Exist (2025)
The Life and Work of Elaine May, Hollywood's Hidden Genius
Subject: Director > Elaine May
Mervyn LeRoy Comes to Town (2025)
Dir. Murray Pomerance and R. Barton Palmer
Subject: Director > Mervyn LeRoy
The Plays and Films of Bahram Beyzaie (2025)
Origins, Forms and Functions
Dir. Saeed Talajooy
Subject: Director > Bahram Beyzaie
A Critical Companion to Christopher Nolan (2025)
Dir. Claire Parkinson and Isabelle Labrouillère
Subject: Director > Christopher Nolan