Details Personal Papers and Company Archives
Search
Henny Porten
Porten, Henny Frieda Ulrike (Birth name), Kaufmann, Henny von (Married name), Kaufmann-Asser, Henny von (Married name)
actress
* 07.01.1890
† 15.10.1960 in Berlin
Henny Porten was one of the greatest German silent film stars and was also able to leave her mark on sound films. She performed in almost all genres, playing parts in over 200 films. On account of her Jewish husband, whom she would not divorce despite pressure from the National Socialists, Porten scarsely received any film roles during the Nazi Period.
About the Estate
The archival collection at the Kinemathek reflects the ups and downs of Henny Porten’s film career through personal documents, including some original letters (for example to the author Gerhart Hauptmann in 1919), postcards, telegrams, her birth certificate and extensive newspaper clippings spanning from the beginnings of her work in film to her period in Ratzeburg (Schleswig-Holstein) from 1945?57. Porten’s heir Margarete Becker gave these papers to the Kinemathek in 1986.
In addition, it contains a series of articles published in the ‘Neue Illustrierten’ in 1958 that were very important to Porten, called “Der Film meines Lebens” (The Film of My Life), as well as sound recordings with several hours of interviews on which the publications are based. In these articles, the actress discusses topics such as Goebbels’ harassment during the Third Reich, her move from her villa in Berlin’s Dahlem district to Westend, but also about the beginnings of her cinematic career in the 1910s. Autographs from the collection show that Henny Porten felt a lot depended on this series. For instance, in 1958 she wrote to her friend Hannele, that her future depended on it, that she was worn out and very depressed, and she lamented: “was die Menschen aus mir gemacht haben” (what people have made out of me).
In 1987, a second transfer of a partial estate from Anneliese Diefert, another heir, included a long white evening dress with a black cape that Henny Porten wore during the Berlinale in 1957. It also contained jewellery and a necklace originating from the German-Swedish DEFA co-production ‘Das Fräulein von Scuderi’ (1955). This literary adaptation was important to Porten, because she associated it with the hope of being able to build on her earlier successes. (Text: Gerlinde Waz)
- Content
- Small object, Sheet of music, Paper documents
- Description
- Approximate 0.25 Shelf metres
- Inv. No.
- 198608
- Credit Line
- Henny-Porten-Archiv, Deutsche Kinemathek
See More
In the Deutsche Kinemathek
More
-
Visit the Archive
More informationYou can use our collections for scholarly work, curatorial and publication research, or personal interest at no cost. Please get in touch with us in advance to schedule your visit. We look forward to welcoming you to our reading room.
-
Get in touch
- for research
- for image use
- to schedule a visit to our reading room
- for all other questions, suggestions, and requests
Christiane Grün
+49 30 300903-45
cgruen@deutsche-kinemathek.deGunnar Gutschmidt
+49 30 300903-45
ggutschmidt@deutsche-kinemathek.de