Paul Leni — Biographical Sketch (1927) 🇺🇸

September 06, 2024

Paul Leni, noted first as a German director, and more recently as a director of big pictures for Universal, was literally forced into becoming a director, because his work as a “film architect” in arranging prologues for German-made pictures was declared by critics and those in the picture profession, too artistic for the feature pictures. Critics said of him that the decoration predominated the film so much that presentation and action were entirely overshadowed. A stage manager over him was deemed necessary. Director E. A. Dupont found a suitable place for the painter, Paul Leni, and the two produced such great successes as “The White Peacock,” “The Green Manuela,” “Children of the Darkness,” “The Ancient Law,” “Murder Without a Murder,” and others.

Carl Laemmle, president of Universal, on a visit to Europe, was attracted to Leni’s art. He invited him to come to America and produce the prologues for Universal productions. It was quite natural that the genius of Leni would not long be satisfied with the settings of prologues, and it was just as natural that Laemmle would not be long in giving him his opportunity to develop in the American film his unique decorative talent.

In a short time Leni was directing Universal pictures, which had an immediate inspiring effect on American film architecture. He produced The Cat and the Canary, which has proven a sensation wherever shown. He then completed “The Chinese Parrot,” which was a revelation to the critics. The director’s latest is The Man Who Laughs. It is said it excels anything he has done before, which is considerable praise.

Leni is married to one of the best-known German dancers, Lore Sello, who founded in Europe a distinguished school of the dance in which she, through her own method of training and dancing, has taught the youth of Berlin the “way to strength and beauty.”

The Leni home in Hollywood is the center of filmdoms literary and artistic circles, and is becoming famous for its wealth of art treasures.