Rosa Porten (February 18, 1884 - May 7, 1972) was a prolific German screenwriter, actor, and director during the nitrate film era.
Porten was born in Dusseldorf, Germany, the daughter of Franz Porten and Wincenzia Porten (nee Wybiral). She had a younger sister, Henny Porten, and a younger brother, Fritz Porten. Her father was an opera singer and her sister was a popular film star in Germany.
As a child, Porten and her sister would often appear in school plays and moving picture image collections featuring opera and arias that their father shot.
As a director, Porten's films were notable for featuring storylines centered on women.
Porten was married to director, Franz Eckstein. She died in 1972 in Munich, Germany.
The following is a selected list of works by Porten. Film archivists suspect that Porten worked on over 50 films, but most have not survived due to the flammable nature of the films of that period. Her films have been featured in film festivals like The Fifth International Women and the Silent Screen Conference, Stockholm University, Sweden in June 2008, Il Cinema Ritrovato and UNESCO’s World Day for Audiovisual Heritage in 2010 and 2014.
1928: Die Heiratsfalle - writer, director1927: Das Madchen aus der Fremde - writer1927: Fahrendes Volk (documentary short) - writer1925: Hedda Gabler (screenplay) - writer1924: Die Schmetterlingsschlacht - writer1922: Ihr schlechter Ruf - writer, actor1921: Deines Bruders Weib - writer1921: Die Hexe - writer1921: Die Racher - writer1921: Lotte Lore - writer1921: Was tat ich dir? - writer1921: You Are the Life - writer1921: Durch Liebe erlost - writer1921: Opfer der Liebe - writer1920: Badebubi - writer1920: Das Drama von Glossow - writer1920: Auri Sacra Fames, 2. Teil - Das Testament eines Exzentrischen - writer, actor1920: Auri Sacra Fames, 1. Teil - An der Liebe Narrenseil - writer, actor1920: Themis - writer, actor1919: Die da sterben, wenn sie lieben - writer1918: Die Augen der Schwester - writer, actor1918: Ihr Junge - writer, actor1918: Die Filmkathi - writer, director, actor1918: Der Trompeter von Sackingen - writer1917: Die nicht lieben durfen... - writer, director, actor1917: Ihr last den Armen schuldig werden - writer, actor1917: Die Erzkokette - writer, director, actor1917: Der neueste Stern vom Variete - writer, director, actor1917: Grafin Maruschka - writer, director, actor1916: Die Wascher-Resl - writer, director, actor1916: Das grose Schweigen - writer1915: Abgrunde - writer1911: Das Liebesgluck der Blinden = The Happy Love of a Blind Girl (short) - writer1921: Die Racher - actor1910: Das Geheimnis der Toten (short) - actor1910: Wem gehort das Kind? = Who owns the child? (short) - actorIn 2014, Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna restored this nitrate film that was in the holdings of the Deutsche Kinemathek1909: Der Brief an den lieben Gott (short) - actor1909: Die kleine Baroness (short) - actor1909: Othello (short) - actor, as Emilia1908: Funiculi Funicula (short) - actor1906: Apachentanz (short) - actor1906: Meisner Porzellan (short) - actor, as DameAs a director, Porten often co-directed with her husband, Franz Eckstein; in these instances she used the pseudonym, Dr. R. Portegg.
1920: Die List Einer Zigarettenmacherin = Wanda's Trick - director (as R. Portegg)1918: Der nicht vom Weibe Geborene - director1918: Der Dieb - director (as R. Portegg)1917: Das Opfer der Yella Rogesius = The Victim of the Yella Rogesius - director (as R. Portegg)1917: Das Teufelchen = The Devil - director (as Dr. R. Portegg)In 2013, Osterreichisches Filmmuseum = Austrian Film Museum restored this nitrate film, with the photochemical preservation process completed by Svenska Filminstitutet. Original had special tinting which was recreated via the Desmet method1917: Die Landpomeranze = The Unwieldy Country Woman - director (as Dr. R. Portegg)Works and publications
Porten, Rosa. Die Filmprinzes: Roman aus der Kino-Welt. = The Film Princess. Berlin: Eysler, 1919. OCLC 711795572