• TEST
• Preface
• About this Book
• Thea von Harbou
• Metropolis
• Chapter 1
• Chapter 2
• Chapter 3
• Chapter 4
• Chapter 5
• Chapter 6
• Chapter 7
• Chapter 8
• Chapter 9
• Chapter 10
• Chapter 11
• Chapter 12
• Chapter 13
• Chapter 14
• Chapter 15
• Chapter 16
• Chapter 17
• Chapter 18
• Chapter 19
• Chapter 20
• Chapter 21
• Chapter 22
• Chapter 23
• Chapter 24
• Chapter 25

Thea von Harbou

Thea Gabriele von Harbou (December 27, 1888 – July 1, 1954) was a German actress, author and film director of Prussian aristocratic origin. She was born in Tauperlitz in the Kingdom of Bavaria.

Thea von Harbou starts writing when still a student and has her first novel published in 1905. From 1906 until 1914, Harbou acts on the stages of Dusseldorf, Weimar, Chemnitz and Aachen, where she marries actor Rudolf Klein-Rogge in 1914. From 1915 on she lives as a writer; in 1918 she moves to Berlin with Klein-Rogge. In 1919 Harbou's career as a screen-writer gets under way.

During the preparations for the filming of her novel Das Indische Grabmal she meets Fritz Lang, and she will be providing the scripts for all of his movies between 1920 (Das Wandernide Bild) and 1933 (Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse).

In 1922, Lang and Harbou get married after she has divorced Klein-Rogge, who will continue to star in the couple's movies.

In addition to Lang, Harbou writes scripts for movies by Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau, Carl Theador Dreyer and Arthur von Gerlach and she establishes herself as one of the essential screen-writers in German classical film. In 1931, the couple separates while still continuing to work together up until Lang's emigration. In April of 1933, Harbou officially divorces Lang. While Lang leaves the country, Harbou continues to work in Germany. She directs two movies and writes scripts, in addition to some comedies for movies by Veit Harlan and Hans Steiniff; both directors whose political sympathies are with the Nazi regime now in power in Germany.

After 1945, Harbou is briefly interned, then writes synchronization scripts, and dime novels and finally, three more movie scripts.

After her death, with Der Tiger von Eschnapur and Ds Indische Grabmal (1958), Fritz Lang films the novel which the two of them had already prepared in 1920 for a movie, directed by Joe May at the time.