Fritz Walden, real name Friedrich Drobilitsch, also Fritz Drobilitsch-Walden and Franz Drobilitsch, (3 January 1914 – 12 September 1992) was an Austrian publicist, author and cultural editor as well as film, literature, music and theatre critic.

Life

edit
 
In the 70s a cinema hall was built in the Vienna Urania where Walden presented his film analysis lessons at the Film Academy, where films from all periods were viewed and discussed every Saturday morning.

Born in Vienna, Walden studied several semesters German studies. Since the 1950s, he was cultural editor of the Viennese Arbeiter-Zeitung. He actively participated in cultural events, and in 1964 he was a founding member of the Vereins der Wiener Filmfestwochen, which took over the organization of the Vienna Film Festival Viennale, as it was now called, alongside Edwin Zbonek. He taught film analysis at the Vienna Film Academy in the 1970s and 80s, was asked to serve as a juror at international film festivals such as the Berlinale[1] and in the 1980s was a member of the jury of the Film Advisory Board of the Austrian Film Fund of the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research[2] He was also a patron and mentor of young Viennese filmmakers, whom he sometimes supported materially. Through the first font insert in the opening credits of the film Mansur Madavi [de] dedicated his film Notausgang to him out of gratitude.

Walden belonged to a generation of critics who made no secret of their passion for films,[3][4] Theaterstücke oder Opern[5] which were and are often reviewed in other media by colleagues from other countries.[6][7] or in diplomacy thesis.[8]

Walden also appeared in films[9] and wrote poetry for contemporary music.

Walden died in Vienna at the age of 78.

Publications

edit
As fiction critic
  • Als wäre es nie gewesen. Anatomie eines Verrates. Roman.[10] Hans Deutsch Verlag, Vienna 1962.
  • Sindelar. Der "papierene" Heerführer. Eine Erzählung. Verlag der Zeitschrift Der jugendliche Arbeiter, Vienna 1949.
Other publications

Further reading

edit
As publicist
  • Friedrich Stadler: Vertriebene Vernunft. Emigration und Exil österreichischer Wissenschaft. 1930–1940. Vol. 2: Emigration – Exil – Kontinuität. Unveränderte Neuauflage. Lit Verlag, Münster 2004, ISBN 3-8258-7373-0, pp. 861–862.
  • Hans Heinz Fabris, Fritz Hausjell [de] (ed.): Die vierte Macht. Zu Geschichte und Kultur des Journalismus in Österreich seit 1945. Verlag für Gesellschaftskritik, Wien 1991, ISBN 3-85115-134-8, pp. 213–215 (Österreichische Texte zur Gesellschaftskritik, vol.53).
  • Jacques Hannak [de] (ed.): Bestandaufnahme Österreich. 1945–1963. Forum-Verlag, Vienna 1963, p. 484.
As film critic and film patron
  • Edith Blaschitz: Populärer Film und der „Kampf gegen Schmutz und Schund“. Filmrezeption in Österreich zwischen Kontrolle, Identitätsfindung und Bildungsbemühen (1946–1970). Dissertation, Universität Wien, Wien 2009 (online, PDF-Datei, 3,46 MB).
  • Rita Hochwimmer: Tendenzen und Brüche in der Entwicklung des Filmfestivals Viennale von 1960–1972 und ihre öffentliche Rezeption. Dissertation, Universität Wien, Vienna 2008 (online, PDF-Datei, 1,71 MB).
  • Walter Fritz [de]: Im Kino erlebe ich die Welt. 100 Jahre Kino und Film in Österreich.[11] Christian Brandstätter Verlag, Vienna 1997, ISBN 3-85447-661-2, p. 272.
  • Alexander Horwath [de], Lisl Ponger [de], Gottfried Schlemmer (ed.): Avantgardefilm. Österreich. 1950 bis heute. Wespennest, Vienna 1995, ISBN 3-85458-508-X, p. 382 (series Wespennest-Film).
  • Walter Fritz: Kino in Österreich. Vol.3: 1945–1983. Film zwischen Kommerz und Avantgarde. Österreichischer Bundesverlag, Vienna 1984, ISBN 3-215-04992-9, pp. 82–110 (Ein Österreich-Thema aus dem Bundes-Verlag).
As literary and theatre critic
As music critic

References

edit
  1. ^ Berlinale 1972
  2. ^ Kunstbericht 1984 (PDF; 2,2 MB) of the Federal Ministry for Education and the Arts
  3. ^ Archive Austria, Fritz Walden 1980 à propos Exit-Nur keine Panik
  4. ^ Küchengespräche mit Rebellinen 1980 Review on the site of the filmmaker Karin Berger
  5. ^ Arbeiterzeitung Cultural Forum of 4 November 1970
  6. ^ Der Spiegel über eine Reprise zu Karl Valentin retrieved 22 August 2020
  7. ^ Kolik Andreas Ungerböck in Zeitschrift für Literatur
  8. ^ Diploma thesis about Helmut Qualtinger of the University of Vienna by Sabine Krängler 2006
  9. ^ Fritz Walden at IMDb
  10. ^ Als wäre es nie gewesen. Anatomie eines Verrates. Roman. on WorldCat
  11. ^ Im Kino erlebe ich die Welt. 100 Jahre Kino und Film in Österreich. on WorldCat
  12. ^ Mechanismen der Literaturrezeption in Österreich am Beispiel Oedön von Horváths on Worldcat
edit