Otto Hunte

An atomic reactor designed for the film Gold (1934) was apparently so convincing, that the Allies confiscated all prints of the film after the war.

With the advent of sound, Hunte's work adapted to more contemporary requirements, such as the seedy night club setting for Der blaue Engel (1930).

During the mid-1930's, Hunte sadly blotted his copy book by working on several notorious Nazi propaganda films.

In perfect contrast to these were his stylised futuristic designs for the underground Metropolis (1927); the monumental and richly ornate architecture for the sacrificial temple of Eschnapur in the two-part epic "Das Indische Grabmal" (and, similarly, for the city of Ophir in the fifth instalment of "Die Herrin der Welt").

Otto Hunte qualified with a degree from the Kunstgewerbeschule in Hamburg. He first came to notice as a stage designer in Berlin around the turn of the century. When he entered films in 1919 as a set decorator and costume designer, he joined a highly skilled team (usually working in tandem with top craftsmen like Erich Kettelhut and Karl Vollbrecht), frequently for the director Fritz Lang. As production designer/art director, Hunte was especially renowned for the darkly sinister, gothic sets he created for Lang's mammoth "Nibelungen" saga.

Otto Hunte (9 January 1881 - 28 December 1960) was a German production designer, art director and set decorator. Hunte is considered as one of the most important artists in the history of early German cinema, mainly for his set designs on the early silent movies of Fritz Lang. His early career was defined by a working relationship with fellow designers Karl Vollbrecht and Erich Kettelhut. Hunte's architectural designs are found in many of the most important films of the period including Dr. Mabuse the Gambler, Die Nibelungen (1924), Metropolis (1927) and Der blaue Engel. Hunte subsequently worked as one of the leading set designers during the Nazi era. Post-Second World War he was employed by the East German studio DEFA.