Mime Misu


Mime Misu was a Romanian ballet dancer, pantomime artist, film actor and director. In 1912 he wrote and directed the first feature film about the sinking of the , In Nacht und Eis, released in August 1912 four months after the disaster.

Early acting life

Mime Misu was born in the market town of Botoșani, Romania, into a family of artistes. He was the nephew of the 'world famous' Rahel. He was on the stage from an early age in ballet and pantomime, and he displayed enough talent to be given a free place at Bucharest Art Academy. During his studies he was assigned to the Royal National Theatre, and after graduating with honors he successfully played in provincial theatres in Romania. In 1900 he performed at the 1900 World Fair in Paris, and then took his own productions to Berlin, Vienna, Budapest and London.

Film director

Misu worked for the film production companies Lux and Pathé Frères in Paris before signing up with Continental-Kunstfilm of Berlin in 1912 where he wrote and directed three films: Das Gespenst von Clyde, In Nacht und Eis, and Das Mirakel. Misu made one more film in Germany, Der Excentric-Club for Projektions-AG Union.
An article in the Berlin journal Licht-Bild-Bühne in 1914 called him the 'Napoleon of film', referring to his various technological advances. When Emil Schunemann called him a barber in his memoirs, he wasn't being particularly complimentary.
Misu went to the USA but only made one known film with his Misu-Film Co., The Money God. In 1915 he directed Ontmaskerd in the Netherlands under his real name, Misu Rosescu. Like In Nacht und Eis, this film also contains a scene of a ship sinking.
Misu travelled to the US every year from 1915-1917. His Berlin address in 1915 was Nachodstraße 25, Berlin-Wilmersdorf. In 1920/21 Misugraph-Film G.m.b.H., had its offices at Martin-Luther-Straße 28, Berlin, according to the Reichs-Kino-Adressbuch.
In 1921 Misu seems to have misrepresented himself as to his level of involvement at Famous Players Lasky, and to have caused some considerable offence. This led to an exchange of letters in the Berlin film journal Film-Kurier.
Information about his later career and death is uncertain.

Selected filmography

He directed at least six films: