René Métain(1903-1984)

René Métain was born in Germany; of French origin and nationality, he was the younger brother of soundman-turned-director Charles Métain; he studied art with Kandinsky, then, following in his brother's footsteps, began to work at the U.F.A. studios in Berlin circa 1928, as a film editor. He contributed to the editing of some 30-odd movies including two biographies of Empress Elisabeth of Austria (a.k.a. Sissi), most notably _ Kaiserin Elisabeth von Oesterreich (1931)_, one of Napoleon by playwright Curt Goetz, and several films by 'Hans Richter(II)' and by Robert Siodmak; he also worked on international shoots like _L'Étoile de Valencia (1933)_, starring Jean Gabin and Simone Simon - being fluent in French and German, he also was responsible for various translations, as European feature films were often shot in two or three languages simultaneously.

World War Two put an end to his career in Germany, and although he kept in touch with 'G.W.Pabst' and other Austrian and German helmers until well after the war, he chose to settle in France where he became his brother's assistant director on many scientific documentary shorts, including the (unforgettable!) "Oscar le Rotifère" and "Les Quatre Petits Tardigrades".

In the early 6Os he turned back to his first love: art, sculpting iron till the end of his life. Some of his most massive, abstract works are still standing in the Valley of Chevreuse near Paris, while other humorous, delicate sculptures in a more classical vein are owned by art lovers around the world, in Japan, Germany, Spain, New Zealand, France and Los Angeles.