Labenski, Jürgen

Film journalist, film historian

Born: 05.11.1940 in Wiesbaden

died: 02.11.2007 in Wiesbaden

The Leibniz-Gymnasium pupil became known in 1962 as the founder and later head of the "Leibniz Filmclub", one of the oldest school youth film clubs in Germany. After graduating from high school in 1963, he completed a journalistic apprenticeship at the Wiesbadener Kurier and two years later became an employee at the Deutsches Filminstitut-DIF e.V. In 1968, Labenski joined the ZDF feature film editorial department as an editor, where he launched popular series such as "Der phantastische Film", "Ratschlag für Kinogänger" and "Der große Stummfilm". As a film historian, he specialized in the restoration and reconstruction of film classics such as "Im Westen nichts Neues", "Ben Hur", "Panzerkreuzer Potemkin", "Sturm über Asien", "Die letzten Tage von Sankt Petersburg" and "Münchhausen".

In 1978, he was instrumental in the revival of the silent film "Superfluous People" (1926), based on motifs by Anton Chekhov, with orchestral accompaniment at the Metropolis cinema in Bonn, thus promoting a renaissance of silent film presentation in Germany. He also campaigned for the establishment of a municipal cinema in Wiesbaden. He also co-authored several film encyclopedias and was involved in the Association of German Critics, of which he became chairman in April 2006. In 1992, Labenski received the Cultural Award of the State Capital of Wiesbaden for his services to the cultivation of film.