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Seymour Nebenzal

Producer · Died September 23, 1961, aged 62 · New York City, New York, USA

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Seymour Nebenzal (22 July 1899 – 23 September 1961) was an American-born German film producer. He produced 46 films between 1927 and 1961. He got into film production through his father Heinrich Nebenzahl (1870–1938) who in the early 1920s worked with German action star Harry Piel. In 1926 Heinrich Nebenzahl and director-producer Richard Oswald founded the company Nero-Film. As head of this company Seymour Nebenzal became one of the most important producers of the transition period from silent to sound film in Germany. He worked with the directors Georg Wilhelm Pabst, Arthur Ripley, Douglas Sirk, Harold S. Bucquet, Edgar G. Ulmer, Léonide Moguy, Paul Czinner and Fritz Lang among others. In 1933 the Nazis forced him into exile. In Paris he produced films by other exiles from Germany such as his cousin Robert Siodmak and Max Ophüls as well as Anatole Litvak, Fedor Ozep, and Raymond Bernard. In 1939 he went on to Hollywood where he became one of the first independent producers. He made films with Edgar G. Ulmer, Douglas Sirk, Léonide Moguy, Arthur Ripley, and Albert S. Rogell. He produced remakes of his successes from the early 1930s: Siren of Atlantis with Maria Montez and M (1951), that was directed by Joseph Losey. Associate producer of M (1951) was his son Harold Nebenzal (born 31 March 1922 in Berlin) who became a script writer (The Wilby Conspiracy), film producer (Cabaret, Gabriela) and novelist (Cafe Berlin). Harold was in charge of foreign film production for many years for MGM, and also worked on many of the films of Billy Wilder, Harold's closest friend for 30 years. Seymour had years earlier made possible Wilder's first film, People on Sunday, by borrowing the needed funds to make the picture from his father, Heinrich.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 22, 1899
Died
September 23, 1961 (aged 62)
From
New York City, New York, USA
Works as
Producer
Titles
12 on MovieCove · 32 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Down 11% in 30 days

What are Seymour Nebenzal's films like?

Across their 12 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Power and Morality.

Genres

Crime6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 78th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Drama4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 67th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 84th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Power
32%
Morality
21%
Survival
20%
Bonds
15%
Self
6%
Society
6%
Class3 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship2 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 12 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 1 · Serious 3 · Dark 8

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 6 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 3

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 1 · Charged 5 · Intense 6

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 3 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 2

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 10 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 8 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 2 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 2

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 5 · Open-ended 6 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
10
Melancholic
7
Dread
4
Hopeful
3
Cold
1
Other
8

How their films linger

Haunting6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteDevastating2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet5
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous3
  • Cyclical1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Seymour Nebenzal's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 11 of their 12 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on HBO Max (8).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Seymour Nebenzal's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

32 credits, 12 with a MovieCove page.

  • Girl from Hong Kong (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Producer

  • M (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Producer

  • Siren of Atlantis (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Producer

  • The Chase(1946)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Whistle Stop(1946)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Summer Storm(1944)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Hitler's Madman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    Producer

  • Tomorrow We Live (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    Producer

  • Prisoner of Japan(1942)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • We Who Are Young(1940)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • The Mayor's Dilemma (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Producer

  • The Novel of Werther (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    Producer

  • Princess Tarakanova (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    Producer

  • French White Cargo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    Producer

  • Mayerling (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Producer

  • Parisian Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Producer

  • The King of the Champs-Élysées (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Producer

  • The Testament of Dr. Mabuse(1933)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • The Mistress of Atlantis (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Producer

  • Queen of Atlantis (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1932)

    Producer

  • Comradeship(1931)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • 24 Hours of a Woman's Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Producer

  • M(1931)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • The Threepenny Opera(1931)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Scandalous Eva (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Co-Producer

  • Westfront 1918(1930)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • People on Sunday(1930)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Little Veronika (Innocence) (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Producer

  • Das letzte Fort (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Producer

  • Love's Carnival (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Producer

  • Pandora's Box(1929)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Das Mädchen der Strasse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    Producer

Career shape

A full career of 31 titles from 1928 to 1961.

Biggest box office

Pandora's Box (1929)

$63K worldwide

Highest rated

M (1931)

Midcredits 98th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Producing31 of 31: 31 only producing, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score85th

By decade

1920s5 · crew1930s17 · crew1940s7 · crew1950s1 · crew1960s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Seymour Nebenzal's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 84th percentile, the median of all 12; across their 12 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 83rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

83rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 12

Approval · how many liked their films

82ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 12

Reach · how many have seen their films

57thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 12

Midcredits score across 12 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up7
  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th1
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

5 of their 12 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved4
  • Crowd Pleaser5
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed1

Most divisive · producer

Prisoner of Japan (1942)

55th percentile spread · 45% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · producer

M (1931)

Midcredits 98th · 87% liked

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Seymour Nebenzal work with?

People who share at least 2 of Seymour Nebenzal's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Fritz Arno Wagner shares the most, 5.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors