Trivia

Son of Jules Greenbaum

Brother of George Greenbaum

Camera assistant from 1916. During the 1920's, worked for his father's company, Greenbaum Films. Left Germany in the early 30's, signing with Gaumont-British as full director of photography. During the succeeding decades, worked on many classic films by leading producers Michael Balcon, Alexander Korda and the Boulting Brothers. Usually credited as 'Max Greene'.

The cinematographer Mutz Greenbaum came already in touch to the film business in 1913 thank to his father, the film pioneer Jules Greenbaum (he was a famous producer who already began in 1899 to produce first movies and who realised more than 120 movies in total), when he began to work for the company of his father.

Greene turned in the best work of his career, on the British Fox production of Jules Dassin's Night and the City (1950). The movie (which exists in two distinctly different editions) is an essay in subdued lighting and it is a cinematographer's dream, taking us on a nightmarish tour of a London that always seems shrouded in darkness, even in midday. If any movie of Greene's deserved Academy Award consideration for its photography, it was this film, which took decades to be fully appreciated.

Although in the 40s he worked again as a director and he realised the two movies "Hotel Reserve" (1944) and "The Man from Morocco" (1945).

He became established as a demanded cinematographer of the German film during the 20s.

Mutz Greenbaum only worked for few more German movies in the 30s. He went to London in 1931 where he often worked for the famous British movie producer Michael Balcon and he shot many movies there as a cinematographer.

He changed his name to Max Greene at the beginning of the 40s and he continued his career as a cinematographer in the next years with many movies.

He was one of the pioneers in British film industry in the use of low-key lighting, and was one of the most sought-after cinematographers of the 1930s.

In 1920 he created his first and temporary last movie as a director with "Der Mann im Nebel" (1920).

He concentrated to the cinematography again in the 50s till the beginning of the 60s.

During the 1930s, Greene became closely associated with producer Michael Balcon, then one of the two most talented and ambitious producers in England (the other being Alexander Korda) and such top-flight directors as Walter Forde and Robert Stevenson.

At their English home, John McCallum and wife Googie Withers named the family boxer dog "Mutz" after him.