TÉNYEK HOLLYWOOD HU 2018 V2.qxp_TÉNYEK FILM CVR PROD 25/10/18 17:46 Page 3 Fact Sheets Fact on Hungary Sheets on Hungary Publisher: Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade || Text: Judit Pintér || Photo: Magda B. Müller, Sándor Domonkos, Egon Endrényi, Gábor Hegyi, Alice Inkey, Tibor Inkey, István Jávor, Tamás Kende, Gábor Medvigy, Loránd Mertz, Imre Rajnógel, Endre Réger, Teréz Schandl, András Szomszéd, Gyula Szóvári, Árpád Tóth / Gettyimages, MNF Filmarchívum, HUNGARIANS MFFA, MTVA || Editor: Gyöngyi Komlóssy || Graphic design: Árpád Fákó || Printed by Pharma Press || ISBN 978-963-7038-86-0 || Budapest, 2018 IN THE WORLD’S CINEMATOGRAPHY TÉNYEK HOLLYWOOD HU 2018 V2.qxp_TÉNYEK FILM CVR PROD 25/10/18 17:46 Page 4 Adolph Zukor and Cary Grant Ildikó Enyedi, director The poster of On body and soul, 2017 Scenes from On body and soul, 2017 TÉNYEK HOLLYWOOD HU 2018 V2.qxp_FILM EN 2018 25/10/18 18:46 Page 1 I. IT IS (NOT) ENOUGH, TO BE HUNGARIAN… Hungarians in the world’s cinematography The Hungarian history of the past centuries has been accompanied by the difficult decision to voluntarily or involuntarily leave the place of birth, which often resulted in a success story in the new homeland and increased the good standing of Hungarians worldwide. The founding fathers ADOLPH ZUKOR (born Adolf Zucker) first celebrated movie stars, but he also 1873, Ricse – 1976, Los Angeles managed to attract Broadway stars of Hollywood to the movie world. By 1914, his com- He emigrated to America at the age of 15, pany was producing 30 films a year. To- CINEMATOGRAPHY WORLD’S THE IN HUNGARIANS • We can say with some exaggeration with a few dollars in his pocket. He was gether with Marcus Loew, the pioneer that Hollywood was founded at the twenty when he saw his first motion pic- of the American film industry he cre- turn of the last century by Hungarian ture and immediately saw the business ated a network of cinemas in New York immigrants arriving from Hungary, opportunity in it. He followed his motto and opened a 3500-capacity movie more precisely from the territory at the time – look ahead and dare to palace on Broadway. He also set up his of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. assume the risk – when he decided to first Californian studio in a warehouse They arrived in the New World make films only with well-known actors in Hollywood, which developed from not as cinematographers, but to attract audiences into his theatre. He the 1910s to become the centre of penniless but greatly talented people, created the Famous Players in Famous American film-making. Merging with with great dreams, who made use Company and made feature length the company of film producer Jesse L. of their talent in film. Their story itself movies of popular plays and novels with Lasky and a film distributor, he created would merit a screenplay. well-known actors. It was thanks to him Paramount Pictures Corporation there For a Hollywood film. that Mary Pickford became one of the in 1917. Zukor was soon working with HUNGARY ON SHEETS FACT 1 TÉNYEK HOLLYWOOD HU 2018 V2.qxp_FILM EN 2018 25/10/18 18:46 Page 2 the best Hollywood directors, Douglas The wave of Fairbanks, John Barrymore, Pola Negri, Gloria Swanson, Clara Bow, Rudolph emigration after 1919 Valentino, Gary Cooper and other film stars began their careers in his studio. Following the flourishing era of the Although Zukor managed to survive 1910s, the twenties brought about the crisis of World War I, he went bank- dramatic crisis in the world rupt during the global crisis, but the of Hungarian film. The country came newly reorganized Paramount Pictures out of World War I defeated, losing Inc. asked him to remain as Chairman two-third of its territory because of the Board. By the end of the forties, of the Treaty of Trianon. The Hungarian he realised the threat that television Soviet Republic was declared in posed for the cinema. Instead of losing William Fox the economically and intellectually our audience television, why not have equally tormented Hungary during television in our portfolio? – he said York Film Rental Company, his movie the spring of 1919. Directors, authors, when he joined forces with ABC Televi- distribution enterprise in 1912, entering theoreticians that supported sion, which by then had a huge in- into film production with Fox Film Com- the communist leadership which fluence over millions of viewers. The pany in 1914. He soon found himself lasted four months, had to leave title of his memoirs written in 1953 is among the largest movie producers. His the country after its demise. quite telling: The public is never wrong. cinematic ars poetica was simple: The This explains why there were several Zukor was not wrong either, when he storyline above all! He had a talent for hundreds of films produced in 1918 created modern film industry and be- understanding the taste of the audience, and none when the crisis was at its came one of the founding fathers of while he did not forget about European highest in 1928. Hungarian film missed American feature film making. Legend art tradition either: he was the one for out on the prospering era of silent has it that a sign on his office wall said: example, who invited German director movies in the twenties, instead all It is not enough to be Hungarian, you Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau to work in those interested in avantgarde-type must be talented too! America. His company produced the artistic ventures went abroad first sound-film western; it was here to test their luck. in 1927 that Frank Borzage directed WILLIAM FOX (Vilmos Friedman) 7th Heaven based on Hemingway’s 1879, Tolcsva – 1952, New York A farewell to arms, starring the first Hollywood “dream couple” Janet Gaynor He arrived in New York as a child: he sold and Charles Farrell. The stock exchange newspapers, candies and worked in crash that started the economic crisis in a laundry. It was in 1904, that he began 1929 caused serious losses for Fox, thus operating a theatre and founded New in 1931 he was forced to sell his company. 2 TÉNYEK HOLLYWOOD HU 2018 V2.qxp_FILM EN 2018 25/10/18 18:46 Page 3 then to Germany with his wife Maria Kor- da, but he also visited Hollywood and France, to finally settle in London. This was where he created his own company Lon- don Film Productions in 1932. The three Korda-brothers dominated Western, mainly English film production as a clan from the 1920s. There are several anecdotes about Alexander Korda; one of them about the clever ruse with which he launched his ca- reer in England. In a bold move after arriv- ing in London, he reserved the Presiden- tial Suite of a London hotel and invited the cream of the film and economic life to a party. Mingling with this crowd, it was easy for him to gather the funding for his film plans. According to another anecdote, Churchill asked Korda to move to the United states and to make films there that promote the British position to the world, while trying to gather information about the war related policies of the United CINEMATOGRAPHY WORLD’S THE IN HUNGARIANS • States. Korda did not disappoint Chur- chill: with the help of his brothers, he Alexander Korda and Leslie Howard made That Hamilton Woman, a film about Admiral Nelson, starring Laurence ALEXANDER KORDA (Sándor Kellner) magazine editor. He began making movies Olivier and Vivien Leigh. The film is unique 1893, Pusztatúrpásztó – 1956, London in 1914 and in 1916 he founded an indepen - in that the speech by Nelson, rejecting the dent film studio in Budapest. His works peace offer of Napoleon was written by He published under the pseudonym Sur- were characterized by literary perfection, Churchill himself: Napoleon cannot be sum Corda as the Paris correspondent of consistent plot, authentic atmosphere master of the world until he has smashed the daily Független Magyarország (In- creation and good actor instruction. He us up, and believe me, gentlemen, he dependent Hungary), hence the stage- was forced to leave the country in 1919 means to be master of the world! You name he used from 1909 onwards. He was because of his role in the overthrown So- cannot make peace with dictators. You the first Hungarian film-critic and film viet Republic. He first went to Vienna, have to destroy them, wipe them out! HUNGARY ON SHEETS FACT 3 TÉNYEK HOLLYWOOD HU 2018 V2.qxp_FILM EN 2018 25/10/18 18:46 Page 4 It is claimed that the Queen VINCE KORDA knighted Korda in recognition of his 1897, Túrkeve – 1979, Chelsea achievements on the recommendation of Churchill in 1942, as he really did re- The third and youngest brother in the trio vive British cinema with his ironic films was an aspiring painter, who moved to that broke away from the traditional England upon the invitation of Alexander conservative history approach of British to work as a production designer. His people, like the epochal The Private works were testament to his exceptional Life of Henry VIII (1933). He managed to creativity, original ideas, virtuoso techni- bring people closer to great old mas - cal knowledge and fastidiousness, event- ters (Rembrandt, 1936), but as the case ually his brother appointed him the art of Lady Hamilton also demonstrated, director of London Films. His son, Michael he was also good at directing American Korda wrote Charmed Lives, the adven- style cinema. He employed many of his turous and successful story of the family.