Alexander Esway

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Alexander E. Esway , in France: Alexandre Esway (born January 20, 1895 as Sandor Ezry in Hajdúszoboszló near Debreczin , Austria-Hungary ; † August 23, 1947 in St. Tropez , France ) was a film director of Hungarian origin with an international career.

Live and act

Nothing is currently known about Esway's background. Apparently he worked as a journalist at a young age and had come to Germany in this role in the early 1920s . On a trip with his seven years younger German wife Hedwig from Liverpool to New York at Christmas time in 1923, he stated Berlin as his place of residence on the passenger list .

A little later he learned the craft of directing in the German capital. Finally, Reinhold Schünzel, in his role as a film producer, handed him over the direction of the film "Herkules Maier" in autumn 1927 (shooting time: October to December) . Schünzel himself took on the leading role there. In the following year Esway participated in scripts for two German silent films before moving to Great Britain at the beginning of 1929 . There he staged a romantic comedy for producer Michael Balcon with a Brit by his side .

Esway made its sound film debut in June 1930 with the film " Children of Chance ". The German-language version produced at the same time, which was to have its German premiere (in Munich ) in December 1931 , received the title " Kinder des Glücks " and had Dina Gralla , Kurt Vespermann and Wera Engels in the leading roles. Esway's next work was the crime novel " Shadows ". He then moved to Paris , where he directed the French version of the German Wallace film " The Witcher ". He was then put to the side of the young directorial debutant Billy Wilder for his debut Mauvaise graine . Immediately afterwards he went to London again . His subsequent productions in the British and French capital until 1939 are not worth mentioning, although a number of prominent French artists, including Fernandel , Raimu and Louis Jouvet , were available to him.

The outbreak of World War II temporarily ended Esway's directorial activities, and he settled into the unoccupied zone after the country was occupied by German troops. Esway settled in Marseille and tried to get a visa there for the USA, where he had already entered in April 1931 and March 1936. He only managed to escape late. On May 20, 1942, Esway crossed the Atlantic by ship from Casablanca and did not reach New York until a full month later . In Hollywood he was involved in the script for the French resistance and freedom drama " The Cross of Lorraine ". His only US directorial work in 1945 went completely unnoticed.

Immediately after the end of the war in 1945 Esway returned to France and made two more films, only the first of which is worth mentioning , the liberation and parachutist drama " Le bataillon du ciel ", which was influenced by the events of the war in the immediate past . He never saw the world premiere of his last work, " L'idole ", with the young Yves Montand in the male lead. Esway died in the summer of 1947 in St. Tropez in the south of France.

Filmography

as a director, unless otherwise stated

  • 1927: Hercules Maier
  • 1928: The Lady with the Mask (code script only, co-production manager)
  • 1928: invitation to dinner (script only)
  • 1929: Taxi for Two (Koregie, Screenplay)
  • 1930: Children of Chance (also German verse: Kinder des Glücks)
  • 1931: Shadows (also production)
  • 1932: Le jugement de minuit (Koregie)
  • 1933: Une vie perdue
  • 1934: Mauvaise graine (Koregie with Billy Wilder)
  • 1934: It's a Bet
  • 1935: Music Hath Charms
  • 1936: Conquest of the Air (Koregie)
  • 1936: Thunder in the City (coproduction only)
  • 1937: Hercule (Koregie)
  • 1938: Barnabé
  • 1938: Education de prince
  • 1939: Monsieur Brotonneau
  • 1939: L'homme qui cherche la vérité
  • 1939: Quartier latin (Koregie, anonymous)
  • 1943: The Cross of Lorraine (code script only)
  • 1945: Steppin 'in Society
  • 1945: Le bataillon du ciel
  • 1947: L'idole

Remarks

  1. ↑ a b c lt. Film archive Kay Less . The year of birth 1898, which is usually read, is wrong
  2. ↑ The often read place of birth Budapest is wrong

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Esway, Alexander
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Ezry, Sandor (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Hungarian-born film director
DATE OF BIRTH January 20, 1895
PLACE OF BIRTH Hajdúszoboszló , Hungary
DATE OF DEATH August 23, 1947
Place of death St. Tropez , France