Alexandre Trauner
Alexandre Trauner (* 3. August 1906 in Budapest , † 5. December 1993 in Omonville-la-Petite , France ) was one of the most significant Designer of Europe , and later the American film.
life and work
After studying painting at the Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts in Budapest, he moved to Paris in 1929 , where he became assistant to the production designer Lazare Meerson ( À nous la liberté , Under the Roofs of Paris by René Clair , La Kermesse héroïque by Jacques Feyder ) .
In 1937 he became chief scenographer and worked with many important directors . His production design became a trend-setting for poetic realism . He created the decorations for Marcel Carné's films ( Drôle de drame , Hafen im Nebel , Hôtel du Nord , Day is breaking , Children of Olympus ). Trauner, a Hungarian Jew by origin , survived the German occupation with the help of his friend, the poet Jacques Prévert , in a hiding place in the Alpes-Maritimes department near Tourrettes-sur-Loup .
After the war, he continued his career with production designs for Marcel Carné and Yves Allégret , but also for Orson Welles , Joseph Losey and John Huston . The private lives of Sherlock Holmes by Billy Wilder and Subway by Luc Besson were designed by him.
Joseph Losey's house in Omonville-la-Petite on the Cotentin peninsula was used as the decor for Les Routes du Sud by Joseph Losey .
In 1960, Trauner received the Oscar for best production design ( black and white category ) for Billy Wilder's apartment .
Due to his friendship with the Hungarian producer André Libik, Trauner took over the artistic direction of his television film Der Fall Sylvester Matuska in 1982 . For the same reason the actor Armin Mueller-Stahl also took part. Alexandre Trauner's last collaboration was with Alejandro Jodorowsky's film The Rainbow-Thief in 1990.
He is buried in the small cemetery of Omonville-la-Petite (Manche) at the side of his friend Jacques Prévert.
Quote
If it were up to me, he wouldn't be making a single film. The time has come for him to teach. It would not be fair if such a uniquely blessed man did not share his talents, knowledge and skills with future generations of filmmakers. If he ever did, I'd be the first to sign up. I want to be Master's listener. Billy Wilder on Alexandre Trauner
literature
- Kay Less : Between the stage and the barracks. Lexicon of persecuted theater, film and music artists from 1933 to 1945 . With a foreword by Paul Spiegel . Metropol, Berlin 2008, ISBN 978-3-938690-10-9 , p. 345.
Web links
- Alexandre Trauner in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Trauner's official website
- Trauner at filmreference.com (engl.)
- Trauner in the cinéma encyclopédie (French) with picture
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Trauner, Alexandre |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Trauner, Sándor |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Hungarian production designer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 3, 1906 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Budapest |
| DATE OF DEATH | 5th December 1993 |
| Place of death | Omonville-la-Petite (Manche) |