Josef Somló
Josef Somló (born October 5, 1884 in Pápa , Austria-Hungary ; † November 29, 1973 in Locarno , Switzerland ) was a Hungarian film producer and manager of the Austro-Hungarian and German film industries .
Life
Somló had studied law at the University of Budapest before joining the Austrian film industry at the beginning of 1908. In that year he was appointed branch manager of the production company Projectograph-Budapest in Vienna . Three years later he was promoted to director of the Austro-Hungarian Kinoindustrie GmbH, and in 1914 the Danish production company Nordisk Film appointed him its director for Austria-Hungary. In 1915 Josef Somló was appointed sworn film expert and at the same time began to obtain and exploit documentary recordings from the Austrian war fronts. Josef Somló, who was also President of the Federation of Austrian Cinema Industries from 1909 to 1919, moved to Berlin in 1919 , where he initially found employment as the director of the UFA foreign department.
In January 1922, he and Hermann Fellner founded the company 'Felsom' (Fellner & Somlo GmbH), which was composed of the first letters of both surnames and was also managing director. In 1926/27 and 1929 Felsom productions were created with colleague Arnold Pressburger as the third partner under the signum FPS Film-Produktion GmbH. Somló was also appointed second chairman of the import and export association of the German film industry. Felsom productions were mostly lightweight materials, often romantic comedies with music, which also asserted themselves on the market with the dawn of the sound film age.
Immediately after the National Socialists came to power, the Jews Fellner and Somló, whose company had been dissolved under pressure from the new rulers, emigrated to Great Britain . There their ways parted. In London , Somló founded G & S Films with a partner, with whom he made several films in 1938/39. Somló produced only a few films until 1958. On the side, he also took over post as an association official, around 1946, when he was appointed to the board of directors of Two Cities. Shortly after his 80th birthday, Somló settled in Locarno, Switzerland.
Filmography
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Individual evidence
- ↑ Commercial Register Berlin HRB No. 23219
literature
- Kay Less : "In life, more is taken from you than given ...". Lexicon of filmmakers who emigrated from Germany and Austria between 1933 and 1945. A general overview. Acabus-Verlag, Hamburg 2011, ISBN 978-3-86282-049-8 , p. 468 f.
Web links
- Josef Somló in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Josef Somló at filmportal.de
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Somló, Josef |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Hungarian film producer and manager of the Austro-Hungarian and German film industry |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 5, 1884 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Pápa , Austria-Hungary |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 29, 1973 |
| Place of death | Locarno , Switzerland |