Julius von Borsody

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Julius von Borsody (born April 8, 1892 in Vienna ; † January 18, 1960 there ) was an Austrian film architect of Hungarian origin. He was one of the busiest production designers for Austrian and German film in the late silent and early talkies . His brother Eduard von Borsody was also successful as a director in the film industry.

Life

Julius von Borsody attended the art academy in Munich and came to film in 1917. He began his career at Sascha-Film in Vienna, but worked for other film companies until 1924. In 1919 he was the set designer for Paul Czinner's most important pre-expressionist work Inferno . For the monumental films by Michael Curtiz and Alexander Korda in Vienna, together with Emil Stepanek and Artur Berger, he was responsible for the most elaborate sets ever created in an Austrian film. He was a co-designer of the gigantic Temple of Sodom in Sodom and Gomorrah (1922), which, due to its size , had to be erected in the open on the Laaer Berg . Further monumental films of the Sascha-Film, on which Julius von Borsody worked, were The young Medardus (1923) and Harun al Raschid (1924).

In 1925 Julius moved from Borsody to Berlin . There he was able to plan even more impressive buildings for films about old Prussia than in Vienna. Outstanding his work on were Hans Behrendt Potsdam, the fate of a residence (1926) and Phil Jutzi after the novel by Alfred Doblin resulting film Alexanderplatz - Berlin (1931). In addition to impressive buildings, he also designed the facades and decorations of many other top productions with a rich historical background, such as Danton (1930) and Leise plead my songs (1933).

Shortly before the National Socialists came to power in Germany, Borsody returned to Vienna, where in the following years he worked for several important Viennese films , most of which are set in the imperial era around 1900: High School (1934), Stories from the Vienna Woods (1934), Im Weiße Rössl (1935) and others.

After Austria was annexed to Germany, Borsody became chief architect of the National Socialist Wien-Film - but occasionally he also created the buildings for Bavaria Film productions in Munich. He was involved in one of the last major German productions - Shiva and the Gallows Flower , filmed with Hans Albers at the Barrandov Studios in Prague at the beginning of January 1945 - and in one of the first Austrian post-war films - Der weite Weg (1946). After that he only provided undemanding romances and comedies in the ailing Austrian film industry. He designed his last set for Scandal about Dodo (1958), staged by his brother Eduard.

His final resting place is in the Hietzinger Friedhof (60-20-17) in Vienna.

Julius von Borsody's tomb

Filmography (selection)

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Borsody, Julius of
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian film architect and production designer
DATE OF BIRTH April 8, 1892
PLACE OF BIRTH Vienna
DATE OF DEATH January 18, 1960
Place of death Vienna