Oskar Pilzer

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Oskar Pilzer (born November 22, 1882 in Czaniec , Galicia , Austria-Hungary (now Poland ), † June 1939 in Paris ) was an Austrian lawyer and film industrialist . From 1932 to 1936 he was president of the last major Austrian film production company before the Second World War , the Sascha film industry and president of the Vienna Film Producers Association.

Together with his brothers Kurt, Severin and Viktor, Oskar Pilzer not only had a majority stake in the Sascha film industry, but also large shares in other production and distribution companies such as the Vienna, Gloria, Rex, Viktoria and Walter Reisch Movie.

Oskar Pilzer's sons Georges and Herbert were also successful in the film industry.

Live and act

Oskar Pilzer was born in 1882 as the second of nine sons of the Jewish businessman Samuel Pilzer and his wife Regina. Father Samuel was born in Andrichau in 1849 and traveled extensively, as can be seen in the dates of birth of his children. After the family had already lived temporarily in Berlin, they lived in Bielitz for a few years , where Oskar attended high school. Oskar passed the Matura and moved to Vienna, where he began to study law and finished in March 1906. In 1913 the rest of the family also moved to Vienna, where father Samuel died in 1915.

After completing his studies, Oskar Pilzer, who specialized in industry and finance, began working as a lawyer. He was eventually employed by the International Commercial Bank , where Pilzer soon rose to managerial positions.

In 1921 Pilzer married Hilda Kamarad from Vienna. Their son Georg is born in the same year, and son Herbert one year later.

After Pilzer left the Handelsbank due to differences, he worked as a freelance consultant. A little later he came into contact with the Austrian film industry, which was in crisis due to the switch to sound film.

When a private capital group entered the Sascha film industry in July 1930, Pilzer joined the company's board of directors and became its chairman. In 1932 he and his brothers took over the financially troubled company as part of the switch to sound film. In spring 1933 they were able to win the German Tobis AG as an investor.

President of the Sascha film industry

When Joseph Goebbels banned the participation of Jews in the film industry in National Socialist Germany and wanted to see this law extended to all foreign films shown in Germany, the Austrian film industry came under pressure, as there were threats to ban imports of films with Jewish participation . Since Germany was the most important export country for Austrian films, Oskar Pilzer had to make concessions as President of the Vienna Film Producers Association. On April 20, 1936, however, the German Reichsfilmkammer reached another agreement with the Federation of Austrian Film Industries that accepted the prohibition of Jews from participating in Austrian films. Nevertheless, a German law subsequently came about that forbade the proceeds of Austrian films from Germany to be transferred to Austria. The Tobis Sascha film industry, which is predominantly German owned, therefore had money in German accounts, but was then unable to finance further productions in Austria. The bank of the Sascha film industry, the Creditanstalt , nevertheless refused any further credit.

The National Socialists did not want to negotiate further about the transfer of the money to Austria as long as the “non-Aryan” Pilzer set the tone. Oskar Pilzer therefore resigned his presidency at the end of 1936 and ceded his shares in the Tobis Sascha film industry to the Creditanstalt on January 23, 1937 with a nominal value of 33,333.33 Schilling - for 1,000 Schilling. But even that he didn't get paid. His heirs have been fighting for restoration of this de facto expropriation since 2005. The Creditanstalt immediately sold its shares on to the German Tobis AG, which already belonged to the National Socialist Cautio Treuhand , which controlled the German film industry.

emigration

Immediately after the connection of Austria by Germany on 12 March 1938 Oskar Pilzer was from the Gestapo arrested. However, he was released through the initiative of Albert Göring , brother of Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring , and emigrated with his family first to Rome, then to Paris. He died there in June 1939 as a result of an operation.

literature

  • 'Apparently Injustices Suffered' , Der Standard , April 14, 2006, p. 2
  • Rudolf Ulrich: Austrians in Hollywood. Filmarchiv Austria Verlag, Vienna 2004, ISBN 3-901932-29-1 , p. 606

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Armin Loacker: Oskar Pilzer and the Austrian film industry of the thirties. In: Eleonore Lappin: Jews and Film. Mandelbaum Verlag, Vienna 2004, ISBN 3-85476-127-9 , p. 37 ff
  2. ^ Rudolf Ulrich: Austrians in Hollywood. Filmarchiv Austria publishing house, Vienna 2004, p. 606
  3. ^ 'Injustice Apparently Suffered' , Der Standard , April 14, 2006, p. 2
personal data
SURNAME Pilzer, Oskar
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian film industrialist
DATE OF BIRTH November 22, 1882
PLACE OF BIRTH Czaniec , Galicia , Austria-Hungary (now Poland )
DATE OF DEATH June 1939
Place of death Paris