Sir Alexander Korda (; born Sándor László Kellner; hu, Korda Sándor; 16 September 1893 – 23 January 1956)
BFI Screenonline. was a Hungarian-British film director, producer and screenwriter, who founded his own film production studios and film distribution company.
Born in
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
, where he began his career, he worked briefly in the Austrian and German film industries during the era of
silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...
s, before being based in
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywood, ...
from 1926 to 1930 for the first of his two brief periods there (the other was during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
). The change led to a
divorce
Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...
from his first wife, the Hungarian film actress
María Corda
María Corda (born Mária Antónia Farkas; hu, Korda Mária; 4 May 1898 – 15 February 1976) was a Hungarian actress and a star of the silent film era in Germany and Austria.
Biography
She began her acting career in the theatres of Budap ...
, who was unable to make the transition from silent films to "
talkies
A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed before ...
" because of her strong Hungarian accent.
From 1930, Korda was active in the British film industry, and soon became one of its leading figures. He was the founder of
London Films
London Films Productions is a British film and television production company founded in 1932 by Alexander Korda and from 1936 based at Denham Film Studios in Buckinghamshire, near London. The company's productions included ''The Private Life o ...
and, post-war, the owner of
British Lion Films
British Lion Films is a film production and distribution company active under several forms since 1919. Originally known as British Lion Film Corporation Ltd, it entered receivership on 1 June 1954. From 29 January 1955 to 1976, the company was kn ...
, a film distribution company. Korda produced many outstanding classics of the British film industry, including ''
The Private Life of Henry VIII
''The Private Life of Henry VIII'' is a 1933 British film directed and co-produced by Alexander Korda and starring Charles Laughton, Robert Donat, Merle Oberon and Elsa Lanchester. It was written by Lajos Bíró and Arthur Wimperis for London F ...
'', ''
Rembrandt
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (, ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker and draughtsman. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally consid ...
'', ''
Things To Come'', ''
The Thief of Baghdad'' and ''
The Third Man
''The Third Man'' is a 1949 British film noir directed by Carol Reed, written by Graham Greene and starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles, and Trevor Howard. Set in postwar Vienna, the film centres on American Holly Martins (Cotten), ...
''. In 1942, Korda became the first filmmaker to receive a
knighthood
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...
.
Personal background
Korda was born Sándor László Kellner into a Jewish family in
Pusztatúrpásztó,
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
.
His parents were Henrik Kellner and Ernesztina Weisz.
He had two younger brothers,
Zoltan and
Vincent
Vincent ( la, Vincentius) is a male given name derived from the Roman name Vincentius, which is derived from the Latin word (''to conquer'').
People with the given name Artists
*Vincent Apap (1909–2003), Maltese sculptor
*Vincent van Gogh ...
, who also had careers in the film industry, often working with Alexander.
Early career in European silent film
Films in Hungary
After the death of his father, Korda began writing film reviews to support his family. He also changed the family name, deriving the new name Korda from the Latin phrase "
sursum corda
The ''Sursum corda'' (Latin: "Lift up your hearts" or literally, "Upwards hearts") is the opening dialogue to the Preface of the Eucharistic Prayer or Anaphora in Christian liturgies, dating back at least to the third century and the Anaphor ...
" ("lift up your hearts").
Having been excused from military service in the Austro-Hungarian Army in the First World War, because he was
short-sighted
Near-sightedness, also known as myopia and short-sightedness, is an eye disease where light focuses in front of, instead of on, the retina. As a result, distant objects appear blurred vision, blurry while close objects appear normal. Other sympt ...
, Korda became an important figure in the Hungarian film industry, initially through his magazines ''Pesti Mozi'', ''Mozihét'' and ''Világ''. This led to invitations to write screenplays. His first script was for ''
Watchhouse in the Carpathians
''Watchhouse in the Carpathians'' (Hungarian: ''Őrház a Kárpátokban'') is a 1914 Hungarian silent drama film directed by Alexander Korda
Sir Alexander Korda (; born Sándor László Kellner; hu, Korda Sándor; 16 September 1893 – 23 ...
'' (1914), which he also helped to direct. He also made a film with
Gyula Zilahy, ''
The Duped Journalist'' (1914), and directed ''
Tutyu and Totyo'' (1915), ''
The Officer's Swordknot
''The Officer's Swordknot'' (Hungarian: ''A Tiszti kardbojt'') is a 1915 Hungarian silent romance film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Gábor Rajnay, Mici Haraszti and Ödön Pajor
Cast
* Gábor Rajnay
* Mici Haraszti
Mici Haraszti ...
'' (1915) and ''
Lyon Lea'' (1915).
In 1916, Korda established his own production company,
Corvin Film The Corvin Film Studio (in its original official name: Corvin Filmgyár és Filmkereskedelmi Rt.) established in 1916, was the largest film production company in Hungary, while the third-largest film company in Europe in the era of silent film. Thei ...
. Its first film was ''
White Nights
White night, White Night, or White Nights may refer to:
* White night (astronomy), a night in which it never gets completely dark, at high latitudes outside the Arctic and Antarctic Circles
* White Night festivals, all-night arts festivals held in ...
'' (1916), which was a big success. Korda went on to build Corvin into one of the largest film companies in Hungary with such productions as ''
The Grandmother'' (1916), ''
Tales of the Typewriter
''Tales of the Typewriter'' (Hungarian: ''Mesék az írógépröl'') is a 1916 Hungarian silent drama film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Lili Berky, Jenő Janovics and György Kürthy. It was based on a 1905 novel by István Szomahá ...
'' (1916), ''
The Man with Two Hearts'' (1916), ''
The One Million Pound Note
''The One Million Pound Note'' (Hungarian: ''Az egymillió fontos bankó'') is a 1916 Hungarian silent comedy film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Lajos Ujváry, Gyula Nagy and Aladár Ihász. It is an adaptation of Mark Twain's 1893 sho ...
'' (1916), ''
Cyclamen
''Cyclamen'' ( or ) is a genus of 23 species of perennial flowering plants in the family Primulaceae. ''Cyclamen'' species are native to Europe and the Mediterranean Basin east to the Caucasus and Iran, with one species in Somalia. They grow ...
'' (1916), ''
Struggling Hearts
''Struggling Hearts'' (Hungarian: ''Vergödö szívek'') is a 1916 Hungarian drama film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Lili Berky, Gyula Gál and Alajos Mészáros.
Cast
* Lili Berky
*Gyula Gál
*Alajos Mészáros
*Flora Fay ...
'' (1916), ''
The Laughing Saskia
''The Laughing Saskia'' (Hungarian: ''A Nevetö Szaszkia'') is a 1916 Hungarian silent drama film directed by Alexander Korda
Sir Alexander Korda (; born Sándor László Kellner; hu, Korda Sándor; 16 September 1893 – 23 January 1956) '' (1916), ''
Miska the Magnate
''Miska the Magnate'' (Hungarian: ''Mágnás Miska'') is a 1916 Cinema of Hungary, Hungarian silent film, silent comedy film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Lili Berky, Victor Varconi and Alajos Mészáros. It was based on a popular stage ...
'' (1916), ''
St. Peter's Umbrella'' (1917), ''
The Stork Caliph'' (1917) (from the novel by
Mihály Babits
Mihály Babits (; 26 November 1883 – 4 August 1941) was a Hungarian poet, writer and translator. His poems are well known for their intense religious themes. His novels such as “The Children of Death” (1927) explore psychological pro ...
), and ''
Magic
Magic or Magick most commonly refers to:
* Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces
* Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic
* Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...
'' (1917). Korda later regarded ''
Harrison and Barrison
''Harrison and Barrison'' (Hungarian: ''Harrison és Barrison'') is a 1917 Hungarian silent comedy film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Márton Rátkai, Dezsõ Gyárfás and Nusi Somogyi. Korda broke from his previous practice of adaptin ...
'' (1917) as his best film. He also made ''
Faun
The faun (, grc, φαῦνος, ''phaunos'', ) is a half-human and half-goat mythological creature appearing in Greek and Roman mythology.
Originally fauns of Roman mythology were spirits (genii) of rustic places, lesser versions of their c ...
'' (1918), ''
Man of Gold'' (1918), and ''
Mary Ann'' (1918).
Under the shortlived
Hungarian Soviet Republic
The Socialist Federative Republic of Councils in Hungary ( hu, Magyarországi Szocialista Szövetséges Tanácsköztársaság) (due to an early mistranslation, it became widely known as the Hungarian Soviet Republic in English-language sources ( ...
Korda made ''
Ave Caesar!
''Ave Caesar!'' is a 1919 Hungarian drama film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Oscar Beregi Sr., María Corda and Gábor Rajnay. A debauched Habsburg Prince sends out one of his aide-de-camps to bring him back a gypsy girl. The film wa ...
'' (1919), ''
White Rose
The White Rose (german: Weiße Rose, ) was a Nonviolence, non-violent, intellectual German resistance to Nazism, resistance group in Nazi Germany which was led by five students (and one professor) at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, ...
'' (1919), ''
Yamata'' (1919) and ''
Neither at Home or Abroad'' (1919). His final Hungarian film was ''
Number 111'' (1919).
In October 1919 Korda was arrested during the
White Terror
White Terror is the name of several episodes of mass violence in history, carried out against anarchists, communists, socialists, liberals, revolutionaries, or other opponents by conservative or nationalist groups. It is sometimes contrasted wit ...
that followed the overthrow of the Communist government, but was soon released. He then left Hungary for Austria. He never returned to his country of birth.
Films in Vienna
![Maria Corda Argentinean Magazine AD 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/34/Maria_Corda_Argentinean_Magazine_AD_2.jpg)
After leaving Hungary, Korda accepted an invitation from Count
Alexander Kolowrat to work for his company
Sascha-Film
Sascha-Film, in full Sascha-Filmindustrie AG and from 1933 Tobis-Sascha-Filmindustrie AG, was the largest Austrian film production company of the silent film and early sound film period.
History
The business was established in 1910 by Alexande ...
in the Austrian capital Vienna. Korda worked alongside Kolowrat, who had attracted several leading Hungarian and German directors into his employment, on the historical
epic
Epic commonly refers to:
* Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation
* Epic film, a genre of film with heroic elements
Epic or EPIC may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and medi ...
''
The Prince and the Pauper
''The Prince and the Pauper'' is a novel by American author Mark Twain. It was first published in 1881 in Canada, before its 1882 publication in the United States. The novel represents Twain's first attempt at historical fiction. Set in 1547, ...
'' (1920). The film was a major international success and inspired Korda with the idea of making "international films" with global box office appeal.
Korda's next two films, ''
Masters of the Sea'' (1922) and ''
A Vanished World
''A Vanished World'' (German: ''Eine versunkene Welt'') is a 1922 Austrian silent adventure film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Alberto Capozzi, Victor Varconi, María Corda and Olga Lewinsky. It was based on the novel ''Serpoletto'' ...
'' (1922), were both
nautical
Seamanship is the art, knowledge and competence of operating a ship, boat or other craft on water. The'' Oxford Dictionary'' states that seamanship is "The skill, techniques, or practice of handling a ship or boat at sea."
It involves topics a ...
-set adventures based on Hungarian novels.
By that stage, Korda had grown irritated with Kolowrat's interference with his work and left Sascha to make an independent film, ''
Samson and Delilah
Samson and Delilah are Biblical
figures.
Samson and Delilah may also refer to:
In music
* ''Samson and Delilah'' (opera), an opera by Camille Saint-Saëns
* ''Samson & Delilah'' (album), released in 2013 by V V Brown
* "Samson and Delilah" (t ...
'' (1922), set in the world of opera. The film was made on a lavish scale, with large crowd scenes. The lengthy
shooting schedule
A shooting schedule is a project plan of each day's shooting for a film production. It is normally created and managed by the assistant director, who reports to the production manager managing the production schedule
The production schedule is a ...
lasted 160 working days. The film was unsuccessful.
Films in Berlin
Korda left Vienna and travelled to Germany. He had frequent problems with money, and often had to receive support from friends and business associates, but in Berlin he raised funding for the
melodrama
A modern melodrama is a dramatic work in which the plot, typically sensationalized and for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodramas typically concentrate on dialogue that is often bombastic or exces ...
''
The Unknown Tomorrow
''The Unknown Tomorrow'' (German: ''Das unbekannte Morgen'') is a 1923 German silent drama film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Werner Krauss, María Corda, and Olga Limburg.
Production and reception
''The Unknown Tomorrow'' was the fi ...
'' (1923). With backing from Germany's biggest film company,
UFA
Ufa ( ba, Өфө , Öfö; russian: Уфа́, r=Ufá, p=ʊˈfa) is the largest city and capital of Bashkortostan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Belaya and Ufa rivers, in the centre-north of Bashkortostan, on hills forming the ...
, Korda returned to Vienna to make ''
Everybody's Woman
''Everybody's Woman'' (Italian: ''La signora di tutti'') is a 1934 Italian drama film directed by Max Ophüls and starring Isa Miranda, Memo Benassi and Tatyana Pavlova. It is the only film Max Ophüls made in Italy. The film was a success an ...
'' (1924). While he was there he began work on his next film, the historical ''
Tragedy in the House of Habsburg
''Tragedy in the House of Habsburg'' (german: Tragödie im Hause Habsburg) is a 1924 German silent historical film directed by Alexander Korda and starring María Corda, Kálmán Zátony and Emil Fenyvessy. The film recounts the events of the ...
'' (1924), which portrayed the
Mayerling Incident. It earned back around half of its production costs. He followed this with ''
Dancing Mad
''Dancing Mad'' (German: ''Der Tänzer meiner Frau'') is a 1925 German silent comedy film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Victor Varconi, María Corda and Willy Fritsch. It based on the French play ''Le Danseur de Madame'' by Paul Armo ...
'' (1925), another melodrama.
Korda cast his wife Maria Corda
'sic''as the female lead in all his German-language films. To a large degree the success of his productions depended on her star power. Korda cast her again in ''
A Modern Dubarry
''A Modern Dubarry'' (German: ''Eine Dubarry von heute'') is a 1927 German silent drama film directed by Alexander Korda and starring María Corda, Alfred Abel and Friedrich Kayßler. Chandler, Charlotte. ''Marlene: Marlene Dietrich, A Personal ...
'' (1927), an update of the life of
Madame Du Barry
Jeanne Bécu, Comtesse du Barry (19 August 1743 – 8 December 1793) was the last ''maîtresse-en-titre'' of King Louis XV of France. She was executed, by guillotine, during the French Revolution due to accounts of treason—particularly being ...
based on an original screenplay by
Lajos Bíró
Lajos Bíró (; born Lajos Blau; 22 August 1880 – 9 September 1948) was a Hungarian novelist, playwright, and screenwriter who wrote many films from the early 1920s through the late 1940s.
Life
He was born in Nagyvárad, Kingdom of Hunga ...
. The film may have been intended to showcase Maria Corda's star potential to producers in Hollywood.
Korda made his final German film, ''
Madame Wants No Children'' (1926), for the Berlin-based subsidiary of the American studio
Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
. Although made later, it was released before ''A Modern Dubarry''.
In Hollywood and France
In December 1926 Korda and his wife sailed for the United States on board the
steamer ''Olympic'', with a view to Korda taking up a contract with the American studio
First National. In Hollywood both struggled to adapt to the
studio system
A studio system is a method of filmmaking wherein the production and distribution of films is dominated by a small number of large movie studios. It is most often used in reference to Hollywood motion picture studios during the Golden Age of Hol ...
. Korda had to wait some time before gaining his first directorial assignment, ''
The Stolen Bride'' (1927), a Hungarian-themed romance about a peasant's love for a countess. The film starred the American actress
Billie Dove
Lillian Bohny (born Bertha Eugenie Bohny; May 14, 1903 – December 31, 1997), known professionally as Billie Dove, was an American actress.
Early life and career
Dove was born Bertha Eugenie Bohny in New York City in 1903 to Charles and Ber ...
rather than Korda's wife.
Following the moderate success of ''The Stolen Bride'' Korda worked on the comedy ''
The Private Life of Helen of Troy
''The Private Life of Helen of Troy'' is a 1927 American silent film about Helen of Troy based on the 1925 novel of the same name by John Erskine, and adapted to screen by Gerald Duffy. The film was directed by Alexander Korda and starred Mar ...
'' (1927), replacing the previous director,
George Fitzmaurice
George Fitzmaurice (13 February 1885 – 13 June 1940) was a French-born film director and producer.
Career
Fitzmaurice's career first started as a set designer on stage. Beginning in 1914, and continuing until his death in 1940, he directed ...
. The film retells the story of
Helen of Troy
Helen of Troy, Helen, Helena, (Ancient Greek: Ἑλένη ''Helénē'', ) also known as beautiful Helen, Helen of Argos, or Helen of Sparta, was a figure in Greek mythology said to have been the most beautiful woman in the world. She was believe ...
, parodying the historical epics of the era by transforming the classical characters into everyday people with modern problems. The film was a significant success for Korda, with his wife playing the role of Helen. The film was his most satisfying work in the United States and provided the template for his later success in Britain.
After this film, however, Korda became pigeonholed as a director of female stars and exotic foreign locations. He was generally given similar assignments for the remainder of his first period in Hollywood. His next few films were disappointments as his career lost its momentum: ''
Yellow Lily
''Yellow Lily'' is a 1928 American silent film, silent drama film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Billie Dove, Clive Brook and Gustav von Seyffertitz. The film closely followed the formula of Korda's first American film ''The Stolen Br ...
'' (1928), ''
Night Watch'' (1928) both with Dove, and ''
Love and the Devil
''Love and the Devil'' is a 1929 American silent drama film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Milton Sills, María Corda and Ben Bard.
Production
It was the last time Korda worked with his wife María Corda who he had directed frequentl ...
'' (1929) with Maria Korda (who now spelled her name with a K). The latter two, though still
Silent films
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, whe ...
, had
sound effects
A sound effect (or audio effect) is an artificially created or enhanced sound, or sound process used to emphasize artistic or other content of films, television shows, live performance, animation, video games, music, or other media. Traditi ...
and music added to their soundtracks during Hollywood's transition to fully synchronized
Sound film
A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed before ...
s.
Korda's next film ''
The Squall
''The Squall'' is a 1929 American pre-Code drama film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Myrna Loy, Richard Tucker, Alice Joyce and Loretta Young, and based on the 1926 play ''The Squall'' by Jean Bart.
Plot
In Hungary, a beautiful, young ...
'' (1929), with a young
Myrna Loy
Myrna Loy (born Myrna Adele Williams; August 2, 1905 – December 14, 1993) was an American film, television and stage actress. Trained as a dancer, Loy devoted herself fully to an acting career following a few minor roles in silent films. ...
, was his first talkie and featured a Hungarian setting. Although, like many other directors, Korda had misgivings about the new technology, he quickly adapted to making sound films.
Korda's marriage was strained in Hollywood. The arrival of sound films wrecked his wife's career, as her heavy accent made her unemployable for most American films. ''Love and the Devil'' was the last of Korda's films she appeared in, and she made only two more films. She became increasingly resentful of the switch in their relationship, as her career was now over while Korda, who had once relied on her for the success of his films, was relatively flourishing. Their marriage collapsed, and they divorced in 1930.
Korda made two more sound films at First National: ''
Her Private Life'' (1929) and ''
Lilies of the Field'' (1930), both of which were remakes of earlier silent films.
Korda grew more frustrated in Hollywood as he came to strongly dislike the studio system. He hoped to save up enough money to return to Europe and begin producing on a large scale there, but his lavish personal spending and the large amounts he lost in the
Wall Street Crash
The Wall Street Crash of 1929, also known as the Great Crash, was a major American stock market crash that occurred in the autumn of 1929. It started in September and ended late in October, when share prices on the New York Stock Exchange colla ...
prevented this. When his producer,
Ned Marin
Ned Marin (May 17, 1896 – November 11, 1955), was an American producer and screenwriter. He produced 16 films between 1923 in film, 1923 and 1937 in film, 1937.
He was born in New Jersey, United States and died in Hollywood, California. ...
, moved from First National to the
Fox Film Corporation
The Fox Film Corporation (also known as Fox Studios) was an American Independent film production studio formed by William Fox (1879–1952) in 1915, by combining his earlier Greater New York Film Rental Company and Box Office Attractions Film ...
Korda followed him. Korda's new contract gave him $100,000 a year.
Fox
His first film for Fox, ''
Women Everywhere
''Women Everywhere'' is a 1930 American Pre-Code musical adventure film directed by Alexander Korda and starring J. Harold Murray, Fifi D'Orsay, and George Grossmith, Jr. It is set amongst the French Foreign Legion in North Africa.
The film's s ...
'' (1930), cost slightly more than some of the
programmers
A computer programmer, sometimes referred to as a software developer, a software engineer, a programmer or a coder, is a person who creates computer programs — often for larger computer software.
A programmer is someone who writes/creates ...
he had previously directed in the United States. He collaborated with several figures who would contribute to his future success in Britain. Korda was offered a series of scripts, all of which he disliked, before he finally agreed to make ''
The Princess and the Plumber
''The Princess and the Plumber'' is a 1930 American pre-Code comedy film directed by Alexander Korda and written by Howard J. Green. The film stars Charles Farrell, Maureen O'Sullivan, H. B. Warner, Joseph Cawthorn, Bert Roach and Lucien Prival. ...
'' (1930). Korda's reluctance to make the film led to his conflict with studio bosses, which brought to an end his first period in Hollywood.
Films in France
Korda went to France where he made ''
The Men Around Lucy
''The Men Around Lucy'' (German:''Die Männer um Lucie'') is a 1931 American drama film directed and produced by Alexander Korda and starring Liane Haid, Walter Rilla and Oskar Karlweis.Warsh & Malleck p.250 Made at the Joinville Studios in Pa ...
'' (1931) for Paramount. He also made ''
Rive gauche
The Rive Gauche (, ''Left Bank'') is the southern bank of the river Seine in Paris. Here the river flows roughly westward, cutting the city in two parts. When facing downstream, the southern bank is to the left, and the northern bank (or ''Rive D ...
'' (1931).
Korda had a success with ''
Marius'' (1931) starring
Raimu
Jules Auguste Muraire (18 December 1883 – 20 September 1946), whose stage name was Raimu, was a French actor. He is most famous for playing César in the 'Marseilles trilogy' ('' Marius'', '' Fanny'' and '' César'').
Life and career
Born in T ...
from the play by
Marcel Pagnol
Marcel Paul Pagnol (; 28 February 1895 – 18 April 1974) was a French novelist, playwright, and filmmaker. Regarded as an auteur, in 1946, he became the first filmmaker elected to the Académie française. Although his work is less fashionable ...
. He followed it with ''
Longing for the Sea
''Longing for the Sea'' (Swedish: ''Längtan till havet'') is a 1931 French-Swedish drama film directed by John W. Brunius and starring Edvin Adolphson, Carl Barcklind and Inga Tidblad.Sadoul p.32 It is the Swedish-language version of the French ...
'' (1931), and ''
The Golden Anchor
''The Golden Anchor'' (german: Zum goldenen Anker) is a 1932 German-French drama film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Albert Bassermann, Ursula Grabley, and Mathias Wieman. It is the German-language version of '' Marius'' (1931), based o ...
'' (1932).
In Britain
Korda relocated to London where he made ''
Service for Ladies'' (1932) for Paramount. He produced ''
Women Who Play
''Women Who Play'' is a 1932 British comedy film directed by Arthur Rosson and starring Mary Newcomb, Benita Hume and George Barraud. It was produced by Walter Morosco and Alexander Korda and has a screenplay by Basil Mason and Gilbert Wakefie ...
'' (1932) for them.
London Films
Korda then decided to form his own company. In 1932 he founded
London Films
London Films Productions is a British film and television production company founded in 1932 by Alexander Korda and from 1936 based at Denham Film Studios in Buckinghamshire, near London. The company's productions included ''The Private Life o ...
. Its first production was ''
Wedding Rehearsal
''Wedding Rehearsal'' is a 1932 British romantic comedy film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Roland Young as a bachelor forced to seek a wife.
Plot
"Reggie", the carefree Marquis of Buckminster, is happy to serve as best man at his ...
'' (1932). He then produced ''
Men of Tomorrow'' (1932), co-directed by his brother
Zoltan Korda
Zoltan Korda (June 3, 1895 – October 13, 1961) was a Hungarian-born motion picture screenwriter, director and producer. He made his first film in Hungary in 1918, and worked with his brother Alexander Korda on film-making there and in London. ...
, ''
That Night in London
''That Night in London'' is a 1932 British crime film directed by Rowland V. Lee, produced by Alexander Korda, and written by Dorothy Greenhill and Arthur Wimperis. It stars Robert Donat, Pearl Argyle, Miles Mander and Roy Emerton. It was relea ...
'' (1932) starring
Robert Donat
Friedrich Robert Donat (18 March 1905 – 9 June 1958) was an English actor. He is best remembered for his roles in Alfred Hitchcock's '' The 39 Steps'' (1935) and ''Goodbye, Mr. Chips'' (1939), winning for the latter the Academy Award for ...
, ''
Strange Evidence
''Strange Evidence'' (also known as ''Dance of the Witches'', and ''Wife in Pawn'') is a 1933 British crime film directed by Robert Milton (director), Robert Milton, produced by Alexander Korda and written by Lajos Bíró and Miles Malleson. Sta ...
'' (1933), ''
Counsel's Opinion
''Counsel's Opinion'' is a 1933 British romantic comedy film starring Henry Kendall and Binnie Barnes. It was one of three films directed in Britain in the early 1930s by Canadian-American Allan Dwan and was an early production from Alexande ...
'' (1933), and ''
Cash
In economics, cash is money in the physical form of currency, such as banknotes and coins.
In bookkeeping and financial accounting, cash is current assets comprising currency or currency equivalents that can be accessed immediately or near-imm ...
'' (1933).
''The Private Life of Henry VIII''
Korda had a huge hit with ''
The Private Life of Henry VIII
''The Private Life of Henry VIII'' is a 1933 British film directed and co-produced by Alexander Korda and starring Charles Laughton, Robert Donat, Merle Oberon and Elsa Lanchester. It was written by Lajos Bíró and Arthur Wimperis for London F ...
'' (1933), which he directed. It was nominated for the
Academy Award for Best Picture
The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) since the awards debuted in 1929. This award goes to the producers of the film and is the only category ...
, established Korda internationally and made a star of
Charles Laughton
Charles Laughton (1 July 1899 – 15 December 1962) was a British actor. He was trained in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and first appeared professionally on the stage in 1926. In 1927, he was cast in a play with his future w ...
.
After ''The Private Life of Henry VIII''
Korda followed it with ''
The Girl from Maxim's
''The Girl from Maxim's'' is a 1933 British musical comedy film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Frances Day, Leslie Henson, Lady Tree and Stanley Holloway. It was an adaptation of the 1899 play '' La Dame de chez Maxim'' by Georges F ...
'' (1933), which he shot in English and French. He tried to repeat the success of ''Henry'' with ''
The Private Life of Don Juan
''The Private Life of Don Juan'' is a 1934 British comedy-drama film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Douglas Fairbanks, Merle Oberon and Benita Hume. At the age of 51, it was the final role of Fairbanks, who died five years later. The f ...
'' (1934) starring
Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Elton Fairbanks Sr. (born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman; May 23, 1883 – December 12, 1939) was an American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films including '' The Thie ...
, which he directed, and ''
The Rise of Catherine the Great
''The Rise of Catherine the Great'' (also titled ''Catherine the Great'') is a 1934 British historical film about the rise to power of Catherine the Great. It was directed by Paul Czinner, and stars Elisabeth Bergner as Catherine, Douglas Fa ...
'' (1934) which he did not. Neither did as well as ''Henry''.
Korda produced a well-respected short, ''
The Private Life of the Gannets
''The Private Life of the Gannets'' is a 1934 British short documentary film, directed by Julian Huxley, about a colony of Northern Gannets (''Morus bassanus'') on the small rocky island of Grassholm, off the coast of Wales. It received a speci ...
'' (1934), and enjoyed a big success as producer of ''
The Scarlet Pimpernel
''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' is the first novel in a series of historical fiction by Baroness Orczy, published in 1905. It was written after her stage play of the same title (co-authored with Montague Barstow) enjoyed a long run in London, having ...
'' (1934). Also popular was ''
Sanders of the River
''Sanders of the River'' is a 1935 British film directed by the Hungarian-British director, Zoltán Korda, based on the stories of Edgar Wallace. It is set in Colonial Nigeria. The lead Nigerian characters were played by African Americans Paul Ro ...
'' (1935) starring
Paul Robeson
Paul Leroy Robeson ( ; April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an American bass-baritone concert artist, stage and film actor, professional football player, and activist who became famous both for his cultural accomplishments and for his p ...
and directed by his brother, and ''
The Ghost Goes West
''The Ghost Goes West'' is a 1935 British romantic comedy/fantasy film starring Robert Donat, Jean Parker, and Eugene Pallette, and directed by René Clair, his first English-language film. The film shows an Old World ghost dealing with American ...
'' (1936) starring Donat. His other credits as producer include ''
Moscow Nights
__NOTOC__
"Moscow Nights" ( rus, Подмосковные вечера, r=Podmoskovnyje večera, ), later covered as "Midnight in Moscow", is a Soviet Russian song.
Composition and initial success
Composer Vasily Solovyov-Sedoi and poet Mikhai ...
'' (1936) with
Laurence Olivier
Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the Theatre of the U ...
, ''
Men Are Not Gods
''Men Are Not Gods'' is a 1936 British film starring Miriam Hopkins and co-starring Gertrude Lawrence, Sebastian Shaw and Rex Harrison. It was a success in the UK when released largely due to the popularity of the two female stars Hopkins and L ...
'' (1936), and ''
Forget Me Not
Forget-me-not refers to any member of the flowering plant genus ''Myosotis'', particularly:
* Flowers in the genus ''Myosotis''
* ''Myosotis sylvatica'' or wood forget-me-not
* ''Cynoglossum amabile'' or Chinese forget-me-not
Forget me not may a ...
'' (1936).
Korda directed ''
Rembrandt
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (, ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker and draughtsman. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally consid ...
'' (1936) with Laughton, which was a critical rather than a commercial success. ''
Things to Come'' (1936), directed by
William Cameron Menzies
William Cameron Menzies (July 29, 1896 – March 5, 1957) was an American film production designer (a job title he invented) and art director as well as a film director and producer during a career spanning five decades. He began his career ...
, has come to be regarded as a classic. It was written by
H.G. Wells and Korda's ''
The Man Who Could Work Miracles
''The Man Who Could Work Miracles'' is a 1937 London Films British fantasy-comedy film directed by Lothar Mendes and produced by Alexander Korda. The film stars Roland Young with a cast of supporting players including Sir Ralph Richardson. Pos ...
'' (1936) is based on a Wells short story. Korda also commissioned and financed the documentary ''
Conquest of the Air
''Conquest of the Air'' is a 1936 documentary film or docudrama on the history of aviation up to that time. The film features historical footage, and dramatic re-creations, of the developments of commercial and military aviation; including the e ...
'' (1936).
Denham
Korda bought property in
Denham, Buckinghamshire
Denham is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Buckinghamshire, England, approximately from central London, northwest of Uxbridge and just north of junction 1 of the M40 motorway. The name is derived from the Old English fo ...
, including
Hills House, and built film studios on the property. London Film's
Denham Film Studios
Denham Film Studios was a British film production studio operating from 1936 to 1952, founded by Alexander Korda.
Notable films made at Denham include ''Brief Encounter'' and David Lean's '' Great Expectations''. From the 1950s to the 1970s t ...
was financed by the
Prudential and opened in 1936. On 21 June 1936, Thurston Macauley, London correspondent to
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
, filed a story headlined "The Korda Workshop at Denham" describing the facility, located on 165 acres of woodland, field and river scenery suitable for filming, with 28 acres of buildings and a planned total of fifteen 250-foot by 130-foot sound stages (state of the art at the time). It was "not only the most up-to-date of all the world's studios" but a "complete community in itself" from foundry and blacksmith's shops to projection theatres, with "unusually good dressing and bathroom accommodations" and able to easily manage crowds of 500. Macauley pointed to the special construction designed to ensure that even dense fog would not penetrate the buildings and interfere with filming, a serious problem in Britain in the winter months. He concluded: "Hollywood, as well as the rest of the world, will be watching with interest what Korda does at Denham".
Korda was naturalised as a
British subject
The term "British subject" has several different meanings depending on the time period. Before 1949, it referred to almost all subjects of the British Empire (including the United Kingdom, Dominions, and colonies, but excluding protectorates ...
on 28 October 1936. That same year Korda was an important contributor to the Moyne Commission, formed to protect British film production from competition, mainly from the United States. Korda said: "If American interests obtained control of British production companies, they may make British pictures here, but the pictures made would be just as American as those made in Hollywood. We are now on the verge of forming a British school of film-making in this country."
Korda produced ''
Fire Over England
''Fire Over England'' is a 1937 London Film Productions film drama, notable for providing the first pairing of Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh. It was directed by William K. Howard and written by Clemence Dane from the 1936 novel ''Fire Over ...
'' (1937) with Olivier and
Vivien Leigh
Vivien Leigh ( ; 5 November 1913 – 8 July 1967; born Vivian Mary Hartley), styled as Lady Olivier after 1947, was a British actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress twice, for her definitive performances as Scarlett O'Hara in ''Gon ...
. He also attempted a version of ''
I, Claudius
''I, Claudius'' is a historical novel by English writer Robert Graves, published in 1934. Written in the form of an autobiography of the Roman Emperor Claudius, it tells the history of the Julio-Claudian dynasty and the early years of the Roma ...
'' with Laughton and
Merle Oberon
Merle Oberon (born Estelle Merle O'Brien Thompson; 19 February 191123 November 1979) was a British actress who began her film career in British films as Anne Boleyn in ''The Private Life of Henry VIII'' (1933). After her success in ''The Scarle ...
, but it was abandoned with only a few scenes shot.
Korda made ''
Dark Journey'' (1937) with
Conrad Veidt
Hans Walter Conrad Veidt (; 22 January 1893 – 3 April 1943) was a German film actor who attracted early attention for his roles in the films ''Different from the Others'' (1919), '' The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'' (1920), and ''The Man Who Laugh ...
and Leigh, and had a big hit with ''
Elephant Boy'' (1937) directed by his brother from a
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work.
...
story; it made a star of
Sabu.
Korda also made some cheaper films: ''
Farewell Again
''Farewell Again'' is a 1937 British drama film directed by Tim Whelan and starring Leslie Banks, Flora Robson, Sebastian Shaw and Robert Newton. The film is a portmanteau illustrating the calls of duty on various soldiers and their families. In ...
'' (1938), ''
Storm in a Teacup
Tempest in a teapot (American English), or storm in a teacup (British English), is an idiom meaning a small event that has been exaggerated out of proportion. There are also lesser known or earlier variants, such as ''tempest in a teacup'', ''stor ...
'' (1938) with Leigh and
Rex Harrison
Sir Reginald Carey "Rex" Harrison (5 March 1908 – 2 June 1990) was an English actor. Harrison began his career on the stage in 1924. He made his West End debut in 1936 appearing in the Terence Rattigan play ''French Without Tears'', in what ...
, ''
The Squeaker'' (1937), ''
Action for Slander
''Action for Slander'' is a 1937 British drama film directed by Tim Whelan and starring Clive Brook, Ann Todd and Googie Withers. The plot is about an army officer who is falsely accused at cheating at cards by a man whose wife he had an affai ...
'' (1937), ''
Return of the Scarlet Pimpernel
''The Return of the Scarlet Pimpernel'' is a 1937 British thriller film directed by Hanns Schwarz and starring Barry K. Barnes, Sophie Stewart, Margaretta Scott and James Mason. It is a sequel to the 1934 film ''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' based on ...
'' (1937) and ''
Paradise for Two'' (1937).
''
Knight Without Armour
''Knight Without Armour'' (styled as ''Knight Without Armor'' in some releases) is a 1937 British historical drama film starring Marlene Dietrich and Robert Donat. It was directed by Jacques Feyder and produced by Alexander Korda from a screenpl ...
'' (1937) with Donat and
Marlene Dietrich
Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...
was an expensive epic that failed to recoup its money. ''
The Divorce of Lady X
''The Divorce of Lady X'' is a 1938 British Technicolor romantic comedy film produced by London Films; it stars Merle Oberon, Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson and Binnie Barnes. It was film director, directed by Tim Whelan and produced by Alex ...
'' (1938) was a comedy with Olivier and Merle Oberon.
Korda had a big success with ''
The Drum'' (1938), directed by Zoltan and starring Sabu. He produced ''
South Riding'' (1938), ''
The Challenge'' (1938), ''
The Rebel Son
''The Rebel Son'' is a 1938 British historical adventure film directed by Adrian Brunel and starring Harry Baur, Anthony Bushell and Roger Livesey. Patricia Roc also appears in her first screen role. It is a re-working by Alexander Korda of Gran ...
'' (1939) and ''
Prison Without Bars'' (1938).
During the Second World War Korda made more propaganda films, including ''
Q Planes
''Q Planes'' (known as ''Clouds Over Europe'' in the United States) is a 1939 British comedy spy film starring Ralph Richardson, Laurence Olivier and Valerie Hobson. Olivier and Richardson were a decade into their fifty-year friendship and were ...
'' (1939), with Olivier, and ''
The Lion Has Wings
''The Lion Has Wings'' is a 1939 British, black-and-white, documentary-style, propaganda film, propaganda war film that was directed by Adrian Brunel, Brian Desmond Hurst, Alexander Korda and Michael Powell. The film was produced by London Film ...
'' (1939). Korda had a massive hit with another adventure film directed by Zoltan, ''
The Four Feathers
''The Four Feathers'' is a 1902 adventure novel by British writer A. E. W. Mason that has inspired many films of the same title. In December 1901, ''Cornhill Magazine'' announced the title as one of two new serial stories to be published in t ...
'' (1939).
By 1939
Michael Powell
Michael Latham Powell (30 September 1905 – 19 February 1990) was an English filmmaker, celebrated for his partnership with Emeric Pressburger. Through their production company The Archers, they together wrote, produced and directed a serie ...
had been hired as a contract director by Korda on the strength of ''
The Edge of the World
''The Edge of the World'' is a 1937 British film directed by Michael Powell, loosely based on the evacuation of the Scottish archipelago of St Kilda. It was Powell's first major project. The title is a reference to the expression '' ultima Th ...
'' (1937). Korda set him to work on some projects such as ''Burmese Silver'' that were subsequently cancelled. Nonetheless, Powell was brought in to save a film that was being made as a vehicle for two of Korda's star players,
Conrad Veidt
Hans Walter Conrad Veidt (; 22 January 1893 – 3 April 1943) was a German film actor who attracted early attention for his roles in the films ''Different from the Others'' (1919), '' The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'' (1920), and ''The Man Who Laugh ...
and
Valerie Hobson
Babette Louisa Valerie Hobson (14 April 1917 – 13 November 1998) was a British actress whose film career spanned the 1930s to the early 1950s. Her second husband was John Profumo, a British government minister who became the subject of the Pro ...
. The film was ''
The Spy in Black
''The Spy in Black'' (US: ''U-Boat 29'') is a 1939 British film, and the first collaboration between the British filmmakers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. They were brought together by Alexander Korda to make the World War I spy thrill ...
'' (1939), where Powell first met
Emeric Pressburger
Emeric Pressburger (born Imre József Pressburger; 5 December 19025 February 1988) was a Hungarian-British screenwriter, film director, and producer. He is best known for his series of film collaborations with Michael Powell, in a collaborat ...
. Korda also produced the comedy ''
Over the Moon'' (1939) and the drama ''
21 Days
''21 Days'' (also known as ''21 Days Together'', ''The First and the Last'' and ''Three Weeks Together'') is a 1940 British drama film based on the short 1919 play '' The First and the Last'' by John Galsworthy. It was directed by Basil Dean and ...
'' (1939).
Korda soon ran into financial difficulties, and management of the Denham complex was merged with
Pinewood in 1939, becoming part of the
Rank Organisation
The Rank Organisation was a British entertainment conglomerate founded by industrialist J. Arthur Rank in April 1937. It quickly became the largest and most vertically integrated film company in the United Kingdom, owning production, distribu ...
.
Sojourn in Hollywood
The outbreak of the Second World War in Europe meant that ''
The Thief of Bagdad'' had to be completed in Hollywood, where Korda was based again for a few years. While he was in the United States he produced and directed ''
That Hamilton Woman
''That Hamilton Woman'', also known as ''Lady Hamilton'', is a 1941 black-and-white historical film drama produced and directed by Alexander Korda for his British company during his exile in the United States. Set during the Napoleonic Wars, th ...
'' (1941) with
Laurence Olivier
Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the Theatre of the U ...
and
Vivien Leigh
Vivien Leigh ( ; 5 November 1913 – 8 July 1967; born Vivian Mary Hartley), styled as Lady Olivier after 1947, was a British actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress twice, for her definitive performances as Scarlett O'Hara in ''Gon ...
, and produced ''
Lydia
Lydia (Lydian language, Lydian: 𐤮𐤱𐤠𐤭𐤣𐤠, ''Śfarda''; Aramaic: ''Lydia''; el, Λυδία, ''Lȳdíā''; tr, Lidya) was an Iron Age Monarchy, kingdom of western Asia Minor located generally east of ancient Ionia in the mod ...
'' (1941) with Oberon. He also supervised ''
Jungle Book
''The Jungle Book'' (1894) is a collection of stories by the English author Rudyard Kipling. Most of the characters are animals such as Shere Khan the tiger and Baloo the bear, though a principal character is the boy or "man-cub" Mowgli, who ...
'' (1942), a live-action version of
Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British Raj, British India, which inspired much o ...
's stories, directed by Zoltán Korda. He also had minor involvement in ''
To Be or Not to Be To Be or Not to Be may refer to:
* ''To be, or not to be'', the soliloquy from ''Hamlet''.
Films and TV, theatre and books
* ''To Be or Not to Be'' (1942 film), directed by Ernst Lubitsch
* ''To Be or Not to Be'' (1983 film), a remake produced ...
'' (1942).
Return to Britain
Korda was appointed a
Knight Bachelor
The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are the ...
, for his contribution to the war effort, in the
1942 Birthday Honours
The King's Birthday Honours 1942 were appointments by King George VI to Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by members of the British Empire. They were published on 5 ...
. On 22 September 1942 he was knighted at an investiture ceremony at
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...
by
George VI
George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952. ...
. He was the first film director to receive the honour.
He returned to Britain in 1943 as production chief of
MGM-London films, with a £35 million ten-year programme. The scheme ended after one year, one film and a £1 million loss to MGM. The only film to come out of the deal was ''
Perfect Strangers'' (1945), directed by Korda, and starring
Robert Donat
Friedrich Robert Donat (18 March 1905 – 9 June 1958) was an English actor. He is best remembered for his roles in Alfred Hitchcock's '' The 39 Steps'' (1935) and ''Goodbye, Mr. Chips'' (1939), winning for the latter the Academy Award for ...
and
Deborah Kerr
Deborah Jane Trimmer CBE (30 September 192116 October 2007), known professionally as Deborah Kerr (), was a British actress. She was nominated six times for the Academy Award for Best Actress.
During her international film career, Kerr won a G ...
.
British Lion Films
Via London Films Korda bought a controlling interest in
British Lion Films
British Lion Films is a film production and distribution company active under several forms since 1919. Originally known as British Lion Film Corporation Ltd, it entered receivership on 1 June 1954. From 29 January 1955 to 1976, the company was kn ...
. He produced ''
A Man About the House
''A Man About the House'' is a British drama film directed by Leslie Arliss and released in 1947. The film is a melodrama, adapted for the screen by J. B. Williams from the 1942 novel of the same name by Francis Brett Young. A theatrical ada ...
'' (1947).
In 1948 London Films received an advance payment of £375,000, the largest single payment received by a British film company, for three films, ''
An Ideal Husband
''An Ideal Husband'' is a four-act play by Oscar Wilde that revolves around blackmail and political corruption, and touches on the themes of public and private honour. It was first produced at the Haymarket Theatre, London in 1895 and ran for ...
'' (1947) (which Korda directed), ''
Anna Karenina
''Anna Karenina'' ( rus, «Анна Каренина», p=ˈanːə kɐˈrʲenʲɪnə) is a novel by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy, first published in book form in 1878. Widely considered to be one of the greatest works of literature ever writte ...
'' (1948) and ''
Mine Own Executioner
''Mine Own Executioner'' is a 1947 British psychological thriller drama film starring Burgess Meredith and directed by Anthony Kimmins, and based on the novel of the same name by Nigel Balchin. It was entered into the 1947 Cannes Film Festival. ...
'' (1948). The company released three other films, ''
Bonnie Prince Charlie
Bonnie, is a Scottish given name and is sometimes used as a descriptive reference, as in the Scottish folk song, My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean. It comes from the Scots language word "bonnie" (pretty, attractive), or the French bonne (good). That ...
'' (1948), ''
The Winslow Boy
''The Winslow Boy'' is an English play from 1946 by Terence Rattigan based on an incident involving George Archer-Shee in the Edwardian era. The incident took place at the Royal Naval College, Osborne.
Background
Set against the strict co ...
'' (1948) and ''
The Fallen Idol'' (1948). ''The Winslow Boy'' and ''Fallen Idol'' were hits. ''An Ideal Husband'' and ''Anna Karenina'' had some acclaim, but lost money at the box office. ''Bonnie Prince Charlie'' was a fiasco. Korda was also badly hurt by the trade war between the British and American film industries in the late 1940s. Korda did recover, in part due to a £3 million loan British Lion received from the
National Film Finance Corporation
The National Film Finance Corporation (NFFC) was a film funding agency in the United Kingdom in operation from 1949 until 1985. The NFFC was established by the Cinematograph Film Production (Special Loans) Act 1949, and further enhanced by the Ci ...
.
In 1948 Korda signed a co-production deal with
David O. Selznick.
This resulted in ''
The Third Man
''The Third Man'' is a 1949 British film noir directed by Carol Reed, written by Graham Greene and starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles, and Trevor Howard. Set in postwar Vienna, the film centres on American Holly Martins (Cotten), ...
'' (1949) which was a success both critically and financially.
London Films made several films with smaller budgets: ''
The Cure for Love
''The Cure for Love'' is a 1949 British comedy film starring and directed by Robert Donat. The cast also includes Renee Asherson and Dora Bryan. The film was based on a hit play of the same name by Walter Greenwood about a mild-mannered soldier ...
'' (1949), ''
The Happiest Days of Your Life'' (1950), ''
The Angel with the Trumpet'' (1950), ''
My Daughter Joy'' (1950),''
State Secret'' (1950), ''
The Wooden Horse
''The Wooden Horse'' is a 1950 British Second World War war film directed by Jack Lee and starring Leo Genn, David Tomlinson and Anthony Steel. It is based on the book of the same name by Eric Williams, who also wrote the screenplay.
The f ...
'' (1950), ''
Seven Days to Noon
''Seven Days to Noon'' is a 1950 British drama/thriller film directed by John and Roy Boulting. Paul Dehn and James Bernard won the Academy Award for Best Story for their work on the film.
Plot
In 1950, the British Prime Minister receives a l ...
'' (1951), ''
Lady Godiva Rides Again
''Lady Godiva Rides Again'' is a 1951 British comedy film starring Pauline Stroud, George Cole and Bernadette O'Farrell, with British stars in supporting roles or making cameo appearances. It concerns a small-town English girl who wins a local ...
'' (1951), ''
The Wonder Kid
''The Wonder Kid'' is a 1952 British drama film directed by Karl Hartl and starring Bobby Henrey, Elwyn Brook-Jones and Oskar Werner. The film was completed in 1950, premiered in Europe in January 1951 but was not given a full release in Britain ...
'' (1951), and ''
Mr. Denning Drives North
''Mr. Denning Drives North'' is a 1951 British mystery film directed by Anthony Kimmins and starring John Mills, Phyllis Calvert and Sam Wanamaker. The plot concerns an aircraft manufacturer (Mills) who accidentally kills the boyfriend (Herbert ...
'' (1951). Korda also helped to finance ''
Outcast of the Islands
''Outcast of the Islands'' is a 1951 British adventure drama film directed by Carol Reed based on Joseph Conrad's 1896 novel ''An Outcast of the Islands''. The film features Trevor Howard, Ralph Richardson, Robert Morley and Wendy Hiller.
Pl ...
'' (1952), ''
Home at Seven'' (1952), ''
Who Goes There!
''Who Goes There!'' is a 1952 British comedy film directed by Anthony Kimmins and starring Nigel Patrick, Valerie Hobson and George Cole. The film depicts the farcical activities of the various inhabitants of a grace and favour house near S ...
'' (1952), ''
The Holly and the Ivy
"The Holly and the Ivy" is a traditional British folk Christmas carol, listed as number 514 in the Roud Folk Song Index. The song can be traced only as far as the early nineteenth century, but the lyrics reflect an association between holly a ...
'' (1952), ''
The Ringer'' (1952), ''
Folly to Be Wise
''Folly to Be Wise'' is a 1952 British comedy film directed by Frank Launder and starring Alastair Sim, Elizabeth Allan, Roland Culver, Colin Gordon, Martita Hunt and Edward Chapman. It is based on the play ''It Depends What You Mean'' by James ...
'' (1953), ''
Twice Upon a Time'' (1953), ''
The Captain's Paradise
''The Captain's Paradise'' is a 1953 British comedy film produced and directed by Anthony Kimmins, and starring Alec Guinness, Yvonne De Carlo and Celia Johnson. Guinness plays the captain of a passenger ship that travels regularly between Gibr ...
'' (1953), and ''
The Story of Gilbert and Sullivan
''The Story of Gilbert and Sullivan'' (also known as ''Gilbert & Sullivan'' and ''The Great Gilbert and Sullivan'') is a 1953 British musical drama film dramatisation of the collaboration between Gilbert and Sullivan. Librettist W. S. Gilbert an ...
'' (1953). ''
Cry, the Beloved Country
''Cry, the Beloved Country'' is a 1948 novel by South African writer Alan Paton. Set in the prelude to apartheid in South Africa, it follows a black village priest and a white farmer who must deal with news of a murder.
American publisher Benne ...
'' (1951), directed by Zoltan, was acclaimed. ''
The Sound Barrier
''The Sound Barrier'' is a 1952 British aviation drama film directed by David Lean. It is a fictional story about attempts by aircraft designers and test pilots to break the sound barrier. It was David Lean's third and final film with his wife ...
'' (1952) from
David Lean
Sir David Lean (25 March 190816 April 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Widely considered one of the most important figures in British cinema, Lean directed the large-scale epics ''The Bridge on the River ...
was a hit. ''
The Man Between
''The Man Between'' (also known as ''Berlin Story'') is a 1953 UK, British thriller film directed by Carol Reed and starring James Mason, Claire Bloom and Hildegard Knef. The screenplay concerns a British woman on a visit to post-war Berlin, who ...
'' (1953) was an attempt to repeat the success of ''The Third Man''.
Korda then helped to make ''
The Heart of the Matter
''The Heart of the Matter'' (1948) is a novel by English author Graham Greene. The book details a life-changing moral crisis for Henry Scobie. Greene, a former Secret Intelligence Service, British intelligence officer in Freetown, British Sie ...
'' (1954), ''
Hobson's Choice
A Hobson's choice is a free choice in which only one thing is actually offered. The term is often used to describe an illusion that multiple choices are available. The most well known Hobson's choice is "I'll give you a choice: take it or leave ...
'' (1954), ''
The Belles of St. Trinian's
''The Belles of St Trinian's'' is a 1954 British comedy film, directed by Frank Launder, co-written by Launder and Sidney Gilliat, and starring Alastair Sim, Joyce Grenfell, George Cole, Hermione Baddeley. Inspired by British cartoonist Ronald ...
'' (1954), and ''
The Teckman Mystery'' (1954).
A draft screenplay of what became ''
The Red Shoes'' was written by
Emeric Pressburger
Emeric Pressburger (born Imre József Pressburger; 5 December 19025 February 1988) was a Hungarian-British screenwriter, film director, and producer. He is best known for his series of film collaborations with Michael Powell, in a collaborat ...
in the 1930s for Korda and intended as a vehicle for
Merle Oberon
Merle Oberon (born Estelle Merle O'Brien Thompson; 19 February 191123 November 1979) was a British actress who began her film career in British films as Anne Boleyn in ''The Private Life of Henry VIII'' (1933). After her success in ''The Scarle ...
, whom Korda later married. The screenplay was bought by
Michael Powell
Michael Latham Powell (30 September 1905 – 19 February 1990) was an English filmmaker, celebrated for his partnership with Emeric Pressburger. Through their production company The Archers, they together wrote, produced and directed a serie ...
and Pressburger, who made it for
J. Arthur Rank
Joseph Arthur Rank, 1st Baron Rank (22 December 1888 – 29 March 1972) was a British industrialist who was head and founder of the Rank Organisation.
Family business
Rank was born on 22 or 23 December 1888 at Kingston upon Hull in England into ...
. During the 1950s Korda reportedly expressed interest in producing a
James Bond
The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...
film based upon
Ian Fleming
Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer who is best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., a ...
's novel ''
Live and Let Die'', but no agreement was ever reached.
Final Films
In 1954 Korda received £5 million from the City Investing Corporation of New York, enabling him to continue producing films until his death.
His final films included ''
The Man Who Loved Redheads
''The Man Who Loved Redheads'' is a 1955 British comedy film directed by Harold French and starring Moira Shearer, John Justin and Roland Culver. The film is based on the play '' Who is Sylvia?'' (1950) by Terence Rattigan, which is reputedly a ...
'' (1955), ''
Three Cases of Murder
''Three Cases of Murder'' is a 1955 British horror omnibus film comprising three stories: "The Picture," "You Killed Elizabeth," and "Lord Mountdrago." Eamonn Andrews introduces each. Alan Badel appears in all three.John Hamilton, ''The British ...
'' (1955), ''
A Kid for Two Farthings'' (1955), ''
The Deep Blue Sea'' (1955), ''
Summertime'' (1955), and ''
Storm Over the Nile
''Storm Over the Nile'' is a 1955 British adventure film adaptation of the 1902 novel ''The Four Feathers'', directed by Terence Young and Zoltan Korda. The film not only extensively used footage of the action scenes from the 1939 film versi ...
'' (1955) a remake of ''The Four Feathers''. His last films were
Laurence Olivier
Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the Theatre of the U ...
's adaptation of ''
Richard III
Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...
'' (1955) and ''
Smiley
A smiley, sometimes referred to as a smiley face, is a basic ideogram that represents a smiling face. Since the 1950s it has become part of popular culture worldwide, used either as a standalone ideogram, or as a form of communication, such a ...
'' (1956).
Private life
Korda was married three times, first to the Hungarian actress
María Corda
María Corda (born Mária Antónia Farkas; hu, Korda Mária; 4 May 1898 – 15 February 1976) was a Hungarian actress and a star of the silent film era in Germany and Austria.
Biography
She began her acting career in the theatres of Budap ...
in 1919. They had one son, Peter Vincent Korda, and divorced in 1930. In 1939 he married the film star
Merle Oberon
Merle Oberon (born Estelle Merle O'Brien Thompson; 19 February 191123 November 1979) was a British actress who began her film career in British films as Anne Boleyn in ''The Private Life of Henry VIII'' (1933). After her success in ''The Scarle ...
. They divorced six years later. He married, lastly, on 8 June 1953, Alexandra Boycun (1928–1966).
Death
Korda died of a heart attack at the age of 62 at his home in London in 1956.
He was cremated and his ashes were deposited at
Golders Green Crematorium
Golders Green Crematorium and Mausoleum was the first crematorium to be opened in London, and one of the oldest crematoria in Britain. The land for the crematorium was purchased in 1900, costing £6,000 (the equivalent of £135,987 in 2021), ...
in London.
Legacy
Michael Korda
Michael Korda (born 8 October 1933) is an English-born writer and novelist who was editor-in-chief of Simon & Schuster in New York City.
Early years
Born in London, Michael Korda is the son of English actress Gertrude Musgrove and the Hungarian ...
, son of Vincent and thus nephew of Alexander, wrote a ''
roman à clef
''Roman à clef'' (, anglicised as ), French for ''novel with a key'', is a novel about real-life events that is overlaid with a façade of fiction. The fictitious names in the novel represent real people, and the "key" is the relationship ...
'' about Merle Oberon, published after her death.
It was entitled ''
Queenie.'' He also wrote a memoir, ''Charmed Lives'' (1979), about his father, his two uncles and the rest of their large extended family.
The Alexander Korda Award for "Outstanding British Film of the Year" is given by the
British Academy of Film and Television Arts
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
.
Filmography
The following films were directed by Korda.
[ -B.F.I. Accessed 2016-01-10]
* 1914 ''
The Duped Journalist''
* 1914 ''
Watchhouse in the Carpathians
''Watchhouse in the Carpathians'' (Hungarian: ''Őrház a Kárpátokban'') is a 1914 Hungarian silent drama film directed by Alexander Korda
Sir Alexander Korda (; born Sándor László Kellner; hu, Korda Sándor; 16 September 1893 – 23 ...
'' (as Korda Sándor)
* 1915 ''
Lyon Lea'' (as Korda Sándor)
* 1915 ''
The Officer's Swordknot
''The Officer's Swordknot'' (Hungarian: ''A Tiszti kardbojt'') is a 1915 Hungarian silent romance film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Gábor Rajnay, Mici Haraszti and Ödön Pajor
Cast
* Gábor Rajnay
* Mici Haraszti
Mici Haraszti ...
'' (as Korda Sándor)
* 1915 ''
Tutyu and Totyo'' (as Korda Sándor)
* 1916 ''
A Dolovai nábob leánya
A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...
''
* 1916 ''
Cyclamen
''Cyclamen'' ( or ) is a genus of 23 species of perennial flowering plants in the family Primulaceae. ''Cyclamen'' species are native to Europe and the Mediterranean Basin east to the Caucasus and Iran, with one species in Somalia. They grow ...
''
* 1916 ''
Miska the Magnate
''Miska the Magnate'' (Hungarian: ''Mágnás Miska'') is a 1916 Cinema of Hungary, Hungarian silent film, silent comedy film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Lili Berky, Victor Varconi and Alajos Mészáros. It was based on a popular stage ...
'' (as Korda Sándor)
* 1916 ''
Struggling Hearts
''Struggling Hearts'' (Hungarian: ''Vergödö szívek'') is a 1916 Hungarian drama film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Lili Berky, Gyula Gál and Alajos Mészáros.
Cast
* Lili Berky
*Gyula Gál
*Alajos Mészáros
*Flora Fay ...
'' (uncredited; also co-wrote)
* 1916 ''
Tales of the Typewriter
''Tales of the Typewriter'' (Hungarian: ''Mesék az írógépröl'') is a 1916 Hungarian silent drama film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Lili Berky, Jenő Janovics and György Kürthy. It was based on a 1905 novel by István Szomahá ...
'' (as Korda Sándor; also wrote)
* 1916 ''The Grandmother'' (as Korda Sándor: also wrote)
* 1916 ''
The Laughing Saskia
''The Laughing Saskia'' (Hungarian: ''A Nevetö Szaszkia'') is a 1916 Hungarian silent drama film directed by Alexander Korda
Sir Alexander Korda (; born Sándor László Kellner; hu, Korda Sándor; 16 September 1893 – 23 January 1956) ''
* 1916 ''
The Man With Two Hearts'' (as Korda Sándor)
* 1916 ''
The One Million Pound Note
''The One Million Pound Note'' (Hungarian: ''Az egymillió fontos bankó'') is a 1916 Hungarian silent comedy film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Lajos Ujváry, Gyula Nagy and Aladár Ihász. It is an adaptation of Mark Twain's 1893 sho ...
'' (also wrote)
* 1916 ''
White Nights
White night, White Night, or White Nights may refer to:
* White night (astronomy), a night in which it never gets completely dark, at high latitudes outside the Arctic and Antarctic Circles
* White Night festivals, all-night arts festivals held in ...
'' (a.k.a. Fédora; also co-wrote)
* 1917 ''
Magic
Magic or Magick most commonly refers to:
* Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces
* Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic
* Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...
'' (as Korda Sándor)
* 1917 ''
St. Peter's Umbrella''
* 1917 ''
Harrison és Barrison'' (also produced)* 1917 ''
The Stork Caliph'' (as Korda Sándor; also produced)
* 1918 ''
Faun
The faun (, grc, φαῦνος, ''phaunos'', ) is a half-human and half-goat mythological creature appearing in Greek and Roman mythology.
Originally fauns of Roman mythology were spirits (genii) of rustic places, lesser versions of their c ...
'' (as Korda Sándor; also produced)
* 1919 ''
Neither at Home or Abroad'' (as Korda Sándor; also produced)
* 1919 ''
Ave Caesar!
''Ave Caesar!'' is a 1919 Hungarian drama film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Oscar Beregi Sr., María Corda and Gábor Rajnay. A debauched Habsburg Prince sends out one of his aide-de-camps to bring him back a gypsy girl. The film wa ...
'' (as Korda Sándor)
* 1919
''Man of Gold'' (as Korda Sándor)
* 1918 ''
Mary Ann''
* 1919 ''
Number 111'' (as Sándor Korda; also produced)
* 1919 ''
White Rose
The White Rose (german: Weiße Rose, ) was a Nonviolence, non-violent, intellectual German resistance to Nazism, resistance group in Nazi Germany which was led by five students (and one professor) at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, ...
'' (as Korda Sándor)
* 1919 ''
Yamata'' (as Korda Sándor; also produced)
* 1920 ''
The Prince and the Pauper
''The Prince and the Pauper'' is a novel by American author Mark Twain. It was first published in 1881 in Canada, before its 1882 publication in the United States. The novel represents Twain's first attempt at historical fiction. Set in 1547, ...
''
* 1922 ''
A Vanished World
''A Vanished World'' (German: ''Eine versunkene Welt'') is a 1922 Austrian silent adventure film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Alberto Capozzi, Victor Varconi, María Corda and Olga Lewinsky. It was based on the novel ''Serpoletto'' ...
''
* 1922 ''
Masters of the Sea''
* 1922 ''
Samson and Delilah
Samson and Delilah are Biblical
figures.
Samson and Delilah may also refer to:
In music
* ''Samson and Delilah'' (opera), an opera by Camille Saint-Saëns
* ''Samson & Delilah'' (album), released in 2013 by V V Brown
* "Samson and Delilah" (t ...
'' (also produced and co-wrote)
* 1923 ''
The Unknown Tomorrow
''The Unknown Tomorrow'' (German: ''Das unbekannte Morgen'') is a 1923 German silent drama film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Werner Krauss, María Corda, and Olga Limburg.
Production and reception
''The Unknown Tomorrow'' was the fi ...
'' (also produced and co-wrote)
* 1924 ''
Everybody's Woman
''Everybody's Woman'' (Italian: ''La signora di tutti'') is a 1934 Italian drama film directed by Max Ophüls and starring Isa Miranda, Memo Benassi and Tatyana Pavlova. It is the only film Max Ophüls made in Italy. The film was a success an ...
'' (a.k.a. ''Folly of Doubt'')
* 1924 ''
Tragedy in the House of Habsburg
''Tragedy in the House of Habsburg'' (german: Tragödie im Hause Habsburg) is a 1924 German silent historical film directed by Alexander Korda and starring María Corda, Kálmán Zátony and Emil Fenyvessy. The film recounts the events of the ...
'' (also produced)
* 1925 ''
Dancing Mad
''Dancing Mad'' (German: ''Der Tänzer meiner Frau'') is a 1925 German silent comedy film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Victor Varconi, María Corda and Willy Fritsch. It based on the French play ''Le Danseur de Madame'' by Paul Armo ...
'' (also wrote)
* 1926 ''
Madame Doesn't Want Children''
* 1927 ''
A Modern Dubarry
''A Modern Dubarry'' (German: ''Eine Dubarry von heute'') is a 1927 German silent drama film directed by Alexander Korda and starring María Corda, Alfred Abel and Friedrich Kayßler. Chandler, Charlotte. ''Marlene: Marlene Dietrich, A Personal ...
''
* 1927 ''
The Private Life of Helen of Troy
''The Private Life of Helen of Troy'' is a 1927 American silent film about Helen of Troy based on the 1925 novel of the same name by John Erskine, and adapted to screen by Gerald Duffy. The film was directed by Alexander Korda and starred Mar ...
''
* 1927 ''
The Stolen Bride''
* 1928 ''
Yellow Lily
''Yellow Lily'' is a 1928 American silent film, silent drama film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Billie Dove, Clive Brook and Gustav von Seyffertitz. The film closely followed the formula of Korda's first American film ''The Stolen Br ...
''
* 1928 ''
Night Watch''
* 1929 ''
Her Private Life''
* 1929 ''
Love and the Devil
''Love and the Devil'' is a 1929 American silent drama film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Milton Sills, María Corda and Ben Bard.
Production
It was the last time Korda worked with his wife María Corda who he had directed frequentl ...
''
* 1929 ''
The Squall
''The Squall'' is a 1929 American pre-Code drama film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Myrna Loy, Richard Tucker, Alice Joyce and Loretta Young, and based on the 1926 play ''The Squall'' by Jean Bart.
Plot
In Hungary, a beautiful, young ...
''
* 1930 ''
Lilies of the Field''
* 1930 ''
The Princess and the Plumber
''The Princess and the Plumber'' is a 1930 American pre-Code comedy film directed by Alexander Korda and written by Howard J. Green. The film stars Charles Farrell, Maureen O'Sullivan, H. B. Warner, Joseph Cawthorn, Bert Roach and Lucien Prival. ...
''
* 1930 ''
Women Everywhere
''Women Everywhere'' is a 1930 American Pre-Code musical adventure film directed by Alexander Korda and starring J. Harold Murray, Fifi D'Orsay, and George Grossmith, Jr. It is set amongst the French Foreign Legion in North Africa.
The film's s ...
''
* 1931 ''
Längtan till havet''
* 1931 ''
Marius'' (as Alexandre Korda)
* 1931 ''Rive Gauche''
* 1931 ''
The Men Around Lucy
''The Men Around Lucy'' (German:''Die Männer um Lucie'') is a 1931 American drama film directed and produced by Alexander Korda and starring Liane Haid, Walter Rilla and Oskar Karlweis.Warsh & Malleck p.250 Made at the Joinville Studios in Pa ...
'' (aka'' Die Männer um Lucie''; also produced)
* 1932 ''
Service for Ladies'' (also produced)
* 1932 ''
The Golden Anchor
''The Golden Anchor'' (german: Zum goldenen Anker) is a 1932 German-French drama film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Albert Bassermann, Ursula Grabley, and Mathias Wieman. It is the German-language version of '' Marius'' (1931), based o ...
''
* 1932 ''
Wedding Rehearsal
''Wedding Rehearsal'' is a 1932 British romantic comedy film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Roland Young as a bachelor forced to seek a wife.
Plot
"Reggie", the carefree Marquis of Buckminster, is happy to serve as best man at his ...
'' (also produced)
* 1933 ''
La dame de chez Maxim's'' (also produced)
* 1933 ''
The Girl from Maxim's
''The Girl from Maxim's'' is a 1933 British musical comedy film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Frances Day, Leslie Henson, Lady Tree and Stanley Holloway. It was an adaptation of the 1899 play '' La Dame de chez Maxim'' by Georges F ...
'' (also produced)
* 1933 ''
The Private Life of Henry VIII
''The Private Life of Henry VIII'' is a 1933 British film directed and co-produced by Alexander Korda and starring Charles Laughton, Robert Donat, Merle Oberon and Elsa Lanchester. It was written by Lajos Bíró and Arthur Wimperis for London F ...
'' (also produced)
* 1934 ''
The Rise of Catherine the Great
''The Rise of Catherine the Great'' (also titled ''Catherine the Great'') is a 1934 British historical film about the rise to power of Catherine the Great. It was directed by Paul Czinner, and stars Elisabeth Bergner as Catherine, Douglas Fa ...
'' (uncredited; also produced)
* 1934 ''
The Private Life of Don Juan
''The Private Life of Don Juan'' is a 1934 British comedy-drama film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Douglas Fairbanks, Merle Oberon and Benita Hume. At the age of 51, it was the final role of Fairbanks, who died five years later. The f ...
'' (also produced)
* 1936 ''
Rembrandt
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (, ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker and draughtsman. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally consid ...
'' (also produced)
* 1936 ''
The Man Who Could Work Miracles
''The Man Who Could Work Miracles'' is a 1937 London Films British fantasy-comedy film directed by Lothar Mendes and produced by Alexander Korda. The film stars Roland Young with a cast of supporting players including Sir Ralph Richardson. Pos ...
'' (director: some scenes – uncredited; also produced)
* 1939 ''
The Lion Has Wings
''The Lion Has Wings'' is a 1939 British, black-and-white, documentary-style, propaganda film, propaganda war film that was directed by Adrian Brunel, Brian Desmond Hurst, Alexander Korda and Michael Powell. The film was produced by London Film ...
'' (uncredited; also produced)
* 1940 ''
The Thief of Baghdad'' (uncredited; also produced)
* 1941 ''
That Hamilton Woman
''That Hamilton Woman'', also known as ''Lady Hamilton'', is a 1941 black-and-white historical film drama produced and directed by Alexander Korda for his British company during his exile in the United States. Set during the Napoleonic Wars, th ...
'' (also produced)
* 1945 ''
Perfect Strangers'' ( a.k.a. ''Vacation From Marriage''; also produced)
* 1947 ''
An Ideal Husband
''An Ideal Husband'' is a four-act play by Oscar Wilde that revolves around blackmail and political corruption, and touches on the themes of public and private honour. It was first produced at the Haymarket Theatre, London in 1895 and ran for ...
'' (also produced)
* 1947 ''
Mine Own Executioner
''Mine Own Executioner'' is a 1947 British psychological thriller drama film starring Burgess Meredith and directed by Anthony Kimmins, and based on the novel of the same name by Nigel Balchin. It was entered into the 1947 Cannes Film Festival. ...
'' (producer, uncredited co-director)
The following additional films were produced by Alexander Korda but not directed by him:
* 1919 ''Kutató Sámuel''
* 1932 ''
Men of Tomorrow''
* 1932 ''
That Night in London
''That Night in London'' is a 1932 British crime film directed by Rowland V. Lee, produced by Alexander Korda, and written by Dorothy Greenhill and Arthur Wimperis. It stars Robert Donat, Pearl Argyle, Miles Mander and Roy Emerton. It was relea ...
''
* 1932 ''
Women Who Play
''Women Who Play'' is a 1932 British comedy film directed by Arthur Rosson and starring Mary Newcomb, Benita Hume and George Barraud. It was produced by Walter Morosco and Alexander Korda and has a screenplay by Basil Mason and Gilbert Wakefie ...
''
* 1933 ''
Cash
In economics, cash is money in the physical form of currency, such as banknotes and coins.
In bookkeeping and financial accounting, cash is current assets comprising currency or currency equivalents that can be accessed immediately or near-imm ...
''
* 1933 ''
Counsel's Opinion
''Counsel's Opinion'' is a 1933 British romantic comedy film starring Henry Kendall and Binnie Barnes. It was one of three films directed in Britain in the early 1930s by Canadian-American Allan Dwan and was an early production from Alexande ...
''
* 1933 ''
Strange Evidence
''Strange Evidence'' (also known as ''Dance of the Witches'', and ''Wife in Pawn'') is a 1933 British crime film directed by Robert Milton (director), Robert Milton, produced by Alexander Korda and written by Lajos Bíró and Miles Malleson. Sta ...
''
* 1934 ''
The Private Life of the Gannets
''The Private Life of the Gannets'' is a 1934 British short documentary film, directed by Julian Huxley, about a colony of Northern Gannets (''Morus bassanus'') on the small rocky island of Grassholm, off the coast of Wales. It received a speci ...
'' (documentary short)
* 1934 ''
The Scarlet Pimpernel
''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' is the first novel in a series of historical fiction by Baroness Orczy, published in 1905. It was written after her stage play of the same title (co-authored with Montague Barstow) enjoyed a long run in London, having ...
'' (also co-wrote)
* 1935 ''
Moscow Nights
__NOTOC__
"Moscow Nights" ( rus, Подмосковные вечера, r=Podmoskovnyje večera, ), later covered as "Midnight in Moscow", is a Soviet Russian song.
Composition and initial success
Composer Vasily Solovyov-Sedoi and poet Mikhai ...
'' (a.k.a. ''I Stand Condemned''; uncredited)
* 1935 ''
Sanders of the River
''Sanders of the River'' is a 1935 British film directed by the Hungarian-British director, Zoltán Korda, based on the stories of Edgar Wallace. It is set in Colonial Nigeria. The lead Nigerian characters were played by African Americans Paul Ro ...
''
* 1935 ''
The Ghost Goes West
''The Ghost Goes West'' is a 1935 British romantic comedy/fantasy film starring Robert Donat, Jean Parker, and Eugene Pallette, and directed by René Clair, his first English-language film. The film shows an Old World ghost dealing with American ...
''
* 1935 ''
Things Are Looking Up Things or The Things may refer to:
Music
* ''Things'' (album), by Uri Caine and Paolo Fresu, 2006
* "Things" (Bobby Darin song), 1962; covered by Ronnie Dove, 1975
* "Things", a song by Joe Walsh from '' There Goes the Neighborhood'', 1981
* "Thi ...
'' (uncredited)
[- Open University. Accessed 2015-12-29]
* 1935 ''Wharves and Strays''
* 1936 ''
Conquest of the Air
''Conquest of the Air'' is a 1936 documentary film or docudrama on the history of aviation up to that time. The film features historical footage, and dramatic re-creations, of the developments of commercial and military aviation; including the e ...
'' (updated for a 1940 re-release)
* 1936 ''
Forget Me Not
Forget-me-not refers to any member of the flowering plant genus ''Myosotis'', particularly:
* Flowers in the genus ''Myosotis''
* ''Myosotis sylvatica'' or wood forget-me-not
* ''Cynoglossum amabile'' or Chinese forget-me-not
Forget me not may a ...
'' (uncredited)
* 1936 ''
Men Are Not Gods
''Men Are Not Gods'' is a 1936 British film starring Miriam Hopkins and co-starring Gertrude Lawrence, Sebastian Shaw and Rex Harrison. It was a success in the UK when released largely due to the popularity of the two female stars Hopkins and L ...
''
* 1936 ''Miss Bracegirdle Does her Duty'' (short)
* 1936 ''The Fox Hunt''
* 1936 ''
Things to Come''
* 1937 ''
Action for Slander
''Action for Slander'' is a 1937 British drama film directed by Tim Whelan and starring Clive Brook, Ann Todd and Googie Withers. The plot is about an army officer who is falsely accused at cheating at cards by a man whose wife he had an affai ...
'' (executive producer)
* 1937 ''
Dark Journey'' (uncredited)
* 1937 ''
Elephant Boy''
* 1937 ''
Farewell Again
''Farewell Again'' is a 1937 British drama film directed by Tim Whelan and starring Leslie Banks, Flora Robson, Sebastian Shaw and Robert Newton. The film is a portmanteau illustrating the calls of duty on various soldiers and their families. In ...
''(a.k.a. ''Troopship''; uncredited)
* 1937 ''
Fire Over England
''Fire Over England'' is a 1937 London Film Productions film drama, notable for providing the first pairing of Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh. It was directed by William K. Howard and written by Clemence Dane from the 1936 novel ''Fire Over ...
'' (uncredited)
* 1937 ''
I, Claudius
''I, Claudius'' is a historical novel by English writer Robert Graves, published in 1934. Written in the form of an autobiography of the Roman Emperor Claudius, it tells the history of the Julio-Claudian dynasty and the early years of the Roma ...
'' (incomplete)
* 1937 ''
Knight Without Armour
''Knight Without Armour'' (styled as ''Knight Without Armor'' in some releases) is a 1937 British historical drama film starring Marlene Dietrich and Robert Donat. It was directed by Jacques Feyder and produced by Alexander Korda from a screenpl ...
''
* 1937 ''
Paradise for Two''
* 1937 ''
Return of the Scarlet Pimpernel
''The Return of the Scarlet Pimpernel'' is a 1937 British thriller film directed by Hanns Schwarz and starring Barry K. Barnes, Sophie Stewart, Margaretta Scott and James Mason. It is a sequel to the 1934 film ''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' based on ...
''(executive producer)
* 1937 ''
Storm in a Teacup
Tempest in a teapot (American English), or storm in a teacup (British English), is an idiom meaning a small event that has been exaggerated out of proportion. There are also lesser known or earlier variants, such as ''tempest in a teacup'', ''stor ...
'' (uncredited)
[
* 1937 '' The Squeaker'' (a.k.a. ''Murder on Diamond Row'')
* 1938 '' Prison Without Bars''
* 1938 '' South Riding''
* 1938 '' The Challenge'' (uncredited)
* 1938 '']The Divorce of Lady X
''The Divorce of Lady X'' is a 1938 British Technicolor romantic comedy film produced by London Films; it stars Merle Oberon, Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson and Binnie Barnes. It was film director, directed by Tim Whelan and produced by Alex ...
'' (uncredited)
* 1938 '' The Drum'' (a.k.a. ''Drums''; executive producer uncredited)
* 1939 ''The Four Feathers
''The Four Feathers'' is a 1902 adventure novel by British writer A. E. W. Mason that has inspired many films of the same title. In December 1901, ''Cornhill Magazine'' announced the title as one of two new serial stories to be published in t ...
''
* 1939 '' Over the Moon''
* 1939 ''Q Planes
''Q Planes'' (known as ''Clouds Over Europe'' in the United States) is a 1939 British comedy spy film starring Ralph Richardson, Laurence Olivier and Valerie Hobson. Olivier and Richardson were a decade into their fifty-year friendship and were ...
'' (a.k.a. ''Clouds over Europe'')
* 1939 ''The Spy in Black
''The Spy in Black'' (US: ''U-Boat 29'') is a 1939 British film, and the first collaboration between the British filmmakers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. They were brought together by Alexander Korda to make the World War I spy thrill ...
'' (a.k.a. ''U-Boat 29'')
* 1940 ''21 Days
''21 Days'' (also known as ''21 Days Together'', ''The First and the Last'' and ''Three Weeks Together'') is a 1940 British drama film based on the short 1919 play '' The First and the Last'' by John Galsworthy. It was directed by Basil Dean and ...
'' (a.k.a. ''21 Days Together'')
* 1941 ''Lydia
Lydia (Lydian language, Lydian: 𐤮𐤱𐤠𐤭𐤣𐤠, ''Śfarda''; Aramaic: ''Lydia''; el, Λυδία, ''Lȳdíā''; tr, Lidya) was an Iron Age Monarchy, kingdom of western Asia Minor located generally east of ancient Ionia in the mod ...
'' (a.k.a. ''Illusions'')
* 1941 ''Old Bill and Son
''Old Bill and Son'' is a 1941 British black-and-white comedy war film directed by Ian Dalrymple. Centred on the First World War cartoon figure Old Bill and his escapades in the early Phoney War of World War II and with that character's creator ...
'' (uncredited)
* 1941 ''The Great Awakening
''The Great Awakening'' is the fourth studio album from the Christian rock band Leeland, released on September 20, 2011. ''The Great Awakening'' received a nomination to the 54th Grammy Awards for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album
The ...
''(a.k.a. ''New Wine''; exec.producer uncredited)
* 1942 ''Jungle Book
''The Jungle Book'' (1894) is a collection of stories by the English author Rudyard Kipling. Most of the characters are animals such as Shere Khan the tiger and Baloo the bear, though a principal character is the boy or "man-cub" Mowgli, who ...
''
* 1942 ''To Be or Not to Be To Be or Not to Be may refer to:
* ''To be, or not to be'', the soliloquy from ''Hamlet''.
Films and TV, theatre and books
* ''To Be or Not to Be'' (1942 film), directed by Ernst Lubitsch
* ''To Be or Not to Be'' (1983 film), a remake produced ...
'' (uncredited)[
* 1943 ''The Biter Bit'' (short)
* 1948 '']Anna Karenina
''Anna Karenina'' ( rus, «Анна Каренина», p=ˈanːə kɐˈrʲenʲɪnə) is a novel by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy, first published in book form in 1878. Widely considered to be one of the greatest works of literature ever writte ...
''
* 1948 ''Bonnie Prince Charlie
Bonnie, is a Scottish given name and is sometimes used as a descriptive reference, as in the Scottish folk song, My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean. It comes from the Scots language word "bonnie" (pretty, attractive), or the French bonne (good). That ...
''
* 1949 ''The Third Man
''The Third Man'' is a 1949 British film noir directed by Carol Reed, written by Graham Greene and starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles, and Trevor Howard. Set in postwar Vienna, the film centres on American Holly Martins (Cotten), ...
'' (also co-wrote; uncredited)
* 1950 '' Gone to Earth'' (U.S. version ''The Wild Heart''; uncredited)
* 1951 ''Outcast of the Islands
''Outcast of the Islands'' is a 1951 British adventure drama film directed by Carol Reed based on Joseph Conrad's 1896 novel ''An Outcast of the Islands''. The film features Trevor Howard, Ralph Richardson, Robert Morley and Wendy Hiller.
Pl ...
'' (exec.producer; uncredited)
* 1953 ''The Man Between
''The Man Between'' (also known as ''Berlin Story'') is a 1953 UK, British thriller film directed by Carol Reed and starring James Mason, Claire Bloom and Hildegard Knef. The screenplay concerns a British woman on a visit to post-war Berlin, who ...
'' (a.k.a. ''Berlin Story''; exec.producer uncredited)
* 1955 '' A Kid for Two Farthings'' (uncredited)
* 1955 ''Richard III
Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...
'' (uncredited)
* 1955 ''Storm Over the Nile
''Storm Over the Nile'' is a 1955 British adventure film adaptation of the 1902 novel ''The Four Feathers'', directed by Terence Young and Zoltan Korda. The film not only extensively used footage of the action scenes from the 1939 film versi ...
'' (uncredited)
* 1955 '' The Deep Blue Sea''
* 1956 ''Smiley
A smiley, sometimes referred to as a smiley face, is a basic ideogram that represents a smiling face. Since the 1950s it has become part of popular culture worldwide, used either as a standalone ideogram, or as a form of communication, such a ...
'' (uncredited)
Unmade projects
Korda announced a number of projects which were never made, including:
*the life of T. E. Lawrence
Thomas Edward Lawrence (16 August 1888 – 19 May 1935) was a British archaeologist, army officer, diplomat, and writer who became renowned for his role in the Arab Revolt (1916–1918) and the Sinai and Palestine Campaign (1915–1918 ...
with Leslie Howard
Leslie Howard Steiner (3 April 18931 June 1943) was an English actor, director and producer.Obituary ''Variety'', 9 June 1943. He wrote many stories and articles for ''The New York Times'', ''The New Yorker'', and '' Vanity Fair'' and was one ...
later to be directed by Brian Desmond Hurst
Brian Desmond Hurst (12 February 1895 – 26 September 1986) was a Belfast-born film director. With over thirty films in his filmography, Hurst has been hailed as Northern Ireland's best film director.Screening will honour 'NI's best film ...
.
*the life of Nijinsky
Vaslav (or Vatslav) Nijinsky (; rus, Вацлав Фомич Нижинский, Vatslav Fomich Nizhinsky, p=ˈvatsləf fɐˈmʲitɕ nʲɪˈʐɨnskʲɪj; pl, Wacław Niżyński, ; 12 March 1889/18908 April 1950) was a ballet dancer and choreog ...
(1930s)
*''Cyrano de Bergerac
Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac ( , ; 6 March 1619 – 28 July 1655) was a French novelist, playwright, epistolarian, and duelist.
A bold and innovative author, his work was part of the libertine literature of the first half of the 17th cen ...
'' with Charles Laughton
Charles Laughton (1 July 1899 – 15 December 1962) was a British actor. He was trained in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and first appeared professionally on the stage in 1926. In 1927, he was cast in a play with his future w ...
(1930s–1940s)
*''Precious Bane'' with Robert Donat
*''Burmese Silver'' with Conrad Veidt
Hans Walter Conrad Veidt (; 22 January 1893 – 3 April 1943) was a German film actor who attracted early attention for his roles in the films ''Different from the Others'' (1919), '' The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'' (1920), and ''The Man Who Laugh ...
(1930s)
*the story of Pocahontas
Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, known as Matoaka, 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman, belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of ...
starring Merle Oberon
Merle Oberon (born Estelle Merle O'Brien Thompson; 19 February 191123 November 1979) was a British actress who began her film career in British films as Anne Boleyn in ''The Private Life of Henry VIII'' (1933). After her success in ''The Scarle ...
(1939)
*adaptation of ''Manon Lescaut'' for Merle Oberon
Merle Oberon (born Estelle Merle O'Brien Thompson; 19 February 191123 November 1979) was a British actress who began her film career in British films as Anne Boleyn in ''The Private Life of Henry VIII'' (1933). After her success in ''The Scarle ...
*an adaptation of ''War and Peace
''War and Peace'' (russian: Война и мир, translit=Voyna i mir; pre-reform Russian: ; ) is a literary work by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy that mixes fictional narrative with chapters on history and philosophy. It was first published ...
'' by Leo Tolstoy
Count Lev Nikolayevich TolstoyTolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; russian: link=no, Лев Николаевич Толстой,In Tolstoy's day, his name was written as in pre-refor ...
to star Merle Oberon
Merle Oberon (born Estelle Merle O'Brien Thompson; 19 February 191123 November 1979) was a British actress who began her film career in British films as Anne Boleyn in ''The Private Life of Henry VIII'' (1933). After her success in ''The Scarle ...
(1940s)
*''Velvet Coat'', the life of Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll a ...
with Oberon and Robert Donat
*an adaptation of ''Greenmantle'' by John Buchan
John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir (; 26 August 1875 – 11 February 1940) was a Scottish novelist, historian, and Unionist politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the 15th since Canadian Confederation.
After a brief legal career ...
*''Lottie Dundass'' starring Vivien Leigh
Vivien Leigh ( ; 5 November 1913 – 8 July 1967; born Vivian Mary Hartley), styled as Lady Olivier after 1947, was a British actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress twice, for her definitive performances as Scarlett O'Hara in ''Gon ...
from the play by Enid Bagnold
Enid Algerine Bagnold, Lady Jones, (27 October 1889 – 31 March 1981) was a British writer and playwright known for the 1935 story ''National Velvet''.
Early life
Enid Algerine Bagnold was born on 27 October 1889 in Rochester, Kent, daught ...
*an adaptation of ''The Wrecker'' by Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll a ...
*''Habitation Enforced'' from the story by Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work.
...
*an adaptation of ''The King's General'' by Daphne du Maurier
Dame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning, (; 13 May 1907 – 19 April 1989) was an English novelist, biographer and playwright. Her parents were actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier and his wife, actress Muriel Beaumont. Her grandfather was Geor ...
(late 1940s)
*''The Promotion of the Admiral'' from the novel by C. S. Forester
Cecil Louis Troughton Smith (27 August 1899 – 2 April 1966), known by his pen name Cecil Scott "C. S." Forester, was an English novelist known for writing tales of naval warfare, such as the 12-book Horatio Hornblower series depicting a Roya ...
starring Ralph Richardson
Sir Ralph David Richardson (19 December 1902 – 10 October 1983) was an English actor who, with John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier, was one of the trinity of male actors who dominated the British stage for much of the 20th century. He wo ...
directed by Powell and Pressburger
The British film-making partnership of Michael Powell (1905–1990) and Emeric Pressburger (1902–1988)—together often known as The Archers, the name of their production company—made a series of influential films in the 1940s and 1950s. T ...
(1940s)
*''A Tale of Two Cities
''A Tale of Two Cities'' is a historical novel published in 1859 by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. The novel tells the story of the French Doctor Manette, his 18-year-long imprisonment in the ...
'' with Gregory Peck
Eldred Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an American actor and one of the most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1970s. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Peck the 12th-greatest male star of Classic Hollywood ...
*'' Tess of the d'Urbervilles'' with Jennifer Jones
Jennifer Jones (born Phylis Lee Isley; March 2, 1919 – December 17, 2009), also known as Jennifer Jones Simon, was an American actress and mental health advocate. Over the course of her career that spanned over five decades, she was nominated ...
as Tess
*''Around the World in Eighty Days
''Around the World in Eighty Days'' (french: link=no, Le tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours) is an adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne, first published in French in 1872. In the story, Phileas Fogg of London and his newly employe ...
''
*''The Magic Mountain
''The Magic Mountain'' (german: Der Zauberberg, links=no, ) is a novel by Thomas Mann, first published in German in November 1924. It is widely considered to be one of the most influential works of twentieth-century German literature.
Mann st ...
'' by Thomas Mann
Paul Thomas Mann ( , ; ; 6 June 1875 – 12 August 1955) was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and the 1929 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. His highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novella ...
*''Point Counter Point
''Point Counter Point'' is a novel by Aldous Huxley, first published in 1928. It is Huxley's longest novel, and was notably more complex and serious than his earlier fiction.
In 1998, the Modern Library ranked ''Point Counter Point'' 44th on ...
'' by Aldous Huxley
Aldous Leonard Huxley (26 July 1894 – 22 November 1963) was an English writer and philosopher. He wrote nearly 50 books, both novels and non-fiction works, as well as wide-ranging essays, narratives, and poems.
Born into the prominent Huxley ...
References
Bibliography
* Kulik, Karol. ''Alexander Korda: The Man Who Could Work Miracles''. Virgin Books, 1990.
* Korda, Michael. ''Another Life: A Memoir of Other People.'' Random House Publishing Group, 1999.
* Korda, Michael. ''Charmed Lives: A Family Romance''. Random House, 1979.
* Tabori, Paul. ''Alexander Korda''. Oldbourne, 1959.
External links
*
*
Alexander Korda
at Virtual History
{{DEFAULTSORT:Korda, Alexander
1893 births
1956 deaths
People from Túrkeve
People from the Kingdom of Hungary
Hungarian Jews
British film producers
British people of Hungarian-Jewish descent
German-language film directors
Hungarian film directors
Hungarian film producers
Knights Bachelor
Film directors from London
Golders Green Crematorium
Hungarian emigrants to the United Kingdom
Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom
20th-century British businesspeople