Count Alexander "
Sascha" Joseph von Kolowrat-Krakowsky (29 January 1886 – 4 December 1927) was an
Austrian
Austrian may refer to:
* Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent
** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law
* Austrian German dialect
* Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...
film producer
A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...
of
Bohemian
Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to:
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* Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors
Culture and arts
* Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...
-
Czech
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Places
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descent from the House of
Kolowrat. A pioneer of
Austrian cinema, he founded the first major film studio ''
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
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
.
Life
![Leopold Kolowrat with children 1903 Pietzner](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/Leopold_Kolowrat_with_children_1903_Pietzner.jpg)
He was born in what is now
Glen Ridge,
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
,
filmreference.com
/ref> which was then part of the now-neighboring town of Bloomfield. He was the son of Count (1852–1910) and his wife Nadine Freiin von Huppmann-Valbella (1858–1942), the daughter of a successful cigarette manufacturer from Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
. He had three siblings: Bertha, Friedrich and Heinrich.
The reason "Sascha" Kolowrat-Krakowsky was born in the US is described in a letter of March 30, 1984, from his nephew Count Colloredo-Mansfeld
The House of Colloredo-Mansfeld () is an originally Italian noble family of which a branch came to Austria in the late 16th century. There they were raised to barons in 1588, imperial counts in 1727 and imperial princes (in primogeniture) in 1763. ...
to the Austrian film scholar Walter Fritz:
After Count Leopold Kolowrat had been granted a reprieve by Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria
Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I (german: Franz Joseph Karl, hu, Ferenc József Károly, 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the Grand title of the Emperor of Austria, other states of the Habsburg m ...
, the family returned to 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 ...
. Sascha Kolowrat studied at the Catholic University of Leuven
University of Leuven or University of Louvain (french: Université de Louvain, link=no; nl, Universiteit Leuven, link=no) may refer to:
* Old University of Leuven (1425–1797)
* State University of Leuven (1817–1835)
* Catholic University of ...
(present-day ''Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
KU Leuven (or Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) is a Catholic research university in the city of Leuven, Belgium. It conducts teaching, research, and services in computer science, engineering, natural sciences, theology, humanities, medicine, l ...
'') in Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
where he became a member of the German Catholic fraternity ''Katholische Academische Verbindung Lovania Leuven
Katholische Academische Verbindung (K.A.V.) Lovania Leuven is a Catholic academic fraternity, founded in 1896 at the Catholic University of Louvain in Leuven, Belgium. It is a German Studentenverbindung and is an affiliated member of the Cartellve ...
''. He served in the army and was able to speak many European languages. After he had met Charles Pathé
Charles Morand Pathé (; 26 December 1863 – 25 December 1957) was a pioneer of the French film and recording industries. As the founder of Pathé Frères, its roots lie in 1896 Paris, France, when Pathé and his brothers pioneered the deve ...
in Paris in 1909, he got into cinematography
Cinematography (from ancient Greek κίνημα, ''kìnema'' "movement" and γράφειν, ''gràphein'' "to write") is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography.
Cinematographers use a lens to focu ...
, besides his interests in motorcycle and car racing, aviation and ballooning. In 1909, he privately filmed a car racing at the Semmering Pass
Semmering () is a mountain pass in the Eastern Northern Limestone Alps connecting Lower Austria and Styria, between which it forms a natural border.
Location
Semmering Pass is located west of Sonnwendstein and Hirschenkogel and east of the P ...
.
After the death of his father in 1910 and the inheritance of his estates in Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...
, Alexander Kolowrat founded the 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 ...
factory and a film laboratory at his castle Groß Meierhöfen (today ''Velké Dvorce'') in Pfraumberg (''Přimda''). In 1912, he moved to Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
and founded the ''Sascha-Filmfabrik'' on Pappenheimgasse 2/Treustraße in Brigittenau
Brigittenau () is the 20th district of Vienna (german: 20. Bezirk, Brigittenau). It is located north of the central districts, north of Leopoldstadt on the same island area between the Danube and the Danube Canal. Brigittenau is a heavily popula ...
. One of his first productions with Sascha-Film was the documentary ''Die Gewinnung des Erzes am steirischen Erzberg in Eisenerz'' ("The Ore Mining in the Styrian Erzberg
, photo=HochtorOedsteinGroup FromS HoherZinken.jpg
, photo_caption=Hochtor - Ödstein Group (Gesäuse) (from right to left) as seen from Hoher Zinken in the south
, country= Austria
, subdivision1_type=States
, subdivision1=
, parent= Northe ...
in Eisenerz
Eisenerz (; "Iron ore") is a market place and old mining town in the Austrian state of Styria, . N.W. of Graz by rail. Pop. (2001) 6,400. It is situated in the deep Erzbach Valley, dominated on the east by the Pfaffenstein , on the west by the ...
"). In 1915, he took over the film branch of the ''k.u.k.
The phrase Imperial and Royal (German: ''kaiserlich und königlich'', ), typically abbreviated as ''k. u. k.'', ''k. und k.'', ''k. & k.'' in German (the "und" is always spoken unabbreviated), ''cs. és k. (császári és királyi)'' in Hungari ...
Kriegspressequartier'' (War Media Quarters) in Vienna and also produced several propaganda movies during World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
Kolowrat-Krakowsky worked with many actors, e.g. the then-obscure 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 . (, ; ...
and Willi Forst
Willi Forst, born Wilhelm Anton Frohs (7 April 1903 – 11 August 1980) was an Austrian actor, screenwriter, film director, film producer and singer. As a debonair actor he was a darling of the German-speaking film audiences, as a director, one o ...
, who both performed in the 1927 silent film '' Café Elektric'' directed by Gustav Ucicky
Gustav Ucicky (6 July 1899 – 27 April 1961) was an Austrians, Austrian film director, screenwriter, and cinematographer. He was one of the more successful directors in Austria and Germany from the 1930s through to the early 1960s. His work cov ...
. He did important pioneering work in all film genres of the time. The high points of his artistic work were the productions of monumental silent movies like ''Sodom and Gomorrah
Sodom and Gomorrah () were two legendary biblical cities destroyed by God for their wickedness. Their story parallels the Genesis flood narrative in its theme of God's anger provoked by man's sin (see Genesis 19:1–28). They are mentioned frequ ...
'' (1922) or ''Die Sklavenkönigin
''The Moon of Israel'' (german: Die Sklavenkönigin, or "The Queen of the Slaves") is a 1924 Austrian epic film. It was directed by Mihaly Kertész (later Michael Curtiz). The script was written by Ladislaus Vajda, based on H. Rider Haggard's 1 ...
'' (1924), both directed by Michael Curtiz
Michael Curtiz ( ; born Manó Kaminer; since 1905 Mihály Kertész; hu, Kertész Mihály; December 24, 1886 April 10, 1962) was a Hungarian-American film director, recognized as one of the most prolific directors in history. He directed cla ...
, on the ''Laaer Berg'' in Vienna-Favoriten
Favoriten (; Central Bavarian: ''Favoritn''), the 10th district of Vienna, Austria (german: 10. Bezirk, Favoriten), is located south of the central districts. It is south of Innere Stadt, Wieden and Margareten. Favoriten is a heavily populat ...
. In 1916, he erected Austria's first huge studio in Vienna-Sievering
Sievering is a suburb of Vienna and part of Döbling, the 19th district of Vienna. Sievering was created in 1892 out of the two erstwhile independent suburbs Untersievering and Obersievering. These still exist as Katastralgemeinden.
For many y ...
. Together with his Sascha-Film company, he was the owner of several cinemas. He personally loved to attend the Münstedt Cinema in the Prater
The Prater () is a large public park in Leopoldstadt, Vienna, Austria. The Wurstelprater, an amusement park that is often simply called "Prater", lies in one corner of the Wiener Prater and includes the Wiener Riesenrad Ferris wheel.
Name
The n ...
park, as well as the Burgkino and the Opernkino. In the Vienna Prater, west of the Rotunde
The Rotunde () in Vienna was a building erected for the Weltausstellung 1873 Wien (the Vienna World Fair of 1873).
The building was a partially covered circular steel construction, 84 m (approx. 275 ft) in height and 108 m (approx. 354  ...
, he erected "Old London" in 1920 for film shots, similar to the " Venice in Vienna" theme park nearby, but smaller.
The count owned a large city palace on Wenceslas Square
Wenceslas Square (Czech: , colloquially ''Václavák'' ) is one of the main city squares and the centre of the business and cultural communities in the New Town of Prague, Czech Republic. Many historical events occurred there, and it is a tradi ...
in Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...
. An enthusiastic mobilist he financed the development of a lightweight sports car ("''Sascha-Wagen''") designed by the Austro-Daimler
Austro-Daimler was an Austro-Hungarian automaker company, from 1899 until 1934. It was a subsidiary of the German ''Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft'' (DMG) until 1909.
Early history
In 1890, Eduard Bierenz was appointed as Austrian retailer. The com ...
engineer Ferdinand Porsche
Ferdinand Porsche (3 September 1875 – 30 January 1951) was an Austrian-German automotive engineer and founder of the Porsche AG. He is best known for creating the first gasoline–electric hybrid vehicle (Lohner–Porsche), the Volkswag ...
, which ran at the 1922 Targa Florio
The Targa Florio was a public road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near the island's capital of Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 ...
with Alfred Neubauer
Alfred Neubauer (29 March 1891 in Neutitschein – 22 August 1980 in Stuttgart) was the racing manager of the Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix team from 1926 to 1955.
Biography
Neubauer's father, Karl Neubauer, was a furniture-maker in Neutitschein () ...
at the wheel.
Kolowrat died of cancer in 1927 in Vienna, aged 41. He would be referenced in the hit Dietrich-von Sternberg
Von Sternberg may refer to:
* Constantin Ivanovich von Sternberg (1852–1924), composer
* Josef von Sternberg (1894–1969), American film director
* Kaspar Maria von Sternberg (1761–1838), Bohemian theologian and botanist
* Richard M. von St ...
film collaboration ''Dishonored
''Dishonored'' is a 2012 action-adventure game developed by Arkane Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. Set in the fictional, plague-ridden industrial city of Dunwall, ''Dishonored'' follows the story of Corvo Attano, bodyguard to th ...
'' (1931), in which Marlene Dietrich plays a spy whose civilian name is Marie Kolowrat.
Filmography
* ''Die Gewinnung des Eisens am steirischen Erzberg in Eisenerz'' (1912)
* ''Der Millionenonkel'' (directed by Hubert Marischka
Hubert Marischka (27 August 1882 – 4 December 1959), brother of Ernst Marischka, was an Austrian operetta tenor, actor, film director and screenwriter.
Career
Marischka was born in Brunn am Gebirge, the son of Jiří (or Johann) Marisch ...
, 1913)
* ''Wien im Krieg'' (propaganda film, 1916)
* ''Martyr of His Heart
''Martyr of His Heart'' (German: ''Der Märtyrer seines Herzens'') is a 1918 Austrian silent historical film directed by Emil Justitz and starring Fritz Kortner, Marion Illing and Anton Pointner. It is a biopic of the composer Ludwig van Beethove ...
'' (1918)
* '' The Other I'' (1918)
* ''Eine versunkene Welt'' (1920)
* '' Gypsy Love'' (1922)
* ''Sodom und Gomorrha
''Sodom und Gomorrha: Die Legende von Sünde und Strafe'' (" Sodom and Gomorrah: The Legend of Sin and Punishment"; released in English as ''Sodom and Gomorrah'' or ''Queen of Sin and the Spectacle of Sodom and Gomorrha'') is an Austrian silent ...
'' (directed by Michael Curtiz
Michael Curtiz ( ; born Manó Kaminer; since 1905 Mihály Kertész; hu, Kertész Mihály; December 24, 1886 April 10, 1962) was a Hungarian-American film director, recognized as one of the most prolific directors in history. He directed cla ...
, 1922)
* ''Young Medardus
''Young Medardus'' (German: ''Der junge Medardus'') is a 1923 Austrian silent historical drama film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Victor Varconi, Egon von Jordan and Agnes Esterhazy.Von Dassanowsky p.21 Based on a play with the same ...
'' (directed by Michael Curtiz, 1923)
* '' Children of the Revolution'' (1923)
* '' Miss Madame'' (1923)
* ''Die Sklavenkönigin
''The Moon of Israel'' (german: Die Sklavenkönigin, or "The Queen of the Slaves") is a 1924 Austrian epic film. It was directed by Mihaly Kertész (later Michael Curtiz). The script was written by Ladislaus Vajda, based on H. Rider Haggard's 1 ...
'' (directed by Michael Curtiz, 1924)
* ''Das Spielzeug von Paris
''Das Spielzeug von Paris'' (English title ''Red Heels'') is an Austrian silent film released in 1925 and directed by Michael Curtiz. It was the first film to feature French actress Lili Damita in the leading role.
Plot
A young British bohemia ...
'' (directed by Michael Curtiz, 1925)
* ''Salammbô
''Salammbô'' (1862) is a historical novel by Gustave Flaubert. It is set in Carthage immediately before and during the Mercenary Revolt (241–237 BCE). Flaubert's principal source was Book I of the '' Histories'', written by the Greek his ...
'' (co-production with Gaumont, 1925)
* '' Café Elektric'' (directed by Gustav Ucicky
Gustav Ucicky (6 July 1899 – 27 April 1961) was an Austrians, Austrian film director, screenwriter, and cinematographer. He was one of the more successful directors in Austria and Germany from the 1930s through to the early 1960s. His work cov ...
, 1927)
Literature
* Fritz, W., & Zahradnik, M. (eds.), 1992: ''Erinnerungen an S. Kolowrat'' (''Schriftenreihe des Österreichischen Filmarchivs 31'')
* Hübl, I. M. & S. K., 1950: ''Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der österreichischen Kinematographie''
References
External links
*
*
Eintrag in aeiou.at
Graf Bobby als Couleurstudent, in Academia (ÖCV) 2/2006
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kolowrat, Alexander
Austrian film producers
Counts of Austria
Bohemian nobility
Austrian people of Czech descent
Austro-Hungarian expatriates in the United States
1886 births
1927 deaths
Catholic University of Leuven alumni