Székesfehérvár
Székesfehérvár (; german: Stuhlweißenburg ), known colloquially as Fehérvár ("white castle"), is a city in central Hungary, and the country's ninth-largest city. It is the regional capital of Central Transdanubia, and the centre of Fejér ...
– 30 March 1945 in
Budapest
Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...
) was a Hungarian film director, one of the most prominent of the early 20th century. He was prominent in both silent and voiced productions, and is most known for movies like ''Havi 200 fix'', ''Ópiumkeringő'', and ''Úrilány szobát keres''.
Biography
Béla Balogh was born on 1 January 1885, in Székesfehérvár, as a child of a theatrical family. His grandfather, István Balogh was a playwright, his aunt and uncle were successful actors, and his father, Gusztáv Balogh was a conductor, touring the country with different companies. Out of his eleven siblings - him being the youngest - only two, a sister and a brother survived. He trained to be an actor from a young age, starting in the Barcsai Street high school's drama society.
He became the member of the Népligeti acting group in 1904, the penny theatre of the People's Park in Budapest. He later worked in the countryside in musical productions and as director, returning to the capital in 1908, working in
Újpest
Újpest (; german: Neu-Pest, en, New Pest) is the 4th District in Budapest, Hungary. It is located on the left bank of the Danube River. The name Újpest means "New Pest" because the city was formed on the border of the city of Pest, Hungary i ...
, and from 1911 in Budapest, in the Royal Orfeum, as a stage inspector in the
Budapest Opera
The Hungarian State Opera House ( hu, Magyar Állami Operaház) is a neo-Renaissance opera house located in central Budapest, on Andrássy út. Originally known as the Hungarian Royal Opera House, it was designed by Miklós Ybl, a major figure of ...
, and he also managed a small movie theatre.
In 1915 he married actress Margit Kornai (Mária Kronémer), mother of writer
Mária Szepes
Mária Szepes (; 14 December 1908 – 3 September 2007) was a Hungarian author. She worked as a journalist and screenwriter, as well as an independent author in the field of hermetic philosophy since 1941. She would sometimes write under the ...
. After serving one year in World War I he successfully simulated neurosis, and after being declared disabled by army medicals, he was discharged. Developing their previous company ''Balogh & Mogán'', Balogh then worked with his wife on the founding of the Astra Film Factory, becoming its first artistic director. In 1919 the German Star Film Company invited Balogh to work as a director in their newly built studio in Pasarét. Like other industry talents
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 ...
and
Alexander Korda
Sir Alexander Korda (; born Sándor László Kellner; hu, Korda Sándor; 16 September 1893 – 23 January 1956)Sascha Company from
Vienna
en, Viennese
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, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
. But unlike his contemporaries, he turned them down, citing his fears working outside Hungary, and no knowledge of language.Szepes, Mária. Emberek és jelmezek. Budapest: Kozmosz Könyvek, 1988.
During the
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 ( ...
in 1919 his films got banned. The following Horthy government also investigated on him a year later for "conspirating with communists" (on 1 May 1919 Balogh shoot a short film of the festival on
Margaret Island
Margaret Island ( hu, Margitsziget ; german: Margareteninsel; tr, Kızadası) is a long island, wide, ( in area) in the middle of the Danube in central Budapest, Hungary. The island is mostly covered by landscape parks, and is a popular recrea ...
). The charges were dropped a few months later. Although he became the chief director of the Star Studio between 1920–24, he fall into the background during the twenties, which made him fall into deep depression. He shoot educational films for the People's Park Pedagogical Film Company, for small fees. Following the urging of his wife, he travelled to
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
for better opportunities in 1926. Although he managed to raise funds for a film, he fell ill, and travelled back home. To make a living, and against his will, he taught private students with filming ambitions. For monetary reasons, he moved back to Berlin with his family, living there between 1931-1933. From 1935 he started directing again, producing his most memorable movies, including ''Édes mostoha'', ''A megfagyott gyermek'' (the voiced version of his 1921 film) or ''Havi 200 fix'', working together with the biggest stars of his era, like Pál Jávor,
Gyula Kabos
Gyula Kabos (19 March 1887, Budapest – 6 October 1941, New York) was a Hungarian actor and comedian, widely known for his comedic movie roles in the late 1930s.
Biography
Early years
Kabos was born on 19 March 1887, in Budapest as Gyul ...
or Antal Páger. In 1941 he started a new company, Balogh Film LLC, producing two films during
WWII
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 last one being ''Ópiumkeringő'' with actress
Katalin Karády
Katalin Karády (8 December 1910 – 8 February 1990) was a Hungarian actress and singer. A leading actress in Hungarian movies made between 1939–1945, she is best known outside Hungary as an awardee of the Righteous among the Nations hono ...
, after which the war forced Balogh to liquidate the firm. Balogh being seriously ill, the family survived the siege of Budapest in their summer cottage in
Leányfalu
Leányfalu is a riverside village in Pest county, Budapest metropolitan area, Hungary. It is just north of Szentendre located at . Located between the branch of the Little Danube (Kis-Duna) and the spurs of the Visegrád Mountains, Leányfalu str ...
. As the conditions of war prevented a proper diagnosis, Béla Balogh died in 1945 in the hospital of
Szentendre
Szentendre () is a riverside town in Pest County, Hungary, between the capital city Budapest and Pilis Mountains, Pilis-Visegrád Mountains. The town is known for its museums (most notably the :hu: Szentendrei Szabadtéri Néprajzi Múzeum, Open- ...
.
Legacy
Throughout his life, Béla Balogh directed 50 silent and 17 voiced movies, with numerous experiments in the language of motion picture, he was a pioneer of
Hungarian cinema
Hungary has had a notable cinema industry since the beginning of the 20th century, including Hungarians who affected the world of motion pictures both within and beyond the country's borders. The former could be characterized by directors Istv ...
. Bearing his name, the
Balogh Béla Studio Balogh is a Hungarian surname of nobility, a variant of Balog, see article Balog (genus). Notable people with the surname include:
* Ádám Balogh, one of the most famous kuruc colonels during Rákóczi's War for Independence
*Béla Balogh, a Hun ...
, founded in 1960, was the main workshop of Hungarian films until the change of regime.
Selected filmography
*''Az obsitos'' (1917)
*''Tilos a csók'' (1919)
* ''
Under the Mountains
''Under the Mountains'' (Hungarian: ''Hegyek alján'') is a 1920 Hungarian silent drama film directed by Béla Balogh and starring Oszkár Dénes, Ila Lóth and László Mihó.
Cast
* Oszkár Dénes - Sebastiano, földbirtokos
* Ila Lót ...
'' (1920)
* ''
Soldiers of the Emperor
''Soldiers of the Emperor'' (Hungarian: ''A Császár katonái'') is a 1918 Hungarian silent drama film directed by Béla Balogh
Béla Balogh (1 January 1885 in Székesfehérvár – 30 March 1945 in Budapest) was a Hungarian film dire ...
'' (1920)
*''
The Frozen Child
''The Frozen Child'' (Hungarian:''A Megfagyott gyermek'') is a 1921 Hungarian silent drama film directed by Béla Balogh and starring Mária Szepes, Ferenc Szécsi, Anna Breznay and Viktor Galánthay. It is one of the few surviving Hungarian ...
'' (1921)
*''A lélek órása'' (1923)
*''Fehér galambok fekete városban'' (1923)
*''Aranymadár'' (1924)
*''Havi 200 fix'' (1936)
*''A megfagyott gyermek (Tomi)'' (1936)
*''Úrilány szobát keres'' (1937)
*''Pénz áll a házhoz'' (1939)
*''Rózsafabot'' (1940)
*''Ópiumkeringő'' (1943)
References
- Béla Balogh in the Hungarian Bibliographical Lexicon (Kenyeres, Ágnes. Magyar életrajzi lexikon 1000-1990. Budapest : Arcanum Adatbázis, 2001. ), freely available on http://mek.niif.hu