István Mihály (1892–1945) was a Hungarian

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

and

lyricist A lyricist is a writer who writes lyrics (the spoken words), as opposed to a composer, who writes the song's music which may include but not limited to the melody, harmony, arrangement and accompaniment. Royalties A lyricist's income derives ...

. He combined employment in the Hungarian film industry alongside work writing for

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

s.Khatib p.37 Mihály was born to a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

family in

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

. He began working in the

silent era A silent film is a film without 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, wh ...

, and directed a single film ''

The Seventh Veil ''The Seventh Veil'' is a 1945 British melodrama film directed by Compton Bennett and starring James Mason and Ann Todd. It was made by Ortus Films (a company established by producer Sydney Box) and released through General Film Distributors ...

'' (1927). His career flourished in the 1930s following the introduction of

sound film A sound film is a Film, motion picture with synchronization, 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, bu ...

, but the

Anti-Jewish laws Anti-Jewish laws have been a common occurrence throughout the history of antisemitism and Jewish history. Examples of such laws include special Jewish quotas, Jewish taxes and Jewish "disabilities". During the 1930s and early 1940s, some law ...

enacted by the Horthy regime forced him to work using an alias during the 1940s. In 1944 following the German invasion that brought the

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

-backed Arrow Cross to power he was arrested due to his Jewish background and subject to

forced labour Forced labour, or unfree labour, is any work relation, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will with the threat of destitution, detention, or violence, including death or other forms of ...

. In a weakened condition he died in

Bruck an der Leitha Bruck an der Leitha (; "Bridge on the Leitha") is a town in the Austrian state of Lower Austria on the border of Burgenland, marked by the Leitha river. In 2018 it had a population of around 8,000. History In and around Bruck parts of Neolithi ...

Selected filmography

As director and writer

* ''

'' (1927)

As writer only

* '' Flying Gold'' (1932) * ''

Miss Iza ''Miss Iza'' (Hungarian: ''Iza néni'') is a 1933 Hungarian comedy film directed by Steve Sekely, Istvan Szekeley and starring Sári Fedák, Pál Jávor (actor), Pál Jávor and Ella Gombaszögi. It was shot at the Hunnia Studios in Budapest. The ...

'' (1933) * ''

Judgment of Lake Balaton ''Judgment of Lake Balaton'' or ''Balaton Condemned'' (German title: ''Menschen im Sturm'') is a 1933 Austrian-Hungarian drama film directed by Werner Hochbaum and starring Gyula Csortos, Maria Mindzenty and Antal Páger. It is now a lost fi ...

'' (1933) * ''

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...

'' (1934) * ''

Cornflower ''Centaurea cyanus'', commonly known as cornflower or bachelor's button (among other names), is an annual flowering plant in the family Asteraceae native to Europe. In the past, it often grew as a weed in cornfields (in the broad sense of "co ...

'' (1934) * ''

Everything for the Woman Everything, every-thing, or every thing, is all that existence, exists; it is an antithesis of ''nothing'', or its Set complement, complement. It is the totality of things relevant to some theory, subject matter. Without expressed or implied Ma ...

'' (1934) * ''

Romance of Ida ''Romance of Ida'' (Hungarian: ''Ida regénye'') is a 1934 Hungarian drama film directed by Steve Sekely and starring Gábor Rajnay, Irén Ágay and Pál Jávor.Bolton & Wright p.53 It is based on a novel by Géza Gárdonyi. It was shot at th ...

'' (1934) * ''

Purple Lilacs ''Purple Lilacs'' (Hungarian: ''Lila akác'') is a 1934 Hungarian musical comedy film directed by Steve Sekely and starring Irén Ágay, Irén Biller and György Nagy. It was shot at the Hunnia Studios in Budapest. The film's sets were designe ...

'' (1934) * ''

The Empress and the Hussar ''The Empress and the Hussar'' (Hungarian: ''A királyné huszárja'') is a 1935 Hungarian historical drama film directed by István György and starring Ilona Dajbukát, László Perényi and Lili Berky. It was shot at the Hunnia Studios in Bud ...

'' (1935) * '' Family Bonus'' (1937) * '' Help, I'm an Heiress'' (1937) * ''

Black Diamonds Carbonado, commonly known as black diamond, is one of the toughest forms of natural diamond. It is an impure, high-density, micro-porous form of polycrystalline diamond consisting of diamond, graphite, and amorphous carbon, with minor crystal ...

'' (1938) * '' Number 111'' (1938) * ''

The Henpecked Husband ''The Henpecked Husband'' (Hungarian: ''Papucshös'') is a 1938 Hungarian comedy film directed by Johann von Vásáry and starring Gyula Kabos, Mici Erdélyi and Tivadar Bilicsi. Rîpeanu p.64 It was shot at the Hunnia Studios in Budapest. The f ...

'' (1938) * ''

Wedding in Toprin ''Wedding in Toprin'' (Hungarian: ''Toprini nász'') is a 1939 Hungarian spy adventure film directed by André de Toth and starring Klári Tolnay, Pál Jávor and Ferenc Kiss. The film's sets were designed by the art director Márton Vincze. I ...

'' (1939) * '' Machita'' (1944)

References

Bibliography

* Khatib, Lina H., ''Storytelling in World Cinemas, Volume 1''. Columbia University Press, 2012. * Juhász, István, ''Kincses magyar filmtár 1931–1944: az eredeti forgatókönyvből 1931 és 1944 között létrejött hazai mozgóképekről''. Kráter, 2007.

External links

* 1892 births 1945 deaths Hungarian lyricists Hungarian screenwriters Writers from Budapest Jewish Hungarian writers Hungarian Jews who died in the Holocaust Hungarian World War II forced labourers {{Hungary-writer-stub