Joseph Delmont
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Joseph Delmont (8 May 1873 as Josef Pollak in Loiwein, Austria – 12 March 1935 in Píšťany, Slovakia) was an
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
n
film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...
of some 200 films, largely shorts, in which he was noted for his innovative use of beasts of prey. He was also a cameraman, actor and screenplay writer. During later life he was active as an
author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...
.


Life

Delmont was born in 1873 as one of 16 children of Moses (later Maximilian) Pollak and Resi (or Rösi, later Theresia) née Fuchs, in Loywein, Lower Austria (Austria). He grew up as a performer, latterly a
trapeze artist A trapeze is a short horizontal bar hung by ropes or metal straps from a ceiling support. It is an aerial apparatus commonly found in circus performances. Trapeze acts may be static, spinning (rigged from a single point), swinging or flying, an ...
, in a travelling circus. After training as a metal worker, he re-joined the circus as an animal trainer and
lion tamer Lion taming is the taming and training of lions, either for protection or for use in entertainment, such as the circus. The term often applies to the taming and display of lions and other big cats such as tigers, leopards, jaguars, black pa ...
, in which capacity he traveled the world. In 1901 he visited the United States, and stayed there in order to work as a manager of an animal business. After visiting several shows of the new medium of film and becoming interested in it, Delmont started to make his own films in 1903 for the film production company
Vitagraph Vitagraph Studios, also known as the Vitagraph Company of America, was a United States motion picture studio. It was founded by J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith in 1897 in Brooklyn, New York, as the American Vitagraph Company. By 1907, ...
. These were short Westerns, one-act movies or one-reelers lasting only a few minutes. In 1905 he made his first two-act movie. During 1910 he returned 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 ...
where among other things he worked for the Österreichisch-Ungarische Kinoindustrie (later Wiener-Kunstfilm) as a cameraman, and was thus cameraman, and also technical director and director of scenery, on the oldest Austrian drama film to survive in its entirety: '' Der Müller und sein Kind'' of 1911. Soon afterwards, he went to Germany. In
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 ...
, he directed in several studios, among them the Rex-Ateliers, sometimes working as co-director with
Harry Piel Heinrich Piel (12 July 1892 – 27 March 1963), known professionally as Harry Piel, was a prolific German actor, film director, screenwriter, and film producer who was involved in over 150 films. Piel became a director in 1912, turning out such ...
, and sometimes acting with Fred Sauer,
Curt Bois Curt Bois (born Kurt Boas; April 5, 1901 – December 25, 1991) was a German actor with a career spanning over 80 years. He is best remembered for his performances as the pickpocket in ''Casablanca'' (1942) and the poet Homer in ''Wings of Desi ...
and Ilse Bois on a series of adventurous, action-packed, dramatic fantasy films. The sensational part of these films was that, for the first time, extraordinary film footage of beasts of prey was shown and for which his films were well-known. Later on, Delmont collaborated with film producer
Max Nivelli Max Nivelli (January 1, 1878 - February 27, 1926) was a film producer in Berlin during the Weimar Republic era. He was among the first to examine the issues of anti-Semitism and prejudice in his films. Nivelli died at an early age (48) and worked ...
in the making of several films of social and political nature, which made headlines in major newspapers of the
Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic (german: link=no, Weimarer Republik ), officially named the German Reich, was the government of Germany from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional federal republic for the first time in history; hence it is al ...
era. In 1919 he directed the film ''The Outcasts'' also known as ''The Ritual Murder'' (German: ''Die Geächteten / Der Ritualmord'') which was aimed at educating the public on the dangers of
anti-Semitism Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...
. The movie tried to address the growing concern by the German public of the flood of Jewish immigrants arriving from Eastern Europe. Another socially important film directed by Delmont in 1920, for which he also wrote the screenplay, was ''
Humanity Unleashed ''Humanity Unleashed'' (german: Die entfesselte Menschheit) is a 1920 German silent drama film directed by Joseph Delmont and starring Eugen Klöpfer, Paul Hartmann and Carl de Vogt. The film portrays a violent leftist attempt to seize power ...
'' (German: ''Die entfesselte Menschheit''). The film was based on the novel by the same name written by
Max Glass Max Glass (12 June 1881 – 18 July 1965) was an Austrian screenwriter, film director, and producer. Glass was born in Jaroslau, which was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, into a Jewish family, but later converted to Catholicism. ...
and was considered as one of the anti-
Bolshevik The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...
films of that era. The story, although fictional, described an event very similar to the "
Spartacist uprising The Spartacist uprising (German: ), also known as the January uprising (), was a general strike and the accompanying armed struggles that took place in Berlin from 5 to 12 January 1919. It occurred in connection with the November Revolutio ...
" which occurred only the year before. Large parts of this film were used in 1926 by Delmont in the film ''Unity, Justice and Freedom (German: Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit)''. For the making of his movies Delmont traveled to
Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...
, Portugal, England, France, Spain and the Netherlands. His last project as a director was in the film ''Der Millionenraub im Rivieraexpreß'' (1927). From then on, he devoted himself to writing, something he had dabbled in since 1892. By the time of his death in 1935 he had written several novels and short stories, and many newspaper articles. Besides detective stories and non-fiction work about his experiences with animals, he also wrote adventure and crime novels. With ''"Der Ritt auf dem Funken"'' (1928) he published a futuristic
science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
novel about the possibility of travelling with vehicles on electric currents in the near future. Delmont died in 1935 in Bad Pystian, now Píšťany, Slovakia.


Filmography

The following is a selected list of films, both short and long, directed by Delmont. In many he also wrote the screenplay or appeared as an actor. * ''Der Müller und sein Kind'' (I), 1910 (Germany; screenplay only) * '' Der Müller und sein Kind'' (II), 1911 (Austria; camera and technical direction) * ''Der Streikbrecher'', 1911 (Germany) * ''Mutter und Sohn'', 1911 (Germany) * ''Verirrte Seelen'', 1911 (Germany) * ''Das sechste Gebot'', 1912 (Germany) * ''Der Fremde'', 1912 (Germany) * ''Die Puppe'', 1912 (Germany) * ''Schuld und Sühne'', 1912 (Germany; screenplay) * ''Der wilde Jäger'', 1912 (Germany; screenplay) * ''Dichterlos'', 1912 (Germany) * ''Das Sterben im Walde'', 1912 (Germany; screenplay, actor) * ''Das Recht aufs Dasein'', 1913 (Germany; crime film; actor with, among others, Ilse Bois; 880 metres) * ''Der letzte Akkord'', 1913 (Germany; screenplay) * ''Das rote Pulver'', 1913 (Germany; screenplay) * ''Das Tagebuch eines Toten'', 1913 (Germany) * ''Auf einsamer Insel'', 1913 (Germany; screenplay, actor) * ''Der geheimnisvolle Klub'', 1913 (Germany; actor with, among others, Ilse Bois, Fred Sauer; 851 metres) * ''Der Desperado von Panama'', 1914 (Germany; actor) * ''Ein Erbe wird gesucht'', 1915 (Germany) * ''Ein ungeschriebenes Blatt'', 1915 (Germany; screenplay) * ''Der Silbertunnel'', 1915 (Germany) * ''Titanenkampf'', 1916 (Germany; screenplay) * ''Theophrastus Paracelsus'', 1916 (Germany; screenplay) * ''Die Töchter des Eichmeisters'', 1916 (Germany; screenplay) * ''Das Geheimnis des Waldes'', 1917 (Austria 1917; co-director with
Hans Otto Löwenstein Hans Otto Löwenstein (1881–1931) was an Austrian film director and screenwriter of the silent era.Zipes p.169 Selected filmography * '' Emperor Charles'' (1921) * '' The Ragpicker of Paris'' (1922) * ''Modern Marriages'' (1924) * ''Colonel ...
, screenplay) * ''Die Geächteten'', also known as: ''Der Ritualmord'', 1919 (Germany; Director) * ''Der Bastard'', 1919 (Germany; screenplay) * ''Margot de Plaisance'', 1919 (Germany; screenplay) * '' Battle of the Sexes'', 1920 (Germany; screenplay) * ''
Humanity Unleashed ''Humanity Unleashed'' (german: Die entfesselte Menschheit) is a 1920 German silent drama film directed by Joseph Delmont and starring Eugen Klöpfer, Paul Hartmann and Carl de Vogt. The film portrays a violent leftist attempt to seize power ...
'', 1920 (Germany; Director, screenplay) * ''Die Insel der Gezeichneten'', 1920 (Germany) * ''
Madame Récamier Madame may refer to: * Madam, civility title or form of address for women, derived from the French * Madam (prostitution), a term for a woman who is engaged in the business of procuring prostitutes, usually the manager of a brothel * ''Madame'' ...
''/ ''Des Großen Talma letzte Liebe'', 1920 (Germany) * ''Der König der Manege'', 1921 (Germany; co-author of screenplay, Schauspiel) * ''Die eiserne Faust'', 1921 (Germany) * ''Julot, der Apache'', 1921 (Germany; screenplay) * '' The Man of Steel'' (1922) (Germany) * ''
The Maharaja's Victory ''The Maharaja's Victory'' (german: Der Sieg des Maharadscha) is a 1923 German silent film directed by Joseph Delmont and starring Luciano Albertini, Erich Kaiser-Titz and Wilhelm Diegelmann.Krautz p. 383 The film's sets were designed by the ...
'' (1923) (Germany) * ''Marco unter Gauklern und Bestien'', 1923 (Germany) * ''Mater Dolorosa'', 1924 (Germany) * '' Around a Million'' (1924) (Germany; co-director, screenplay) * ''Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit'', 1926 (Germany; Director) * ''Der Millionenraub im Rivieraexpreß'', 1925-27 (Germany/France 1925-1927)


Literary works

The
German National Library The German National Library (DNB; german: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek) is the central archival library and national bibliographic centre for the Federal Republic of Germany. It is one of the largest libraries in the world. Its task is to colle ...
knows of 15 novels and 11 other works by Joseph Delmont, of which the following are a selection: * ''Wilde Tiere im Film: Erlebnisse aus meinen Filmaufnahmen in aller Welt.'' Dieck, Stuttgart 1925 (non-fictional account of his experiences with animals; went through 14 editions) * ''Die Stadt unter dem Meere.'' Leipzig 1925 (novel) * ''In Ketten.'' Fr. Wilh. Grunow, Leipzig 1926 (reprinted several times in the following years under the title ''Juden in Ketten'') * ''Von lustigen Tieren und dummen Menschen: Eine Melange.'' Neue Berliner Verlags-GmbH, Berlin 1927 * ''Abenteuer mit wilden Tieren: Erlebnisse e. Raubtierfängers'' Enßlin & Laiblin, Reutlingen 1927 (part of the collection "Aus weiter Welt") * ''Der Gefangene der Wüste'' Neufeld & Henius, Berlin 1927 * ''Die Sieben Häuser: Wanderfahrten e. Lausbuben.'' Grethlein & Co., Leipzig 1927 * ''Der Ritt auf dem Funken: Phantastischer Zukunftsroman.'' O. Janke, Berlin 1928 * ''Der Casanova von Bautzen.'' Leipzig 1931; new edition Lusatia-Verlag, Bautzen 2005 * ''Die Abenteuer des Johnny Kilburn.'' F. W. Grunow, Leipzig 1934


References

* Winkler, Gerhard, 2005: ''Joseph Delmont: 1873 - 1935; Abenteurer - Filmer - Schriftsteller; sein Leben - seine Filme - seine Bücher.'' St. Pölten: Dokumentationsstelle für Literatur in Niederösterreich – Literaturedaktion Niederösterreich


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Delmont, Joseph 1893 births 1935 deaths People from Krems-Land District 20th-century Austrian novelists Animal trainers Austrian Jews Austrian film directors Austrian non-fiction writers Austrian fantasy writers Austrian male short story writers Austrian travel writers Austrian cinematographers Austrian circus performers German-language film directors Jewish Austrian writers Austrian male novelists Austrian male screenwriters 20th-century short story writers 20th-century Austrian screenwriters 20th-century Austrian male writers 20th-century non-fiction writers Male non-fiction writers