Eduard von Borsody

Eduard von Borsody (13 June 1898, Vienna – 1 January 1970, also in Vienna) was an Austrian cameraman, film editor, film director and screenplay writer.

Life

Eduard von Borsody began his film career as a cameraman. Among his first jobs were three films on which Mihály Kertész (later Michael Curtiz) carried out the production design for the Vienna-based Sascha-Film: an Arthur Schnitzler adaptation "Der junge Medardus" (1923), the romance "Fiaker Nr. 13" and the artist's life "Der goldene Schmetterling" (both 1926). Later he worked with such different directors as Carl Wilhelm, Ernö Metzner, Gustav Ucicky and Max Nosseck.

After the switch to sound film he was engaged by the German industry leader Universum Film AG (Ufa) as a film editor (cutter). Eduard von Borsody thereafter often worked under Ucicky's direction and edited for him, among many other films, the National Socialist propaganda films "Morgenrot" and "Flüchtlinge". After some experience as assistant director – also with Ucicky – and a series of short dramas, in 1937 he directed and designed for Ufa the first film of his own: "Brillanten" ("Diamonds"). The leading roles in this crime thriller were played by Hans Olden, Viktor Staal and Hansi Knoteck.

His next films also belonged to the action genre. "Kautschuk" ("Rubber") (1938), with René Deltgen, Gustav Diessl and Vera von Langen, was an adventure film showing the story of the Englishman Henry Wickham, who in 1876 smuggled rubber seeds to England to break the Brazilian monopoly. The film was classed as "Politically and artistically valuable". "Sensationsprozeß Casilla" (1939), with Heinrich George, Jutta Freybe and Albert Hehn, is about a child abduction. With "Kongo-Express" (also in 1939) Borsody again shot an adventure film in a tropical setting in an attempt to capitalise on the success of "Kautschuk". Willy Birgel, Marianne Hoppe and René Deltgen starred. The set designer Anton Weber was contracted as a specialist for the more complicated special effects.

Once World War II began, light cheerful escapist films were much in demand, and Eduard von Borsody was cinematographer for the smash hit romantic musical drama "Wunschkonzert" ("Request Concert"), one of the most successful films of the entire Nazi period. Ilse Werner plays a young Berliner, who patiently and trustingly awaits the return of the man to whom she is engaged, played by Carl Raddatz, ordered on a secret mission to Spain. The film was classified as "politically valuable", "artistically valuable", "valuable for the people" ["Volkstümlich wertvoll"] and "valuable for youth", and took 7.6 million Reichsmarks. The last film that Borsody shot before the end of the war, the Gottfried Keller adaptation "Jugendliebe", with Rose Marten and John Pauls-Harding, fell foul of the film censor and did not have its opening until 1947.

After the end of the war Borsody had no trouble continuing his film career despite his previous involvement in propaganda films. After a number of "Heimatfilme" came his best-known post-war film, the romantic comedy of 1956 "Dany, bitte schreiben Sie" ("Dany, Please Write!"), with Sonja Ziemann and Rudolf Prack, and the smuggling film "Liane, das Mädchen aus dem Urwald", with which he returned to the exotic. His next film, "Skandal um Dodo" (1958), is of interest only because it was one of the first post-war films in German to star a black woman.

Eduard von Borsody was the father of the actor Hans von Borsody and the younger brother of the great set designer Julius von Borsody.

Filmography

Silent films

as cameraman if not indicated otherwise:
* Der Junge Medardus (1923) – camera (with Gustav Ucicky)
* Die vertauschte Braut (1925, directed by Carl Wilhelm)
* Liebesgeschichten/Mädels von heute (1925)
* Der Bastard (1925)
* Die Mühle von Sanssouci (1926) - camera assistant
* Fiaker Nr. 13 (1926) – camera (with Gustav Ucicky)
* Dürfen wir schweigen? (1926)
* Die dritte Eskadron (1926, directed by Carl Wilhelm - camera, with Gustav Ucicky)
* Der goldene Schmetterling (1926) – camera (with Gustav Ucicky)
* Pratermizzi (1927, directed by Karl Leiter, Gustav Ucicky)
* Tingel Tangel (1927, directed by Gustav Ucicky)
* Höhere Töchter (1927)
* Polizeibericht Überfall (1928)
* Es zogen drei Burschen (1928, directed by Carl Wilhelm)
* Der Fall des Staatsanwalts M... (1928)
* Die Dame auf der Banknote (1929)
* Der Ruf des Nordens/Polarstürme (1929)
* Liebeskleeblatt (1930)
* Die Jugendgeliebte/Goethe's Jugendgeliebte (1930)
* Rivalen im Weltrekord (1930)
* Der Tanz ins Glück (1930)

Sound films to 1945

* Yorck (Gustav Ucicky, 1931) - assistant director, editor
* Das schöne Abenteuer/La belle aventure (Reinhold Schünzel, 1932) - editor
* Morgenrot (Gustav Ucicky, 1933) - editor
* Flüchtlinge (Gustav Ucicky, 1933) - assistant director, editor
* Der junge Baron Neuhaus (Gustav Ucicky, 1934) - editor
* Frischer Wind aus Kanada (Erich Holder, Heinz Kentner, 1935) - editor
* Das Mädchen Johanna (Gustav Ucicky, 1935) - assistant director, editor
* Schnitzel fliegt (1935; drama short film) - director, screenplay
* Die letzten Vier von Santa Cruz (Werner Klingler, 1936) - editor
* Savoy-Hotel 217 (Gustav Ucicky, 1936) - editor
* Was ein Häkchen werden will (1936; drama short film) - director
* Stradivaris Schülergeige (1936; drama short film) - director
* Rosen und Liebe (1936; drama short film) - director
* Patentkunstschloss (1936; drama short film) - director
* In 40 Minuten (1936; drama short film) - director
* Die Hochzeitsreise (1936; drama short film) - director
* Früh übt sich (1936; drama short film) - director
* Du bist so schön, Berlinerin (1936; drama short film) - director
* Der Mann, der Sherlock Holmes war (Karl Hartl) - assistant director
* Jürgens riecht Lunte (1937; drama short film) - director, screenplay
* Brillanten (1937) - director
* Die Bombenidee (1937; drama short film) - director
* Kautschuk/Die Grüne Hölle (1938) - director, screenplay
* Sensationsprozess Casilla (1939) - director
* Kongo-Express (1939) - director, screenplay
* Wunschkonzert (1940) - director, screenplay
* Wen die Götter lieben (Karl Hartl, 1942) - screenplay

Post-war films

* Jugendliebe/Übers Jahr, wenn die Kornblumen blühen (1944/47) - director
* Die Frau am Wege (Austria 1948, with Brigitte Horney) - director, screenplay
* Arlberg-Express (Austria 1948, with Paul Hubschmid and Elfe Gerhart) - director
* Angela/Schatten über dem Vergeiner Hof/Weißes Gold (Austria 1949, with Angela Salloker) - director, screenplay
* Hochzeit mit Erika (BRD 1950, with Marianne Schönauer and Wolfgang Lukschy) - director, screenplay
* Die Kreuzlschreiber (1950) - director, screenplay
* Das vierte Gebot/Die Kupplerin (Austria 1950, with Attila Hörbiger) - director, screenplay
* Sensation im Savoy/Vera setzt sich durch (BRD 1950, with Sybille Schmitz and Harald Paulsen) - director
* Rausch einer Nacht/Alexa (BRD 1951, with Christl Mardayn) - director
* Verlorene Melodie (Austria 1952, with Elfie Mayerhofer) - director, screenplay
* Ich hab' mich so an Dich gewöhnt/Geschiedenes Fräulein (Austria 1952, with Inge Egger and O. W. Fischer) - director, screenplay
* Die Wirtin von Maria Wörth (Austria 1952, with Isa and Jutta Günther) - director, screenplay
* Ich und meine Frau (Austria 1953, with Attila Hörbiger) - director, screenplay
* Hab' ich nur deine Liebe (Austria 1953) - director
* Maxie (Austria 1954, with Cornell Borchers) - director, screenplay
* Der Major und die Stiere (BRD 1955, with Attila Hörbiger and Christiane Hörbiger) - director
* Geliebte Corinna (BRD 1956, with Elisabeth Müller and Hans Söhnker) - director
* Dany, bitte schreiben Sie (BRD 1956) - director, screenplay
* Liane, das Mädchen aus dem Urwald (BRD 1956, with Marion Michael and Hardy Krüger) - director
* Skandal um Dodo (Austria 1958, with Olive Moorefield and Karin Dor) - director
* Der Schäfer vom Trutzberg (BRD 1959, with Heidi Brühl and Hans von Borsody) - director
* Traumrevue (Austria 1959, with Waltraut Haas and Eva Pawlik) - director
* Wenn die Glocken hell erklingen (Austria 1959, with Willy Birgel) - director, screenplay
* Liane, die Tochter des Dschungels (BRD 1961, with Marion Michael and Hardy Krüger) – director (uncredited, with Hermann Leitner)
* Romanze in Venedig (Austria 1962, with Willy Birgel and Ann Smyrner) - director, screenplay
* Sturm am wilden Kaiser/Bergwind (Austria 1963, with Alwy Becker and Hans von Borsody) - director, screenplay

Sources

* CineGraph. Lexikon zum deutschsprachigen Film

References

External links

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* [http://www.filmportal.de/df/50/Uebersicht,,,,,,,,FAD7E613B57047B595FADC015174E3EE,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,.html www.filmportal.de]