| Emeric Pressburger |
Article Index for Emeric |
Information AboutEmeric Pressburger |
|
Emeric Pressburger ( December 5 1902 – February 5 1988 ) was a Jewish Hungarian screenwriter and producer, who emigrated to England in the 1930s . He is best known for his series of Collaborations with Michael Powell . Born ''Imre József Pressburger'' in Miskolc , Austria-Hungary (now in Hungary ), and educated at the Universities of Prague and Stuttgart , he started out as a journalist. After working in Hungary and Germany he turned to screenwriting in the late 1920s , working for UFA in Berlin . The rise of the Nazis forced him to flee to Paris , where he again worked as screenwriter, and then to London . He later said, "the worst things that happened to me were the political consequences of events beyond my control ... the best things were exactly the same." In England he found a small community of Hungarian film-makers who had fled the Nazis , including the influential Alexander Korda , owner of London Films , who employed him as a screenwriter. There he met film director Michael Powell , and they worked together on '' The Spy In Black '' ( 1939 ). Their Partnership would produce some of the finest British films of the period. In as a producer on films such as '' Trainspotting '' ( 1996 ), and Kevin Macdonald as an Oscar -winning director. Kevin has written a biography of his grandfather, and a documentary about his life, ''The Making of an Englishman'' ( 1995 ). Pressburger was made a Fellow of BAFTA in 1981 , and a Fellow of the BFI in 1983 . In later years he lived in Suffolk , England. He died 5 February 1988 of bronchial pneumonia while still living in Saxstead, Suffolk, England. FILMOGRAPHY For his films with Michael Powell, see Early work His early films were made mainly in Germany and France where he worked as Dramaturgie department at the Ufa Studio as well as a scriptwriter. Some of the films made in Germany have French titles and vice-versa. In the 1930s many European films were made in different versions for each of the main European languages
In 1932/33, when the Nazis are elected to power, the head of Ufa decided to get rid of all Jews so Pressburger was told his contract wouldn't be renewed. He left his Berlin apartment, "leaving the key in the door so that the Stormtrooper s wouldn't have to break the door down" and went to Paris .
Late in 1935 he decided that he would do better in England . (Remember that film scripts are written some time before the film is made and released so some films that he worked on were released in France some time after he left).
Middle period In 1939, Pressburger was introduced to Michael Powell to work together on The Spy In Black . They had an instant rapport and went on to make 20 films together in less than 20 years, many of them world-class. But even while he was working with Powell, Pressburger still did some projects on his own.
It is worth noting that he wasn't just "Michael Powell's screenwriter" as some have categorised him. The films they made together in this period were mainly original stories by Pressburger who also did most of the work of a Producer for the team. Pressburger was also more involved in the editing process than Powell was and, as a musician, Pressburger was also involved in the choice of music for their films. Later work As Powell and Pressburger began to go their separate ways after the war they remained great friends but wanted to explore different things having done about as much as they could together.
OTHER WORKS
PERSONAL QUOTES
REFERENCES
EXTERNAL LINKS |