Alexander Korda, Early life, Family, Hollywood. September 1. 89. 3 - 2. January 1. 95. 6Unable to find further backing for his film projects, Korda left Vienna and travelled to Germany. Korda raised funding for the melodrama The Unknown Tomorrow (1. With backing from Germany's biggest film company, UFA, Korda returned to Vienna to make Everybody's Woman (1. While there, he began work on his next film, the historical Tragedy in the House of Habsburg (1. Mayerling Incident. It earned back around half of its production cost. Kulik p. 3. 9 He followed this with Dancing Mad (1. Korda had cast his wife Maria Corda as the female lead in all his German- language films and to a large degree, his productions depended on her star power. The growing tension in their marriage came to a head after they moved to the United States. Korda cast her again in A Modern Dubarry (1. Madame Du Barry, based on an original screenplay by Lajos Biro. The film may have intended to highlight Maria Corda's star potential to Hollywood. Kulik p. 4. 0 Korda made his final German film Madame Wants No Children (1. American studio's Fox's Berlin- based subsidiary. Although made later, it was released before A Modern Dubarry. Early life. The elder brother of filmmakers Zolt. Family. Korda was married three times, first to the Hungarian actress Mar. They had one son, Peter Vincent Korda, and divorced in 1. In 1. 93. 9, he married the film star Merle Oberon. They divorced six years later. He married, lastly, on 8 June 1. Alexandra Boycun, who survived him. His nephew Michael Korda, the son of his younger brother Vincent, wrote a roman . It was entitled Queenie. Dancing Mad (German:Der TDancing Mad (German: Der T Discount Dance Supply is a proud sponsor of these organizations. Contact Us Shipping Information Store Locations Gift Registry / Wish List. He also wrote a memoir about his large, extended family and filmmaker father and uncles. Hollywood. In December 1. American studio First National, Korda and his wife sailed for the United States on board the steamer Olympic.
Kulik, pp. 4. 1- 4. Once they reached Hollywood, both struggled to adapt to the studio system. Korda had to wait some time before gaining his first directorial assignment. His first American film was a drama titled The Stolen Bride (1. Korda was chosen as it was a Hungarian- themed romance about a peasant's love for a countess. Kulik, p. 4. 5 The film starred the American actress Billie Dove, rather than Korda's wife. The film retells the story of Helen of Troy, parodying the plot- line of historical epics of the era by transforming the classical characters into everyday people with modern problems. The film was a significant success for Korda, with his wife playing the role of Helen. After this film, however, Korda became pigeon- holed as a director of female stars and exotic foreign location. He was generally given similar assignments for the remainder of his time in Hollywood. Kulik, p. 4. 8 The film was his most satisfying work in the United States and provided the template for his later success in Britain. Korda's next few films Yellow Lily (1. Night Watch (1. 92. Love and the Devil (1. The latter two were both Silent films, but had sound effects and music added to their soundtracks as part of Hollywood's transitional phase of technology following the success of the Sound film The Jazz Singer. Korda's next film The Squall (1. Although, like many other directors, Korda had misgivings about the new technology, he quickly adapted to making sound films. The arrival of sound films wrecked his wife's career as her heavy accent made her unemployable by American studios for most films. Love and the Devil was the last of Korda's films she appeared in, and she made only two more films. She became increasingly resentful of the switch in their relationship as her career was now over while Korda, who had once relied on her for the production of his films, was relatively flourishing. Their marriage collapsed, and they divorced in 1. Kulik, pp. 4. 9- 5. Korda made two more sound films at First National: Her Private Life (1. Lilies of the Field (1. Gradually Korda grew more frustrated in Hollywood as he came to strongly dislike the studio system. He hoped to save up enough money to return to Europe and begin producing on a large scale there, but his lavish personal spending and the large amounts he lost in the Wall Street Crash prevented this. When his producer Ned Marin moved from First National to the Fox Film Corporation, Korda followed him. Korda's new contract gave him $1. Kulik, p. 5. 2 His first film for Fox, Women Everywhere (1. United States. He collaborated with several figures who would contribute to his future success in Britain. Korda was offered a series of scripts, all of which he disliked, before he finally agreed to make The Princess and the Plumber (1. Kulik, pp. 5. 4- 5. Korda's reluctance to make the film led to his conflict with studio bosses, which brought to an end his first period in Hollywood.
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