The Iyuno Germany GmbH (formerly known as Berliner Synchron AG until 2014 and then as Berliner Synchron GmbH until 2020) is the largest and one of the oldest German post-production dubbing companies. It was founded on 14 October 1949 by Wenzel Lüdecke and later managed by Lüdecke's son, Wolfram Lüdecke, who was CEO from 1987 until 2016. Currently, the company is owned by S&L Medien Gruppe (S&L Media Group).The building was demolished and houses were built.
History
In 1949,
Film producer Wenzel Lüdecke saw an increasing market for dubbed movies originating from outside Germany, and subsequently founded Berliner Synchron. Post
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, he was the only person to be granted permission by the
Allied Forces to produce
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
dubbed versions of movies and TV series produced in the United States and UK. Business increased dramatically in the 1950s when television returned to the
Federal Republic of Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen constituent states have a total population of over 84 ...
, known also as West Germany prior to the
German reunification of 1990.
Between the 60s and 80s, theatre popularity began to decline, whereas television popularity increased. With the introduction of magnetic tapes, this gave Lüdecke ample opportunity to take advantage of the surge in Hollywood success by producing German language versions of worldwide box-office hits.
In 1987, Lüdecke passed ownership of the company to his son, Wolfram. Wenzel then died two years later on 5 September 1989, having been responsible for the production of over 5000 movies and TV series during his time as owner.
The main building at the Lankwitzer Mühlenstraße (Lankwitzer Mill Road) was built in 1938 for the Air Force. After the Second World War, the building was used primarily by Mosaik, a production company. Wenzel Lüdecke rented the building and took over the entire complex in 1974.
In 1972, the Berliner Synchron worked with The Kirch Group to create a new company, Arena synchronous, which was managed until 1997 in the same building and mainly synchronized television series for the Kirch Group.
On 3 July 2006, BSG was converted from a
GmbH
(; ) is a type of Juridical person, legal entity in German-speaking countries. It is equivalent to a (Sàrl) in the Romandy, French-speaking region of Switzerland and to a (Sagl) in the Ticino, Italian-speaking region of Switzerland.
It is a ...
into an
AG (joint stock company). Ten years later, in 2016, this was reversed with a
spin-off
Spin-off, Spin Off, Spin-Off, or Spinoff may refer to: Entertainment and media
*Spinoff (media), a media work derived from an existing work
*''The Spinoff'', a New Zealand current affairs magazine
* ''Spin Off'' (Canadian game show), a 2013 Canad ...
, while the parent company was renamed to ''CINEMEDIA AG'' as part of insolvency proceedings. Berliner Synchron was then acquired by the ''S&L Medien Gruppe''.
Filmography
To date, Berliner Synchron have dubbed over 7000 movies and TV series into German, including productions such as
The Third Man
''The Third Man'' is a 1949 film noir directed by Carol Reed, written by Graham Greene, and starring Joseph Cotten as Holly Martins, Alida Valli as Anna Schmidt, Orson Welles as Harry Lime and Trevor Howard as Major Calloway. Set in post-Worl ...
,
Psycho,
The Godfather
''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American Epic film, epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling The Godfather (novel), 1969 novel. The film stars an ensemble cast inc ...
, all the
Star Wars
''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...
films,
Schindler's List
''Schindler's List'' is a 1993 American epic historical drama film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg and written by Steven Zaillian. It is based on the historical novel '' Schindler's Ark'' (1982) by Thomas Keneally. The film follows ...
,
Forrest Gump
''Forrest Gump'' is a 1994 American comedy-drama film directed by Robert Zemeckis. An adaptation of the Forrest Gump (novel), 1986 novel by Winston Groom, the screenplay of the film is written by Eric Roth. It stars Tom Hanks in the title rol ...
,
American Beauty,
Gladiator
A gladiator ( , ) was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gladiators were volunteers who risked their ...
,
Shrek
''Shrek'' is a 2001 American animated fantasy comedy film directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, and written by Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Joe Stillman, and Roger S. H. Schulman, loosely based on the 1990 children's picture boo ...
and
Ice Age
An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages, and g ...
. In the field of television, they have created German versions of
Hawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O or Hawaii Five-0 may refer to:
* ''Hawaii Five-0'' (2010 TV series), an American action police procedural television series
* ''Hawaii Five-O'' (1968 TV series), an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productio ...
,
The Cosby Show
''The Cosby Show'' is an American television sitcom created by (along with Ed. Weinberger and Michael J. Leeson) and starring Bill Cosby that originally aired on NBC from September 20, 1984, to April 30, 1992, with a total of 201 half-hour e ...
and
Boston Public
''Boston Public'' is an American drama (film and television), drama television series created by David E. Kelley and broadcast on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox. Set in Boston, the series centers on Winslow High School, a fictional public high sc ...
.
Awards
* 2009: German Prize for dubbing production companies in the category Outstanding synchronized TV series for
Extras.
* 2009: Liliput Prize for outstanding film dubbing and subtitling of the film
Welcome to the Sticks
''Welcome to the Sticks'' (, ) is a 2008 French comedy film directed and co-written by Dany Boon and starring Kad Merad and Boon himself. The film is the highest-grossing French film of all time at the box office in France.
Plot
Philippe Abram ...
References
Facts - Berliner Synchron AGbr /
Management Team - Berliner Synchron AGbr /
History - Berliner Synchron AG
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Dubbing studios
Mass media in Berlin