Alexander Esway (20 January 1895 – 23 August 1947) was a Hungarian-born film director, screenwriter, and producer.

Life and career

Esway was born Sándor Ezry in

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

. In the late 1920s and early 1930s he worked as a director and screenwriter, first in Germany and then in the UK. He began working primarily in France from 1933, although he also continued to work in the UK where he set up a short-lived production company, Atlantic Film Productions, in 1935. The company's only production was ''

Thunder in the City ''Thunder in the City'' is a 1937 British drama film directed by Marion Gering and starring Edward G. Robinson, Luli Deste, Nigel Bruce and Ralph Richardson. Plot An American salesman with radically successful methods visits England ostensi ...

'', starring Edward G. Robinson. During

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 worked in Hollywood on Allied propaganda films, most notably, ''

The Cross of Lorraine ''The Cross of Lorraine'' is a 1943 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer war film about French Prisoner of war, prisoners of war escaping a German prison camp and joining the French Resistance. Directed by Tay Garnett, starring Jean-Pierre Aumont and Gene Kelly, ...

''. After the war, he returned to France where he made his last two films: the two-part war film ''

Le Bataillon du ciel ''Le Bataillon du ciel'' (''Sky Battalion'') is a 1947 French film in two parts by Alexander Esway about the Second World War. The film, written by Joseph Kessel, became the biggest box office success in France that year with more than 8 million ...

'', based on the book of the same name by

Joseph Kessel Joseph Kessel (10 February 1898 – 23 July 1979), also known as "Jef", was a French journalist and novelist. He was a member of the Académie française and Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour. Biography Kessel was born to a Jewish family in ...

, and ''

L'Idole ''The Idol'' (French: ''L'idole'') is a 1948 French sports drama film directed by Alexander Esway and starring Yves Montand, Albert Préjean and Suzanne Dehelly. Rège p.368 It was shot at the François 1er Studios in Paris. The film's sets were ...

'', starring

Yves Montand Ivo Livi (; 13 October 1921 – 9 November 1991), better known as Yves Montand (), was an Italian-born French actor and singer. He is said to be one of France's greatest 20th-century artists. Early life Montand was born Ivo Livi in Stignano, a ...

. Esway died in St. Tropez at the age of 52.

Cinémathèque Française A cinematheque is an archive of films and film-related objects with an exhibition venue. Similarly to a book library (bibliothèque in French), a cinematheque is responsible for preserving and making available to the public film heritage. Typically ...

"Alexandre Esway: Carrière/Filmographie"
Retrieved 30 April 2013 Low, Rachael (2005)
''The History of the British Film 1929-1939: Film Making in 1930s Britain''
p. 205. Routledge.

Filmography

Director *'' Herkules Maier'' (1927) * ''

The Lady with the Mask ''The Lady with the Mask'' () is a 1928 German silent film directed by Wilhelm Thiele and starring Max Gülstorff, Arlette Marchal and Vladimir Gajdarov.Bock & Bergfelder p. 215 It was shot at the Babelsberg Studios in Berlin. The film's sets we ...

'' (1928) *'' Taxi for Two'', co-directed with

Denison Clift Denison Clift (1885–1961) was an American playwright, novelist, screenwriter and film director. He directed in both America and Great Britain, mainly during the Silent era, Silent Era. Biography Clift was educated at Stanford University. He be ...

(1929) *'' Children of Chance'' (1930) *''

Shadows A shadow is a dark area on a surface where light from a light source is blocked by an object. In contrast, shade occupies the three-dimensional volume behind an object with light in front of it. The cross-section of a shadow is a two-dimensiona ...

'' (1931) * ''

Children of Fortune A child () is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking countries, the legal definition of ''child ...

'' (1931) *'' Le Jugement de minuit'', co-directed with

André Charlot Eugène André Maurice Charlot (26 July 1882 – 20 May 1956) was a French-born impresario known primarily for the musical revues he staged in London between 1912 and 1937. He later worked as a character actor in numerous American films. Born in ...

(1932) *'' Une vie perdue'', co-directed with

Raymond Rouleau Raymond Rouleau (; 4 June 1904 – 11 December 1981) was a Belgian actor and film director. He appeared in more than 40 films between 1928 and 1979. He also directed 22 films between 1932 and 1981. Rouleau studied at the Royal Conservatory o ...

(1933) *''

Mauvaise Graine ''Mauvaise Graine'' (English: ''Bad Seed'') is a 1934 French action comedy directed by Billy Wilder (in his directorial debut) and Alexander Esway. The screenplay by Wilder, , Max Colpet, and Claude-André Puget focuses on a wealthy young playb ...

'', co-directed with

Billy Wilder Billy Wilder (; ; born Samuel Wilder; June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was an American filmmaker and screenwriter. His career in Hollywood (film industry), Hollywood spanned five decades, and he is regarded as one of the most brilliant and ver ...

(1934) *''

It's a Bet ''It's a Bet'' is a 1935 British comedy drama film directed by Alexander Esway and starring Gene Gerrard, Helen Chandler and Judy Kelly. It was made at Elstree Studios by British International Pictures. The film's sets were designed by the art ...

'' (1934) *''

Music Hath Charms ''Music Hath Charms'' is a 1935 British musical comedy film directed by Thomas Bentley, Walter Summers, Arthur B. Woods and Alexander Esway. It stars Henry Hall with the BBC Dance Orchestra, Carol Goodner and Arthur Margetson. It was given a ...

'' (1935), co-directed with

Thomas Bentley Thomas Bentley may refer to: * Thomas Bentley (director) Thomas Bentley (23 February 1884 – 23 December 1966) was a British film director. He directed 68 films between 1912 and 1941. He directed three films in the early DeForest Phonofilm sou ...

Walter Summers Walter Summers (1892–1973) was a British film director and screenwriter. Biography Born in Barnstaple to a family of actors, Walter Summers began his career in the family trade; his first contact with filmmaking was as an assistant to America ...

, and Arthur B. Woods *'' Hercule'', co-directed with

Carlo Rim Carlo Rim (19 December 1902 – 3 December 1989) was a French film screenwriter, producer and director. Born Jean Marius Richard, he made an anagram of his initials (RJM, treating I and J as the same letter) for his pseudonym, adding "Carlo" a po ...

(1937) *''

Barnabé Barnabé is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include: Persons *Arrigo Barnabé (born 1951), Brazilian musician and an actor *Barnabé Brisson (1531–1591), French jurist and politician *Barnabé Brisson (engineer) (17 ...

'' (1938) * '' Education of a Prince'' (1938, remake of the 1927 silent film ''

Éducation de Prince ''Education of a Prince'' (French: ''Éducation de Prince'') is a 1927 French silent film, silent comedy film directed by Henri Diamant-Berger and starring Edna Purviance, Pierre Batcheff and Flora le Breton. Powrie & Rebillard p.8 It was adapted ...

'') *''

Latin Quarter The Latin Quarter of Paris (, ) is an urban university campus in the 5th and the 6th arrondissements of Paris. It is situated on the left bank of the Seine, around the Sorbonne. Known for its student life, lively atmosphere, and bistros, t ...

'', co-directed with

Pierre Colombier Pierre Colombier (1896–1958) was a French screenwriter and film director. Selected filmography Director * ''Paris in Five Days'' (1926) * ''The Marriage of Rosine'' (1926) * ''Dolly (film), Dolly'' (1929) * ''His Best Client'' (1932) * ''One Nig ...

and

Christian Chamborant Eugène Christian Chamborant (4 June 1892 – 10 December 1948) was a French film director. Biography Little is known about the life of this discreet filmmaker who died a week before the release of his final movie. Before becoming a director, ...

(1939) *'' L'Homme qui cherche la vérité'' (1939) *''

Monsieur Brotonneau ''Monsieur Brotonneau'' is a 1939 French comedy drama film directed by Alexander Esway and starring Raimu, Josette Day and Marguerite Pierry. The film was released not a month before France declared war to Nazi Germany. Synopsis Monsieur Br ...

'' (1939) *''

Conquest of the Air ''Conquest of the Air'' is a 1936 documentary film or docudrama on the history of aviation up to that time. The film features historical footage, and dramatic re-creations, of the developments of commercial and military aviation; including the e ...

'', semi-dramatised documentary co-directed with

Zoltan Korda Zoltan Korda (May 3, 1895 – October 13, 1961) was a Hungary, Hungarian-born motion picture screenwriter, film director, director and film producer, producer. He made his first film in Hungary in 1918 and worked with his brother Alexander Korda ...

John Monk Saunders John Monk Saunders (November 22, 1897 – March 11, 1940) was an American novelist, screenwriter, and film director. Early life and career Born in Hinckley, Minnesota, to Robert C. Saunders and Nannie Monk Saunders, his family (6 children) mov ...

William Cameron Menzies William Cameron Menzies (July 29, 1896 – March 5, 1957) was an American filmmaker who pioneered the discipline of production design, a job title he invented. His career spanned five decades, during which time he also worked as an art director, ...

, Donald Taylor, and Alexander Shaw (1940) *'' Steppin' in Society'' (1945) *''

'' (1946) * '' The Idol'' (1948) Screenwriter *'' Die Dame mit der Maske'', directed by

Wilhelm Thiele Wilhelm Thiele, also William Thiele (1890–1975) was an Austrian screenwriter and film director. He directed over 40 films between 1921 and 1960. Life and career Thiele started his show career as a stage actor. He got his start in Austrian and ...

(1928) *''Taxi for Two'', directed by Esway and Denison Clift (1929) *''

'', directed by

Tay Garnett William Taylor "Tay" Garnett (June 13, 1894 – October 3, 1977) was an American film director, writer, and producer. He made nearly 50 films in various genres during his 55-year career, ''The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946 film), The Postman ...

(1943) Producer *''

'', directed by

Marion Gering Marion Gering (June 9, 1901 in Rostov-on-Don – April 19, 1977 in New York City) was a Russian-born American stage producer and director. He moved to the United States in 1923 as an artist. He became involved in the theatrical community in Chic ...

(1937) *''Shadows'', directed by Esway (1931)

References

External links

*
Filmography: Esway, Alexandre
at the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Esway, Alexander Hungarian film directors Hungarian film producers 1895 births 1947 deaths Hungarian emigrants to France