Julius von Borsody (8 April 1892 in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

– 18 January 1960, also in Vienna) was an

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

n film architect and one of the most employed

set designer Scenic design, also known as stage design or set design, is the creation of scenery for theatrical productions including plays and musicals. The term can also be applied to film and television productions, where it may be referred to as prod ...

s in the

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ** Austria-Hungary ** Austria ...

and German cinemas of the late silent and early

sound film A sound film is a Film, motion picture with synchronization, synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, bu ...

periods. His younger brother,

Eduard von Borsody Eduard von Borsody (; 13 June 1898 – 1 January 1970) was an Austrian cameraman, film editor, film director, and screenplay writer. Biography His film career began as a cameraman. Among his first jobs were three films on which Mihály Kertész ...

, was a

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

and

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 States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. He is also the great-uncle of German actress

Suzanne von Borsody Suzanne von Borsody (; born 23 September 1957) is a German actress. She comes from a prominent theatre family, being the daughter of actress Rosemarie Fendel and actor Hans von Borsody. Her grandfather, Eduard von Borsody, was a famous directo ...

Life

Julius von Borsody attended the

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

Art Academy before he started in the film industry in 1917. He began his career with

Sascha-Film Sascha-Film, in full Sascha-Filmindustrie AG and from 1933 Tobis-Sascha-Filmindustrie AG, was the largest Austrian film production company of the silent film and early sound film period. History The business was established in 1910 by Alexander ...

in Vienna, but up to 1924 also worked with other film production companies. In 1920 he was the

for

Paul Czinner Paul Czinner (30 May 1890 – 22 June 1972) was a Hungarian-born British writer, film director, and producer. Biography Czinner was born to a Jewish family in Budapest, Austria-Hungary. After studying literature and philosophy at the Universi ...

's highly significant pre-

Expressionist Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

work, ''Inferno''. Together with

Emil Stepanek Emil Stepanek (21 February 1895 – 12 April 1945) was an Austrian set designer and film architect. Biography Stepanek was born in Vienna, the son of a carpenter, and received a training in stage set construction, in which he worked for severa ...

and Artur Berger he was also responsible in Vienna, on the

epics Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film defined by the spectacular presentation of human drama on a grandiose scale Epic(s) ...

Michael Curtiz Michael Curtiz (; born Manó Kaminer; from 1905 Mihály Kertész; ; December 24, 1886 April 10, 1962) was a Hungarian-American film director, recognized as one of the most prolific directors in history. He directed classic films from the silen ...

and

Alexander Korda Sir Alexander Korda (; born Sándor László Kellner; ; 16 September 1893 – 23 January 1956)

, for the most spectacular sets ever constructed for an Austrian film, in particular the gigantic Temple of Sodom in ''

Sodom und Gomorrha ''Sodom und Gomorrha: Die Legende von Sünde und Strafe'' ("Sodom and Gomorrah: The Legend of Sin and Punishment"; released in English as ''Sodom and Gomorrah'' or ''Queen of Sin and the Spectacle of Sodom and Gomorrha'') is an Austrian silent ...

'' (1922), which because of its sheer size had to be built in the open air, on the Laaer Berg. Other Sascha-Film epics on which he worked were ''Der junge Medardus'' (1923) and ''Harun al-Rashid'' (1924). In 1925 Borsody moved to

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

. There, for films about the history of

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

, he was able to design more ambitious structures than in Vienna. He worked on

Hans Behrendt Hans Behrendt (28 September 1889 – 1942) was a German-Jewish actor, screenwriter and film director. He was murdered by the Nazis in Auschwitz concentration camp in 1942. Selected filmography Screenwriter * ''Catherine the Great (1920 film), ...

's ''Potsdam, das Schicksal einer Residenz'' (1927) and

Phil Jutzi Phil Jutzi (sometimes known as Piel Jutzi) (22 July 1896 – 1 May 1946) was a German cinematographer and film director. Biography Born Philipp Jutzi in Altleiningen as the son of a tailor, Jutzi was self-educated. (He seems to have been generally ...

' s '' Berlin-Alexanderplatz'' (1931), based on

Alfred Döblin Bruno Alfred Döblin (; 10 August 1878 – 26 June 1957) was a German novelist, essayist, and doctor, best known for his novel '' Berlin Alexanderplatz'' (1929). A prolific writer whose œuvre spans more than half a century and a wide variety of ...

's book of the same name. Besides buildings he also created the façades and decorations of other productions with historical and costumed backgrounds, such as ''Danton'' (1931) and the

Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; ; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical period (music), Classical and early Romantic music, Romantic eras. Despite his short life, Schubert left behind a List of compositions ...

biography '' Leise flehen meine Lieder'' (1933). Shortly before the

National Socialist Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During Hitler's rise to power, it was frequen ...

s took power in Germany, Borsody returned to Vienna, where for the next few years he worked on a number of films in the ''

Wiener Film Wiener Film (German language, German; plural: ''Wiener Filme''; literally, "Viennese film") is an Austrian film genre, consisting of a combination of comedy, romance and melodrama in a historical setting, mostly, and typically, the Vienna of the l ...

'' genre, light romantic musical comedies, the action of which was generally set in the late imperial period of about 1900: '' Hohe Schule'' (1934), ''

Tales from the Vienna Woods "Tales from the Vienna Woods" (, occasionally ) is a waltz by Johann Strauss II. Composed in 1868, , Op. 325, was one of six Viennese waltzes by Johann Strauss II which featured a virtuoso part for zither. The title of Strauss' dance recall ...

'' (1934), ''

The White Horse Inn The White Horse Inn (German: ''Im weißen Rößl'') or White Horse Inn may refer to: *The White Horse Inn (play), ''The White Horse Inn'' (play), a 1897 play by Oscar Blumenthal and Gustav Kadelburg *The White Horse Inn (operetta), ''The White Hors ...

'' (1935) and others. After the

Anschluss The (, or , ), also known as the (, ), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into Nazi Germany on 12 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a "German Question, Greater Germany") arose after t ...

(the annexation of Austria to Germany in 1938) Borsody became principal architect of the

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

-owned

Wien-Film Wien-Film GmbH ("Vienna Film Limited") was a large Austrian film company, which in 1938 succeeded the Tobis-Sascha-Filmindustrie AG (Sascha Film Company) and lasted until 1985. Until 1945 the business was owned by the Cautio Trust Company (''Cauti ...

, but also occasionally worked on buildings for productions of

Bavaria Film Bavaria Film GmbH is a German film production and distribution company located in Grünwald, Bavaria at the district of Munich. It is one of Europe's largest film production companies and one of the leading production and distribution companies ...

in Munich. He was employed on one of the last large-scale productions of the Third Reich - '' Shiva und die Galgenblume'', filmed in early January 1945 with

Hans Albers Hans Philipp August Albers (22 September 1891 – 24 July 1960), also known by his nickname “der blonde Hans” (The Blond Hans), was a German actor and singer. He was the biggest male movie star in Germany between 1930 and 1960 and one of the m ...

in the

Barrandov Studios Barrandov Studios is a set of film studios in Prague, Czech Republic. It is the largest film studio in the country and one of the largest in Europe. Barrandov has made several major Hollywood productions, including ''Mission: Impossible (film), ...

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

– and also on one of the first post-war Austrian films - ''Der weite Weg'' (1946). From that time on, in the declining Austrian film industry, he only worked on unpretentious romances and comedies. His last set designs were for the undistinguished ' (1958), directed by his brother

Eduard Eduard Model Accessories is a Czech manufacturer of plastic models and finescale model accessories. History Formed in 1989 in the city of Most, Eduard began in a rented cellar as a manufacturer of photoetched brass model components. Follo ...

Selected filmography

The following is a list of selected films on which Julius von Borsody worked as film architect or set designer (director's name in brackets): * ''Inferno'' (Austria 1920, dir.

) * ''Lucifer'' (Austria 1921, dir. Ernest Juhn) * '' The Dead Wedding Guest'' (Austria 1921, dir.

Max Neufeld Max Neufeld (13 February 1887 – 2 December 1967) was an Austrian film director, actor and screenwriter. He directed 70 films between 1919 and 1957. He directed the 1934 film ''The Song of the Sun'', which starred Vittorio De Sica. Selecte ...

) * '' The Marquis of Bolibar'' (Austria 1922, dir.

Friedrich Porges Friedrich ( Frederick ) Porges (1890–1978) was an Austrian-American film director of the silent era, journalist, publisher, screenwriter, author and film critic. Of Jewish background, he fled Vienna just prior to the Anchluss, Anschluss of 193 ...

) * ''

Sodom and Gomorrah In the Abrahamic religions, Sodom and Gomorrah () were two cities destroyed by God for their wickedness. Sodom and Gomorrah are repeatedly invoked throughout the Hebrew Bible, Deuterocanonical texts, and the New Testament as symbols of sin, di ...

'' (Austria 1922, dir.

; film architecture together with

) * ''Die Maske der Schuld'' (Austria 1922, directed himself) * '' Young Medardus'' (Austria 1923, dir. Michael Curtiz) * ''

Avalanche An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a Grade (slope), slope, such as a hill or mountain. Avalanches can be triggered spontaneously, by factors such as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, othe ...

'' (Austria 1923, dir. Michael Curtiz) * '' Harun al Raschid'' (Austria 1924, dir. Michael Curtiz) * '' The City Without Jews'' (Austria 1924, dir. Hans Karl Breslauer) * '' Countess Maritza'' (1925) * '' A Waltz by Strauss'' (1925) * '' If You Have an Aunt'' (1925) * '' The Girl on a Swing'' (1926) * ''

Potsdam Potsdam () is the capital and largest city of the Germany, German States of Germany, state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the Havel, River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of B ...

'' (Germany 1927, dir.

) * '' Erotikon'' (Czechoslovakia 1929, dir. Gustav Machatý) * ''Die kleine Veronika'' (Germany 1929, dir.

Robert Land Robert Land (1887–1940) was an Austrian-Jewish film director of Moravian descent. Biography Born as Robert Liebmann to a German-speaking Jewish Family in Kroměříž. Land moved to Vienna to study German literature and art history. He started ...

) * ''Der Tanz ins Glück'' (Germany 1930, dir.

Max Nosseck Max Nosseck (19 September 1902 – 29 September 1972) was a German film director, actor, and screenwriter. Biography Nosseck was born in Nakel, then in Prussia, but now in Poland. Nosseck established himself as a director in the Cinema of Germany, ...

; Borsody's first sound film) * '' A Girl from the Reeperbahn'' (1930) * ''

Rendezvous Rendezvous or rendez-vous may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''The Rendezvous'' (1923 film), a silent film adventure melodrama * ''Rendezvous'' (1930 film), a German musical directed by Carl Boese * ''Rendezvous ...

'' (1930) * ''

Love Songs A love song is a song about love, falling in love, broken heart, heartbreak after a breakup, and the feelings that these experiences bring. Love songs can be found in a variety of different music genres. They can come in various formats, from sa ...

'' (1930) * ''

Danton Georges Jacques Danton (; ; 26 October 1759 – 5 April 1794) was a leading figure of the French Revolution. A modest and unknown lawyer on the eve of the Revolution, Danton became a famous orator of the Cordeliers Club and was raised to gover ...

'' (Germany 1931, dir.

) * ''

My Cousin from Warsaw My or MY may refer to: Arts and entertainment * My (radio station), a Malaysian radio station * Little My, a fictional character in the Moomins universe * ''My'' (album), by Edyta Górniak * ''My'' (EP), by Cho Mi-yeon Business * Marke ...

'' (1931) * '' Berlin-Alexanderplatz'' (Germany 1931, dir.

) * '' A Mad Idea'' (1932) * '' Things Are Getting Better Already'' (1932) * ''

Today Is the Day Today Is the Day is an American noise rock and Avant-garde metal, experimental metal band that originally formed in Nashville, Tennessee. The band's diverse sound combines influences from areas such as noise music, avant-garde metal, grindcore ...

'' (1933) * '' Gently My Songs Entreat'' (Austria 1933, dir.

Willi Forst Willi Forst, born Wilhelm Anton Frohs (7 April 1903 – 11 August 1980) was an Austrian actor, screenwriter, film director, film producer and singer. As a debonair actor he was a darling of the German language, German-speaking film audiences, as ...

) * ''

A Precocious Girl ''A Precocious Girl'' (German title: ''Csibi, der Fratz'' aka ''Früchtchen'') is a 1934 Austrian comedy film directed by Max Neufeld and Richard Eichberg and starring Franciska Gaal, Leopoldine Konstantin and Herbert Hübner. The film's sets we ...

'' (Austria 1934, dir.

and

Richard Eichberg Richard Eichberg (27 October 1888 – 8 May 1952) was a German film director and film producer, producer. He directed 87 films between 1915 and 1949. He also produced 77 films between 1915 and 1950. He was born in Berlin, Germany and died i ...

) * '' The Secret of Cavelli'' (Austria 1934, dir.

Erich Engel Erich Gustav Otto Engel (14 February 1891 – 10 May 1966) was a German film and theatre director.He is often confused with another German film director called Erich Engels (with an s), who specialised in comedy, and crime films. Biography ...

) * '' Frasquita'' (Austria 1934, dir.

Carl Lamac Carl may refer to: *Carl, Georgia, city in USA *Carl, West Virginia, an unincorporated community *Carl (name), includes info about the name, variations of the name, and a list of people with the name *Carl², a TV series * "Carl", List of Aqua Teen ...

) * ''

'' (Austria 1934, dir.

Georg Jacoby Georg Jacoby (23 July 1882 – 21 February 1964) was a German film director and screenwriter.Profile
, bfi.org.uk; accessed 1 ...

) * '' The Gentleman Without a Residence'' (Austria 1934, dir. E. W. Emo) * ''

… nur ein Komödiant The ellipsis (, plural ellipses; from , , ), rendered , alternatively described as suspension points/dots, points/periods of ellipsis, or ellipsis points, or colloquialism, colloquially, dot-dot-dot,. According to Toner it is difficult to es ...

'' (Austria 1935, dir. Erich Engel) * ''Die Pompadour'' (Austria 1935, dir.

Willy Schmidt-Gentner Willy Schmidt-Gentner (6 April 1894 – 12 February 1964) was one of the most successful German people, German composers of film music in the history of German-language cinema. He moved to Vienna in 1933. At his most productive, he scored up to 1 ...

) * '' Circus Saran'' (1935) * '' The World's in Love'' (1935) * '' Heaven on Earth'' (1935) * ''

'' (Austria 1935, dir. Carl Lamac) * ''

Romance Romance may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings ** Romantic orientation, the classification of the sex or gender with which a pers ...

'' (1936) * ''

The Fairy Doll ''The Fairy Doll'' () is a 1936 Austrian romance film directed by E.W. Emo and starring Adele Sandrock, Magda Schneider and Paul Hörbiger. It is based on the 1888 ballet work '' Die Puppenfee'' composed by Josef Bayer, owing more to the score ...

'' (1936) * ''Opernring / Im Sonnenschein'' (Austria 1936, dir.

Carmine Gallone Carmine Gallone (10 September 1885 – 11 March 1973) was an early Italian film director, screenwriter, and film producer, who was also controversial for his works of pro-Fascist propaganda and historical revisionism. Considered one of Itali ...

) * ''Ernte / Die Julika'' (Austria 1936, dir.

Géza von Bolváry Géza von Bolváry (born Géza Gyula Mária Bolváry Zahn, ; 26 December 1897 – 10 August 1961) was a Hungarian actor, screenwriter, and film director, who worked principally in Germany and Austria. Biography Géza von Bolváry was born i ...

) * ''Prater / Der Weg des Herzens'' (Austria 1937, dir. Willy Schmidt-Gentner) * ''Unsterblicher Walzer'' (Germany/Austria 1939, dir. E. W. Emo) * ''Brüderlein fein'' (Germany/Austria 1941, dir.

Hans Thimig Hans Emil Thimig, pseudonym: Hans Werner (23 July 1900 in Vienna – 17 February 1991, also in Vienna) was an Austrian actor, film director, and stage director. Life The youngest son of the Burgtheater actor Hugo Thimig and Franziska "Fanny" H ...

) * ''Frauen sind keine Engel'' (Germany/Austria 1943, dir. Willi Forst) * '' Shiva und die Galgenblume'' (Germany 1945, dir.

Hans Steinhoff Hans Steinhoff (10 March 1882 – 20 April 1945) was a German film director, best known for the propaganda films he produced in Nazi Germany. Life and career Steinhoff started his career as a stage actor in the 1900s and later worked as a sta ...

; unfinished film) * ''Der weite Weg / Schicksal in Ketten'' (Austria 1946, dir.

Eduard Hoesch Eduard Hoesch (15 March 1890 – 5 November 1983) was an Austrian cinematographer and film producer. Selected filmography * '' The Grinning Face'' (1921) * '' Meriota the Dancer'' (1922) * ''The Separating Bridge'' (1922) * '' The Little Sin'' ( ...

) * '' Der Herr Kanzleirat'' (Austria 1948, dir.

Hubert Marischka Hubert Marischka (27 August 1882 – 4 December 1959), brother of Ernst Marischka, was an Austrian operetta tenor, actor, film director and screenwriter. Career Marischka was born in Brunn am Gebirge, the son of Jiří (or Johann) Marisch ...

) * '' Arlberg Express'' (Austria 1948, dir.

) * '' The Singing House'' (Austria 1948, dir.

Franz Antel Franz Antel (28 June 1913 – 11 August 2007) was a veteran Austrian filmmaker. Born in Vienna, Antel worked mainly as a film producer in the interwar years. After World War II, he began writing and directing films on a large scale. In the ...

) * '' Maresi'' (Austria 1948, dir.

) * ''

Vagabonds Vagrancy is the condition of wandering homelessness without regular employment or income. Vagrants usually live in poverty and support themselves by travelling while engaging in begging, scavenging, or petty theft. In Western countries, v ...

'' (1949) * ''

Child of the Danube ''Child of the Danube'' (German: ''Kind der Donau'') is a 1950 Austrian musical film directed by Georg Jacoby and starring Marika Rökk, Fred Liewehr and Harry Fuß. It was one of a cycle of popular musicals made by Jacoby and Rökk.Davidson, John ...

'' (Austria 1950, dir.

Georg Jacoby Georg Jacoby (23 July 1882 – 21 February 1964) was a German film director and screenwriter.Profile
, bfi.org.uk; accessed 1 ...

) * '' Vanished Melody'' (1952) * '' If I Only Have Your Love'' (1953) * ''Kaisermanöver'' (Austria 1954, dir.

) * '' Her First Date'' (1955) * ' (Austria 1958, dir. Eduard von Borsody; Julius von Borsody's last film)

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Borsody, Julius Von Austrian architects Austrian scenic designers Hungarian nobility Austrian people of Hungarian descent Artists from Vienna 1892 births 1960 deaths