Paul Fejos
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Pál Fejős (24 January 1897 – 23 April 1963), known professionally as Paul Fejos, was a Hungarian-American
director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...
of
feature films A feature film or feature-length film (often abbreviated to feature), also called a theatrical film, is a film ( motion picture, "movie" or simply “picture”) with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation ...
and
documentaries A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". The American author and media analyst Bill ...
who worked in a number of countries including the United States. He also studied medicine in his youth and became a prominent anthropologist later in life. During
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, Fejos worked as a medical orderly for the Imperial Austrian Army on the Italian front lines and also managed a theater that performed for troops. After the war, he returned to Budapest and eventually worked for the Orient-Film production company. He began to direct films in 1919 or 1920 for Mobil Studios in Hungary until he escaped in 1923 to flee the White Terror and the Horthy regime. He made his way to New York City and then eventually to Hollywood where he began production on his first American feature film, '' The Last Moment'', in October 1927. The film proved to be popular, which allowed him to sign with
Universal Studios Universal Studios may refer to: * Universal Studios, Inc., an American media and entertainment conglomerate ** Universal Pictures, an American film studio ** Universal Studios Lot, a film and television studio complex * Various theme parks operat ...
. After a number of other successful films, Fejos left America in 1931 to direct sound films in France. In 1941, he stopped making films altogether and became the director of research and the acting head of the Viking Fund.


Early life

Fejos was born 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 ...
, Hungary, as Pál Fejős to Dezső (Desiré) Fejős and his wife Hajnalka (latinized Aurora, née Novelly). He had an older sister, Olga Fejős. Like many film directors, Fejos exaggerated or invented myths for large portions of his life story and, according to him, his father was a captain with the
Hussar A hussar, ; ; ; ; . was a member of a class of light cavalry, originally from the Kingdom of Hungary during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely adopted by light cavalry ...
s and his mother was a
Lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a Royal court, court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking nobility, noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was o ...
for the Austrian-Hungarian Empress. In addition, Fejos fancied himself in his youth as an official of the Imperial Court. The truth is the family of Fejos' mother originated in Italy, but did have an
aristocratic Aristocracy (; ) is a form of government that places power in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. Across Europe, the aristocracy exercised immense economic, political, and social influence. In Western Christian co ...
background, while Fejos' father was a pharmacist in
Dunaföldvár Dunaföldvár is a town in Tolna County, Hungary. Its residents are Hungarian people, Hungarians, with minority of Serbs. History A Bronze Age gold hoard of jewellery was found between Paks and Dunaföldvár on the banks of the Danube in the n ...
. Shortly before Fejos was born, his father sold his business and moved the family to Budapest to buy a shop there. Desiré died of a heart attack before the new shop was purchased. Paul was then raised by his mother in his grandparents' home. As a boy, Fejos was said to be a smart student and to have loved films from an early age. He was sent to a school run by
Piarist The Piarists (), officially named the Order of Poor Clerics Regular of the Mother of God of the Pious Schools (), abbreviated SchP, is a religious order of clerics regular of the Catholic Church founded in 1617 by Spanish priest Joseph Calasanz ...
Fathers A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. A biological fathe ...
in
Veszprém Veszprém (; , , , ) is one of the oldest urban areas in Hungary, and a city with county rights. It lies approximately north of the Lake Balaton. It is the administrative center of the county of the same name. Etymology The city's name derives ...
and later to a school in
Kecskemét Kecskemét ( ) is a city with county rights in central Hungary. It is the List of cities and towns of Hungary, eighth-largest city in the country, and the county seat of Bács-Kiskun County, Bács-Kiskun. Kecskemét lies halfway between the ca ...
.Wakeman, John. ''World Film Directors, Volume 1''. The H. W. Wilson Company. 1987. pp. 315–319. . He eventually studied medicine and, in 1921, received an M.D. from the Royal Hungarian Medical University of Budapest. In 1914, Fejos married Mara Jankowsky.
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
started soon afterward and Fejos worked as a
medical orderly In healthcare, an orderly (also known as a ward assistant, nurse assistant or healthcare assistant) is a hospital attendant whose job consists of assisting medical and nursing staff with various nursing and medical interventions. These duties a ...
for the Imperial Austrian Army on the Italian front lines. During the war he also managed a theater that performed for the troops. Some additional myths about Fejos' life surfaced a year later that he was an officer in the Hussars, was wounded three times and that he was the first person to pilot a combat airplane. After the war, Fejos returned to Budapest. He began working as a set painter for an opera company and then eventually for the Orient-Film production company. He and Mara divorced in 1921, due allegedly to Fejos' irrational jealousy.


Early film career

Fejos began directing films in either 1919 or 1920 for Mobil Studios in Hungary. His earliest
silent films A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, wh ...
included ''Pán,'' a fantasy based on the mythological character; '' Lord Arthur Savile's Crime,'' based on a play by
Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...
; ''The Black Captain,'' a film about police corruption in New York City; ''The Last of Arsène Lupin,'' a remake of the popular American
serial film A serial film, film serial (or just serial), movie serial, or chapter play, is a motion picture form popular during the first half of the 20th century, consisting of a series of short subjects exhibited in consecutive order at one theater, gene ...
; and ''The Queen of Spades,'' based on the novel by
Alexander Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin () was a Russian poet, playwright, and novelist of the Romantic era.Basker, Michael. Pushkin and Romanticism. In Ferber, Michael, ed., ''A Companion to European Romanticism''. Oxford: Blackwell, 2005. He is consid ...
. Fejos always saw film as closer to painting than to theater and was more concerned about issues of light and shadow than story. He also stated at the time that no great film would be made until it could be shot in
color Color (or colour in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) is the visual perception based on the electromagnetic spectrum. Though co ...
. As did prominent Hungarian filmmakers
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)
, Fejos left Hungary in 1923 to escape the
White Terror White Terror may refer to: Events France * First White Terror (1794–1795), a movement against the Jacobins in the French Revolution * Second White Terror (1815), a movement against the French Revolution Post-Russian Empire * White Terror (Rus ...
and the Horthy regime. Fejos first traveled to
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. ...
, where
Max Reinhardt Max Reinhardt (; born Maximilian Goldmann; 9 September 1873 – 30 October 1943) was an Austrian-born Theatre director, theatre and film director, theater manager, intendant, and theatrical producer. With his radically innovative and avant-gard ...
briefly employed him. Fejos then headed to Berlin and worked as an extra in
Fritz Lang Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), better known as Fritz Lang (), was an Austrian-born film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary ''Variety Obituari ...
's ''
Die Nibelungen ''Die Nibelungen'' ("The Nibelungs") is a two-part German series of Silent film, silent fantasy films created by Austrian director Fritz Lang in 1924, consisting of ''Die Nibelungen: Siegfried'' and ''Die Nibelungen: Kriemhild's Revenge''. Th ...
.'' Fejos then moved to Paris and staged an unsuccessful production of ''
L'Homme ''L'Homme. Revue française d'anthropologie'', is a French anthropological journal established in 1961 by Émile Benveniste, Pierre Gourou, and Claude Lévi-Strauss at the École pratique des hautes études, as a French counterpart to ''Man'' ...
, the avant-garde play of ''
Walter Hasenclever Walter Georg Alfred Hasenclever (8 July 1890 – 22 June 1940) was a German Jewish Expressionist poet and playwright. His works were banned when the Nazis came to power and he went into exile in France. There he was imprisoned as a "foreign e ...
. In October 1923, Fejos emigrated to the United States. He arrived in New York City penniless and speaking little English, but managed to get several low-paying jobs at funeral parlors and piano factories. His English improved and, by the spring of 1924, Fejos got a job as a laboratory technician at the
Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research The Rockefeller University is a private biomedical research and graduate-only university in New York City, New York. It focuses primarily on the biological and medical sciences and provides doctoral and postdoctoral education. It is classified ...
. He earned $80 a week and was employed there for two years. In 1925, he married a co-worker, Mimosa Pfalz, but the marriage lasted just thirty days. While living in New York, Fejos landed one theater gig as a technical adviser ensuring the Hungarian atmosphere of an adaptation of
Ferenc Molnár Ferenc Molnár ( , ; born Ferenc Neumann; January 12, 1878April 1, 1952), often anglicized as Franz Molnar, was a Hungarians, Hungarian-born author, stage director, dramatist, and poet. He is widely regarded as Hungary's most celebrated and c ...
's ''The Glass Slipper.'' In the spring of 1926, Fejos spent his entire life savings of $45 on an old
Buick Buick () is a division (business), division of the Automotive industry in the United States, American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American automobil ...
to move to
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
and pursue a Hollywood film career.


Hollywood career

When he arrived in Hollywood, Fejos struggled financially. He landed a few odd jobs working on scripts. Sometimes he would survive by hitchhiking to
Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial d ...
and stealing oranges from orchards. On one of his hitchhiking trips, Fejos was picked up by Edward Spitz, a rich, young New Yorker who had recently moved to Hollywood with ambitions to produce films. Fejos told Spitz about his movie career in Hungary and convinced Spitz to finance a feature film. Spitz agreed and gave Fejos $5,000, which was approximately 1 percent of the average film budget at that time. In October 1927, Fejos began production on his first American feature. He convinced actor friends to appear in the film for free, promising compensation if the movie were successful. That included
Georgia Hale Georgia Theodora Hale (June 25, 1900 — June 17, 1985) was an actress of the silent movie era. Hale rose to film stardom in 1925 under the auspices of directors Josef von Sternberg in ''The Salvation Hunters'' and Charlie Chaplin in ''The G ...
,
Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered o ...
's frequent co-star, when she was earning $5,000 a week. Fejos rented studio space by the minute instead of by the day and hired
Leon Shamroy Leon Shamroy, A.S.C. (July 16, 1901 – July 7, 1974) was an American film cinematographer known for his work in 20th Century Fox motion pictures shot in Technicolor. He and Charles Lang share the record for most Oscar nominations for Cinematog ...
, an inexperienced cameraman. Fejos utilized sets from other movies and changed the script when necessary for the settings. When actors or sets were unavailable, Fejos filmed close-ups of hands, feet, cars or anything else that stuck him as interesting. He obtained free film stock from the
DuPont Dupont, DuPont, Du Pont, duPont, or du Pont may refer to: People * Dupont (surname) Dupont, also spelled as DuPont, duPont, Du Pont, or du Pont is a French surname meaning "of the bridge", historically indicating that the holder of the surname re ...
company, which was trying to compete with the more established
Kodak The Eastman Kodak Company, referred to simply as Kodak (), is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in film photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorporated i ...
and
Agfa Agfa-Gevaert N.V. (Agfa) is a Belgian-German multinational corporation that develops, manufactures, and distributes Analog photography, analogue and digital imaging products, software, and systems. The company began as a dye manufacturer in 1867 ...
companies. The finished project, '' The Last Moment,'' took 28 days to shoot. It starred
Otto Matieson Otto Matieson, born Otto Matiesen, (27 March 1893 – 19 February 1932) was a Danish actor of the silent era. He appeared in 45 films between 1920 and 1931. He was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, and died in a car accident in Safford, Arizona. ...
as a man committing suicide by drowning who remembers in flashbacks the events of his life leading up to his death. The seven-reel, silent movie contained no title cards. It is currently a
lost film A lost film is a feature film, feature or short film in which the original negative or copies are not known to exist in any studio archive, private collection, or public archive. Films can be wholly or partially lost for a number of reasons. ...
, but a review described it as having "dizzying wipes, multiple superimpositions and vertiginous camera movements." Released in 1928, The Last Moment received rave reviews and was a financial hit. Charlie Chaplin praised it and writer Tamar Lane called it "one of the most remarkable films that has ever been presented on the screen." With the film's success and Fejos' overnight celebrity status, major studios were suddenly competing for the former vagrant to sign contracts with them. He settled with
Universal Studios Universal Studios may refer to: * Universal Studios, Inc., an American media and entertainment conglomerate ** Universal Pictures, an American film studio ** Universal Studios Lot, a film and television studio complex * Various theme parks operat ...
because its contract offered him complete artistic control. In 1928, Fejos quickly began production on his next and best-known film, '' Lonesome,'' from a script by
Edward T. Lowe Jr. Edward T. Lowe Jr. (29 June 1880 in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, United States – 19 April 1973) was an American film writer, producer and editor. He wrote 120 films between years 1913–1947, produced 18 films and directed one: ' ...
and Tom Reed based on a newspaper article about loneliness in modern American cities.
Carl Laemmle Jr. Carl Laemmle Jr. (born Julius Laemmle; April 28, 1908 – September 24, 1979) was an American film producer, studio executive and heir of Carl Laemmle, who had founded Universal Studios. He was head of production at the studio from 1928 to 1 ...
produced the film. Actors
Glenn Tryon Glenn Tryon (born Glenn Monroe Kunkel; August 2, 1898 – April 18, 1970) was an American film actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He appeared in more than 60 films between 1923 and 1951. Biography He was born as Glenn Monroe Kunke ...
and
Barbara Kent Barbara Kent (née Cloutman; December 16, 1907 – October 13, 2011) was a Canadian film actress, prominent from the silent film era to the early talkies of the 1920s and 1930s. In 1925, Barbara Kent won the Miss Hollywood Beauty Pageant. Career ...
play two lonely New Yorkers who live in adjoining apartments unbeknownst to each other. They meet by chance at
Coney Island Coney Island is a neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach to its east, Lower New York Bay to the south and west, and Gravesend to ...
and begin a romance, but lose each other until finally reunited back at their building. The film was hand-tinted and stencil-colored at many points, making it already visually distinctive. After Lonesome went into general release as a silent film in mid-June 1928, Universal borrowed a
Movietone News Movietone News was a newsreel that ran from December 1927 to 1963 in the United States. Under the name British Movietone News, it also ran in the United Kingdom from 1929 to 1986, in France also produced by Fox-Europa, in Spain in the early 1930s a ...
recording truck from
Fox Film The Fox Film Corporation (also known as Fox Studios) was an American independent company that produced motion pictures and was formed in 1914 by the theater "chain" pioneer William Fox. It was the corporate successor to his earlier Greater Ne ...
. On the pretext of making sound tests (their own sound stages would not be ready until late October), Universal hurriedly recorded "
talkie A sound film is a motion picture with 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, but decades passed befo ...
" scenes for the film and synchronized music-and-effects scores by recently hired musical director
Joseph Cherniavsky Joseph Cherniavsky () (c. 1890-1959) was a Jewish American cellist, theatre and film composer, orchestra director, and recording artist. He wrote for the Yiddish theatre, made some of the earliest novelty recordings mixing American popular music, ...
. Lonesome was the first of three already completed movies to which Universal added sound, with no input from Fejos on the dialogue sequences. This new version of the film was released on September 20, 1928. (After this first hastily accomplished phase, Universal continued using Fox's equipment to make its own first all-talking movie, '' Melody of Love'' - which is also the first-ever film musical - in under two week. That led a chagrined and angry crew from Fox to repossess its sound truck from Universal.) '' Lonesome'' was another box office hit for Fejos and the film's reputation has grown throughout the years. French cineaste
Georges Sadoul Georges Sadoul (; 4 February 1904 – 13 October 1967) was a French film critic, journalist and cinema writer. He is known for writing encyclopedias of film and filmmakers, many of which have been translated into English. Biography Sadoul w ...
called it a precursor to neorealism. Film critic
Jonathan Rosenbaum Jonathan Rosenbaum (born February 27, 1943) is an American film critic and author. Rosenbaum was the head film critic for '' The Chicago Reader'' from 1987 to 2008. He has published and edited numerous books about cinema and has contributed to ...
praised Lonesome and compared Fejos to
F. W. Murnau Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau (born Friedrich Wilhelm Plumpe; December 28, 1888March 11, 1931) was a German film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is regarded as one of cinema's most influential filmmakers for his work in the silent era. An e ...
,
Fritz Lang Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), better known as Fritz Lang (), was an Austrian-born film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary ''Variety Obituari ...
,
Sergei Eisenstein Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein; (11 February 1948) was a Soviet film director, screenwriter, film editor and film theorist. Considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, he was a pioneer in the theory and practice of montage. He is no ...
and
Vsevolod Pudovkin Vsevolod Illarionovich Pudovkin ( rus, Всеволод Илларионович Пудовкин, p=ˈfsʲevələt ɪl(ː)ərʲɪˈonəvʲɪtɕ pʊˈdofkʲɪn; 28 February 1893 – 30 June 1953) was a Soviet film director, screenwriter and acto ...
.
Andrew Sarris Andrew Sarris (October 31, 1928 – June 20, 2012) was an American film critic. He was a leading proponent of the auteur theory of film criticism. Early life Sarris was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Greek immigrant parents, Themis (née Kat ...
called Lonesome it "a tender love story in its silent passages... utcrude, clumsy and tediously tongue-tied in its talkie passages." Charles Higham stated that although "its visual style, initially attractive, becomes a monotonous succession of busy shots, dissolving over each other in a perpetual flurry... utthe films charm is real." Fejos's third Hollywood film, '' The Last Performance,'' was another box office success in 1929 for Universal Studios. Part sound and part silent, the film starred
Conrad Veidt Hans Walter Conrad Veidt ( , ; 22 January 1893 – 3 April 1943) was a German and British actor. He attracted early attention for his roles in the films ''Different from the Others'' (1919), ''The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'' (1920), and ''The Man ...
as a stage magician who falls in love with his assistant. Later that year, Fejos began production on his largest and most ambitious film, ''
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...
,'' based on the hit stage production produced by
Jed Harris Jed Harris (born Jacob Hirsch Horowitz; February 25, 1900 – November 15, 1979) was an Austrian-born American theatrical producer and director. His many successful Broadway productions in the 1920s and 1930s include '' Broadway'' (1926), ''Coqu ...
,
George Abbott George Francis Abbott (June 25, 1887January 31, 1995) was an American theatre producer, director, playwright, screenwriter, film director and producer whose career spanned eight decades. He received numerous honors including six Tony Awards, the ...
and Phillip Dunning. Fejos was given a $1 million budget, most of which was spent on the huge
cubist Cubism is an early-20th-century avant-garde art movement which began in Paris. It revolutionized painting and the visual arts, and sparked artistic innovations in music, ballet, literature, and architecture. Cubist subjects are analyzed, broke ...
nightclub set and a 28-ton camera crane that was the largest and most versatile one built by that time. The film starred Glenn Tryon and
Evelyn Brent Evelyn Brent (born Mary Elizabeth Riggs; October 20, 1895 – June 4, 1975) was an American film and stage actress. Early life Brent was born in Tampa, Florida and known as "Betty." When she was 10 years old, her mother Eleanor ( Warner) die ...
. The movie was only a modest success, however, and Fejos considered it a failure. (
William A. Seiter William Alfred Seiter (June 10, 1890 – July 26, 1964) was an American film director. Life and career Seiter was born in New York City. After attending Hudson River Military Academy, Seiter broke into films in 1915 as a bit player at Mack Senn ...
made a new version of ''Broadway'' in 1942.) Film critic Miles Krueger said "the images of the Paradise Club and the huge musical number (''Final in Technicolor'')" from Fejos' movie "have become basic screen literature." In 1930, Fejos became an American citizen and began filming the musical ''
Captain of the Guard The Captain of the Guard is a position for a military force. It is also a position within jail and prison staffing. Uses Military use A Captain of the Guard is the commanding position of a military security force. The position of Captain of the ...
'' (AKA ''Marsellaise''). During the shooting of an ambitious sequence using more than 300 extras to depict the storming of the
Bastille The Bastille (, ) was a fortress in Paris, known as the Bastille Saint-Antoine. It played an important role in the internal conflicts of France and for most of its history was used as a state prison by the kings of France. It was stormed by a ...
, Fejos fell from a high scaffolding and suffered a concussion. He spent six weeks in bed recovering.
John S. Robertson John Stuart Robertson (June 14, 1878 – November 5, 1964) was a Canadian born actor and later film director perhaps best known for his 1920 screen adaptation of ''Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'', starring John Barrymore. Biography Robertson was b ...
finish the movie, and Fejos received no screen credit. He then worked on ''
King of Jazz King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a constitutional monarch if his power is restrained by ...
,'' on which
John Murray Anderson John Murray Anderson (September 20, 1886 – January 30, 1954) was a Canadian theatre director and theatre producer, producer, songwriter, actor, screenwriter, dancer and lighting designer, who made his career in the United States, primarily in ...
received the official directing credit. This angered Fejos and continued when Universal did not let him direct ''
All Quiet on the Western Front ''All Quiet on the Western Front'' () is a semi-autobiographical novel by Erich Maria Remarque, a German veteran of World War I. The book describes the German soldiers' extreme physical and mental trauma during the war as well as the detachme ...
.'' Fejos broke his contract with Universal and signed with
Metro Goldwyn Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American film and television production and distribution company headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. Metro ...
shortly afterwards. That only led to Fejos directing the German and French language versions of '' The Big House''.


European career

In 1931, Fejos left Hollywood, accepting an invitation from
Pierre Braunberger Pierre Braunberger (29 July 1905, Paris – 16 November 1990, Aubervilliers) was a French producer, executive producer, and actor. Biography Born into a family of physicians, Braunberger at the age of seven was already determined not have ...
to direct early sound films in France. Fejos complained to a reporter that Hollywood was too commercial and like a drug for the public. The Hollywood-fantasy happy endings simply blinded working people from their hopeless lives, he said. "(I)f the movie theaters were suddenly closed in America, there would be a revolution", Fejos added, but that, in Europe, he hoped for "films made in the name of art". His career in France was short-lived, beginning with his supervision in 1931 of Claude Heymann's ''
American Love ''American Love'' is the fifth studio album by American country music artist Jake Owen. It was released on July 29, 2016, through RCA Records Nashville, RCA Nashville. It includes the #1 single "American Country Love Song". Reception AllMusic' ...
.'' Fejos then made the ambitious ''
Fantômas Fantômas () is a fictional character created by French writers Marcel Allain (1885–1969) and Pierre Souvestre (1874–1914). One of the most popular characters in the history of French crime fiction, Fantômas was created in 1911 and appeared ...
,'' a
remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same s ...
of the famous serial made by
Louis Feuillade Louis Feuillade (; 19 February 1873 – 25 February 1925) was a French filmmaker of the silent film, silent era. Between 1906 and 1924, he directed over 630 films. He is primarily known for the crime serial film, serials ''Fantômas (1913 ser ...
in the 1910s. In 1932, Fejos returned to Hungary to direct '' Spring Shower'' (''Tavaszi Zápor''), which some film critics have called his best movie. It stars
Annabella Annabella, Anabella, or Anabela is a feminine given name. Notable people with the name include: *Annabella of Scotland (c. 1433–1509), daughter of King James I *Annabella (actress) (1907–1996), stage name of French actress Suzanne Georgette C ...
as a young girl, Marie, who is seduced and abandoned with a child. She dies in poverty only to find herself having to scrub floors in Heaven. By dumping her wash bucket, she creates a rain storm that prevents her growing daughter from repeating Marie's mistakes. Jonathan Rosenbaum praised the film. Much as ''Lonesome'' seems indebted to the city and amusement park scenes in ''
Sunrise Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning, at the start of the Sun path. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon. Terminology Although the S ...
,'' Spring Shower also has nocturnal lighting and sensuality in Marie's seduction, as well as a mysterious musical aftermath, reminiscent of certain rustic night scenes in Sunrise. Unlike the determinism of Murnau's compositions and camera movements, though, Fejos' anthropological distance and fairy-tale encapsulations imply a different sort of relationship to his characters. The rapid cutting between details in a brothel, conveying Marie's confusion before fainting, encourages an identification with sensations, not thoughts or feelings. The beauty of Annabella's performance and a violin-and-clarinet theme also help one overlook some of the more reductive aspects of the folk legend that define the films dimensions. Having fallen in love with Annabella, Fejos allegedly flew in a small plane over her train back to France and showered it with roses. Fejos's friend John W. Dodds has stated that "every time ejosmoved to another country, it was because of an ending love affair." Fejos spent the next few years throughout different European countries, often with his frequent collaborators Lothar Wolff, his assistant director, and Ferenc Farkas, his composer. '' The Verdict of Lake Balaton'' (''Itél a Balaton'') in 1932 was Fejos' second Hungarian film. It includes beautiful documentary-like footage of local fishermen and their everyday lives. The movie was highly criticized in Hungary, however, for its depiction of the fisherman and accused of bigotry against village life. In 1933, Fejos moved to Austria and made ''Ray of Sunshine'' (''Sonnenstrahl''), again starring Annabella. The film focused on unemployment and poverty in post-World War I Austria and was praised by critics as "the summit of Fejos' art in Europe...too often ignored by the critics." Later that year, Fejos made the light comedy ''
Voices of Spring Voices or The Voices may refer to: Film and television * ''Voices'' (1920 film), by Chester M. De Vonde, with Diana Allen * ''Voices'' (1973 film), a British horror film * ''Voices'' (1979 film), a film by Robert Markowitz * ''Voices'' (19 ...
'' (''Frühlingstimmen''). In 1934, Fejos moved to Denmark and made three films for the
Nordisk Film Nordisk Film A/S () is a Danish entertainment company involved in film production and distribution and a subsidiary of Egmont Group. The multimedia entertainment company is also involved in television production, cinemas, computer games and ...
company: ''Flight of the millions'' (''Flugten fra millionerne''), a light comedy in 1934; ''Prisoner Number 1'' (''Fange Nr. 1''), a farce in 1935 about a world where there are no prisoners or police officers; and ''
The Golden Smile ''The Golden Smile'' (Danish: ''Det gyldne smil'') is a 1935 Danish drama film directed by Pál Fejös and starring Bodil Ipsen, Helen von Münchofen and John Price.Sadoul & Morris p.80 The film's sets were designed by the art director Heinz Fen ...
'' (''Det Gyldne Smil''), an adaptation in 1935 of playwright
Kaj Munk Kaj Harald Leininger Munk (commonly called Kaj Munk; 13 January 1898 – 4 January 1944) was a Danish playwright and Lutheran pastor, known for his cultural engagement and his martyrdom during the Occupation of Denmark of World War II. He i ...
's story about the relationship between art and life.


Career as ethnographic filmmaker

By 1935, Fejos had grown tired of narrative movies and their inauthentic sets and stories. Nordisk Film sent him to scout filming locations in
Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...
. Fejos loved the country so much that he stayed for nine months. He filmed over 30,000 feet of footage of animals, plants, tribal societies and local customs, all of which was unusable for a theatrical feature. He also collected many artifacts and eventually donated them to the
Royal Danish Geographical Society The Royal Danish Geographical Society (RDGS, ) is a scientific society. The society aims to furthethe knowledge of the Earth and its inhabitants and to disseminate interest in the science of geography. It was founded 18 November 1876 on the initia ...
. Upon Fejos' return to Denmark,
Svensk Filmindustri SF Studios is Sweden’s largest film studio. It is involved in production, distribution, and movie theater market chains (both Swedish and international, including American) with headquarters in Stockholm and local offices in Oslo, Copenhagen ...
's
Gunnar Skoglund Gunnar Skoglund (1899–1983) was a Swedish film director, film editor, editor and screenwriter. He also acted in several films. He worked on a number of newsreels for Svensk Filmindustri.Hjort & Lindqvist p.137 Selected filmography * ''Black Rud ...
saw the Madagascar footage and commissioned a series of six short documentaries released between 1935 and 1936. These films included ''Black Horizons'' (''Svarta Horisonter''), ''The Dancers of Esira,'' ''Beauty Salon in the Jungle,'' ''The Most Useful Tree in the World,'' ''Sea Devil'' and ''The Graves of our Father.'' In 1936, Fejos married
Inga Arvad Inga Marie Arvad Petersen (6 October 1913 – 12 December 1973) was a Danish-American journalist who was a guest of Adolf Hitler at the 1936 Summer Olympics and also had a romantic relationship with John F. Kennedy in 1941 and 1942. The jux ...
, a Danish journalist noted both for being a guest of
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
at the
1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XI Olympiad () and officially branded as Berlin 1936, were an international multi-sport event held from 1 to 16 August 1936 in Berlin, then capital of Nazi Germany. Berlin won the bid to ...
and for a romantic relationship with
John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...
. Arvad appeared in ''Flight of the millions,'' and the two remained married until 1942. Inspired by his newfound passion for cultures and history, Fejos studied cultural anthropology in 1936 at the
Museum of Copenhagen The Museum of Copenhagen ( Danish: Københavns Bymuseum) is the official museum of Copenhagen, Denmark, documenting the city's history from the 12th century to the present. History The Museum of Copenhagen was founded in 1901. Starting in 1925, ...
under Dr. Thompson. Svensk Filmindustri then commissioned Fejos to make a series of
ethnographic film An ethnographic film is a non-fiction film, often similar to a documentary film, historically shot by Western filmmakers and dealing with non-Western people, and sometimes associated with anthropology. Definitions of the term are not definitive. ...
s from 1937 to 1938 in such countries as Indonesia, the Philippines, New Guinea, Ceylon and Thailand. These movies included ''A Handful of Rice'' (''En Handfull Ris''), ''Man and Woman'' (''Man och Kvinna''), ''The Tribe Still Lives'' (''Stammen lever än''), ''The Bamboo Age of Mentawei'' (''Bambuåldern på Mentawei''), ''The Chief's Son is Dead'' (''Hövdingens son är död''), ''The Komodo Dragon'' (''Draken på Komodo'') and ''The Village Near Pleasant Fountain'' (''Byn vid den trivsamma brunnen''). Returning in 1938 from filming in Thailand, Fejos met Swedish industrialist
Axel Wenner-Gren Axel Lennart Wenner-Gren (5 June 1881 – 24 November 1961) was a Swedish entrepreneur and one of the wealthiest men in the world during the 1930s. Early life He was born on 5 June 1881 in Uddevalla, a town on the west coast of Sweden. He ...
. They became fast friends and Wenner-Gren changed Fejos' life much as Edward Spitz had a decade earlier. Wenner-Gren agreed to finance in late 1939 an expedition by Fejos to Peru. In
Cusco Cusco or Cuzco (; or , ) is a city in southeastern Peru, near the Sacred Valley of the Andes mountain range and the Huatanay river. It is the capital of the eponymous Cusco Province, province and Cusco Region, department. The city was the cap ...
there, a
Franciscan friar The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor being the largest contem ...
told Fejos about a legendary lost city somewhere in the jungle. Fejos immediately contacted Wenner-Gren, who agreed to give additional financing for the expedition. The filmmaker discovered 18 ancient
Incan The Inca Empire, officially known as the Realm of the Four Parts (, ), was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political, and military center of the empire was in the city of Cusco. The Inca civilisation rose fr ...
cities and traveled to the headwaters of the Amazon River. Fejos spent a year in Peru studying the culture and filming the
Yagua Yagua are an indigenous people in Colombia and northeastern Peru, numbering approximately 6,000. Currently, they live near the Amazon, Napo, Putumayo and Yavari rivers and their tributaries. As of 2005, some Yagua have migrated northward to C ...
tribe. The research resulted in Fejos' final series of films, ''Yagua'', released in 1940 and 1941. It also led to the publication in 1943 of ''Ethnology of the Yagua'' by the Viking Fund Series of Publications in Anthropology.


Career as anthropologist and final years

In 1941, Fejos stopped traveling and making films to become both the director of research and acting head of the Viking Fund, a non-profit foundation based in New York City that Wenner-Gren created that year (and later renamed the
Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research Axel Lennart Wenner-Gren (5 June 1881 – 24 November 1961) was a Swedish people, Swedish entrepreneur and one of the wealthiest men in the world during the 1930s. Early life He was born on 5 June 1881 in Uddevalla, a town on the west coast ...
). Fejos became highly respected in his field and was considered ahead of his time for calling for communication amongst various branches of anthropology. Fejos taught during this time at
Stanford Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth governor of and th ...
,
Yale Yale University is a private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and one of the nine colonial colleges ch ...
and Columbia universities. In 1958, Fejos married anthropologist Lita Binns. She succeeded him as the Wenner-Gren Foundation research director after he died on 23 April 1963. "Fejos had the temperament of an artist rather than a scholar or research scientist," David Bidney wrote in an obituary. Fejos "supported not only research projects(,) but also, and primarily. individuals whom he trusted and considered worthy of support...His personal support of
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (; 1 May 1881 – 10 April 1955) was a French Jesuit, Catholic priest, scientist, palaeontologist, theologian, and teacher. He was Darwinian and progressive in outlook and the author of several influential theologi ...
during the last years of the life of this eccentric genius is but one outstanding example...(Fejos) leaves behind him the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research which he built, an international host of friends whom he helped, and a wife whom he cherished and appreciated."


Selected filmography

*'' Lord Arthur Savile's Crime'' (1920) *'' Stars of Eger'' (1923) *'' The Last Moment'' (1928,
lost film A lost film is a feature film, feature or short film in which the original negative or copies are not known to exist in any studio archive, private collection, or public archive. Films can be wholly or partially lost for a number of reasons. ...
) *'' Lonesome'' (1928) *''
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...
'' (1929) *'' The Last Performance'' (1929) *'' The Big House'' (1930, German and French versions) * ''
Captain of the Guard The Captain of the Guard is a position for a military force. It is also a position within jail and prison staffing. Uses Military use A Captain of the Guard is the commanding position of a military security force. The position of Captain of the ...
'' (1930 Uncredited ) * ''
Men Behind Bars ''Men Behind Bars'' (German: ''Menschen hinter Gittern'') is a 1931 German-language American Pre-Code drama film directed by Pál Fejös and starring Heinrich George, Gustav Diessl and Egon von Jordan. It is the German language version of MGM's ...
'' (1931) * ''
American Love ''American Love'' is the fifth studio album by American country music artist Jake Owen. It was released on July 29, 2016, through RCA Records Nashville, RCA Nashville. It includes the #1 single "American Country Love Song". Reception AllMusic' ...
'' (1931) *''
Fantômas Fantômas () is a fictional character created by French writers Marcel Allain (1885–1969) and Pierre Souvestre (1874–1914). One of the most popular characters in the history of French crime fiction, Fantômas was created in 1911 and appeared ...
'' (1932) *'' Spring Shower'' (1932) *'' The Verdict of Lake Balaton'' (1932) *''
Voices of Spring Voices or The Voices may refer to: Film and television * ''Voices'' (1920 film), by Chester M. De Vonde, with Diana Allen * ''Voices'' (1973 film), a British horror film * ''Voices'' (1979 film), a film by Robert Markowitz * ''Voices'' (19 ...
'' (1933) * ''
Flight from the Millions ''Flight from the Millions'' (Danish: ''Flugten fra millionerne'') is a 1934 Danish comedy film directed and written by Pál Fejös and starring Inga Arvad, Erling Schroeder and Tudlik Johansen. It was one of three films made in Denmark by the Hun ...
'' (1934) *''
The Golden Smile ''The Golden Smile'' (Danish: ''Det gyldne smil'') is a 1935 Danish drama film directed by Pál Fejös and starring Bodil Ipsen, Helen von Münchofen and John Price.Sadoul & Morris p.80 The film's sets were designed by the art director Heinz Fen ...
'' (1935) *''
Prisoner Number One ''Prisoner Number One'' (Danish: ''Fange nr. 1'') is a 1935 Danish comedy film directed by Pál Fejös and starring Christian Arhoff, Robert Storm Petersen and Rasmus Christiansen.Cunningham p.210 Cast * Christian Arhoff as Felix * Robert Sto ...
'' (1935) * ''Svarta horisonter'' (1936, series of 6 short documentaries) * ''Stammen lever än'' (1937 * ''Bambuåldern på Mantaivei'' (1937) * ''Hövdingens son är död'' (1937) * ''Draken på Komodo'' (1937) * ''Byn vid den trivsamma brunnen'' (1937) * ''Tambora'' (1938) * ''Att segla är nödvändigt'' (1938) * ''En handfull ris'' (1938) * ''Man och kvinna'' (1939) * ''Yagua'' (1941)


See also

*
Runkuraqay Runkuraqay or Runku Raqay (Quechua ''runku'' basket, ''raqay'' shed / derelict house / ruin)Diccionario Quechua - Español - Quechua, Academía Mayor de la Lengua Quechua, Gobierno Regional Cusco, Cusco 2005 (Quechua-Spanish dictionary) is an ar ...


References


Further reading

*Büttner, Elisabeth (2004). ''Paul Fejos Die Welt macht Film''. Vienna, Austria: verlag filmarchiv Austria, Wien.


External links

* *
Literature on Paul Fejos

The Travels of Paul Fejos
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fejos, Paul 1897 births 1963 deaths Hungarian film directors Hungarian ethnographers Hungarian emigrants to the United States Film people from Budapest Silent film directors Visual anthropologists