Alexandre Trauner

Alexandre Trauner (born Sándor Trau; 3 August 1906 in Budapest, Hungary – 5 December 1993 in Omonville-la-Petite, France) was a Hungarian film production designer.

After studying painting at Hungarian Royal Drawing School, he left the country in 1929, fleeing from the antisemitic government of Admiral Horthy. In Paris, he became the assistant of set designer Lazare Meerson, at the studios in Épinay-sur-Seine working on such films as À nous la liberté (1932) and La Kermesse héroïque (1935). In 1937, he became a chief set designer.

Trauner worked with director Marcel Carné for some years on such films as Port of Shadows (Quai des brumes, 1938), Le Jour se lève (1939), and Children of Paradise (Les Enfants du paradis, 1945). Trauner worked in hiding on Children of Paradise, which was filmed at the Victorine Studios in Nice during 1943 and 1944 during the Nazi's Occupation of France.

He worked with Billy Wilder on eight films between 1958 and 1978, including the sets for The Apartment (1960), on which he made use of false perspective, a characteristic of his work. For his work on this film, he won an Academy Award.

Filmography 1934: Sans famille by Marc Allégret (models by R. Gys) 1936: Vous n'avez rien à déclarer ? by Léo Joannon (models by R. Gys) 1937: Gribouille by Marc Allégret 1937: Drôle de drame by Marcel Carné, screenplay by Jacques Prévert 1937: La Dame de Malacca by Marc Allégret (oriental sets only, other sets by J. Krauss) 1937: Mollenard by Robert Siodmak 1938: Port of Shadows by Marcel Carné, screenplay by Jacques Prévert 1938: Entrée des artistes by Marc Allégret (models by J. Krauss) 1938: Hôtel du Nord by Marcel Carné, dialogue by Henri Jeanson 1939: Le jour se lève by Marcel Carné, screenplay by Jacques Prévert and dialogue by Jacques Viot 1939: Remorques by Jean Grémillon, screenplay by Jacques Prévert (completed by H. Manessier from original models) 1940: Soyez les bienvenus by Jacques de Baroncelli (models by Paul Bertrand) 1941: Le soleil a toujours raison by Pierre Billon, screenplay by Jacques Prévert (models by A. Capelier and G. Wakhevitch) 1942: Les Visiteurs du soir (+ costumes) by Marcel Carné, screenplay by Jacques Prévert (with G. Wakhevitch) 1942: Lumière d'été by Jean Grémillon, screenplay by Jacques Prévert (models by M. Douy) 1943: Le Ciel est à vous by Jean Grémillon 1943-1944: Les Enfants du paradis by Marcel Carné, screenplay by Jacques Prévert (with L. Barsacq and R. Gabutti) 1945: The Misfortunes of Sophie by Jacqueline Audry (models by M. Magniez) 1946: Les Portes de la nuit by Marcel Carné, screenplay by Jacques Prévert 1946: Dreams of Love by Christian Stengel (models by R. Gys) 1946: Mystery Trip by Pierre Prévert, screenplay by Jacques Prévert (models by A. Capelier) 1948-1950: Othello by Orson Welles (+ costumes) 1949: Manèges by Yves Allégret (models by A. Capelier) 1949: La Marie du port by Marcel Carné (models by A. Capelier) 1950: Juliette, or Key of Dreams by Marcel Carné, screenplay by Georges Neveux 1950: Les Miracles n'ont lieu qu'une fois by Yves Allégret (models by A. Capelier) 1951: Torticola contre Frankensberg (short film) by Paul Paviot (models by J. Allan) 1951: The Green Glove by Rudolph Maté 1951: Les Sept Péchés capitaux: La Luxure by Yves Allégret (models by A. Capelier) 1952: Desperate Decision by Yves Allégret 1952: Hobson's Choice by David Lean 1953: Act of Love by Anatole Litvak 1954: Land of the Pharaohs by Howard Hawks 1954: Du rififi chez les hommes by Jules Dassin (models by A. Capelier) 1955: La Lumière d'en face by Georges Lacombe (models by M. Colasson) 1955: Lady Chatterley's Lover by Marc Allégret (models by A. Capelier) 1956: The Happy Road by Gene Kelly (models by N. Howard) 1956: En effeuillant la marguerite by Marc Allégret (models by A. Capelier) 1956: Love in the Afternoon by Billy Wilder 1957: Be Beautiful But Shut Up by Marc Allégret (models by A. Capelier) 1957: Witness for the Prosecution by Billy Wilder 1959: Once More, with Feeling! by Stanley Donen 1960: Goodbya Again by Anatole Litvak 1961: Romanoff and Juliet by Peter Ustinov 1961: Paris Blues by Martin Ritt 1961: One, Two, Three by Billy Wilder 1961: Five Miles to Midnight by Anatole Litvak 1962: Gigot by Gene Kelly (models by A. Capelier) 1964: Behold a Pale Horse by Fred Zinnemann 1964: Kiss me stupid by Billy Wilder 1966: How to Steal a Million by William Wyler 1966: The Night of the Generals by Anatole Litvak 1968: Uptight by Jules Dassin 1968: A Flea in Her Ear by Jacques Charon 1969: Promise at Dawn by Jules Dassin 1970: Les Mariés de l'an II by Jean-Paul Rappeneau (models by W. Holt) 1970: The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes by Billy Wilder 1971: Impossible Object by John Frankenheimer 1974: The Man Who Would Be King by John Huston 1976: La Première fois by Claude Berri 1977: Fedora by Billy Wilder 1977: Roads to the South by Joseph Losey 1978: Don Giovanni by Joseph Losey 1979: The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu by Piers Haggard 1981: Coup de torchon by Bertrand Tavernier 1982: La Truite by Joseph Losey 1983: Tchao Pantin by Claude Berri 1983: Vive les femmes ! by Claude Confortès 1985: Harem by Arthur Joffé 1985: Round Midnight by Bertrand Tavernier 1986: Le Moustachu by Dominique Chaussois (models by D. Naert) 1987: The Bengali Night by Nicolas Klotz (models by D. Naert) 1988: Reunion by Jerry Schatzberg (models by D. Naert) 1988: Rouget le braconnier by Gilles Cousin (models by P. Duquesne) 1989: Comédie d'amour by Jean-Pierre Rawson (models by P. Duquesne) 1990: The Rainbow Thief by Alejandro Jodorowsky (models by D. Naert)