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 Anschluss of 1938 and emigrated to Britain and the United States.

Life and career

Early life up to 1938 The son of Ludwig Porges, a banker, and Viktoria Bing, Friedrich Porges became interested in journalism in his youth. Already while studying modern philology at the University of Vienna, he wrote for numerous newspapers.

Porges wrote many frequently broadcast radio plays This magazine had an accompanying book series Mein Film Buch (1926-1933) in which, for example, Porges' book about Charlie Chaplin, -- the first to appear in Austria -- Charlie Chaplin der Vagabund der Welt, was published. There, in Hollywood, he wrote the German-language versions of the Walt Disney animated movies, Fantasia, Saludos Amigos, and Bambi.

In 1959, he was awarded the "Dimitri Tiomkin International Press Award" for the best Hollywood story of the year.

Books ( selected titles ) Die Liebe des Thomas Hill ( "The Love of Thomas Hill" ), 1920

Charlie Chaplin der Vagabund der Welt ( "Charlie Chaplin, The Vagabond of the World" ), 1931

Mensch in Fesseln ( "Man in Shackles" ), a Drama about Heinrich Heine, 1931

Schatten erobern die Welt, wie Filme und Kino Wurden ( "Shadows Conquer the World, How Film and Movies Came to Be" ), 1946

Selected filmography Die Nacht der Mary Murton ( "The Night of Mary Murton" )(1921) Der Marquis von Bolibar ( "The Marquis of Bolibar")(1922) Die Tochter des Brigadiers ( "The Daughter of the Brigadier" ) (1922), after Alexandre Dumas Adam und Eva ("Adam and Eve") )(1923) Der Film im Film ("The Film in the Film" )(1924), in which actors such as Asta Nielsen and Conradt Veit, as well as the director, Fritz Lang, give commentaries Alles will zum Film ("Everybody Wants to be in the Movies" ) (1927)

Awards Dimitri Tiomkin International Press Award 1959

Personal life Friedrich Porges was married from 1913 until his death in 1978 to Helene Matzner ( 1891–1985), who emigrated with him to the US. They had two daughters, Stella (1914–1999) and Erica (1917–1978), who were also able to emigrate to California.