Alexander Korda

From Grokipedia

Alexander Korda (1893–1956), born Sándor László Kellner, was a Hungarian-born British film producer, director, and screenwriter renowned for founding London Films in 1931 and elevating the British film industry to international prominence through ambitious productions and innovative studio development.

Born on 16 September 1893 in the rural village of Puszta Turpásztó (near Túrkeve) on Hungary's Great Plain, Korda grew up in poverty following his father's early death, prompting him to move to Budapest in 1909 where he began a career in journalism as a film critic and reporter under the pseudonym "Korda." By the early 1910s, he transitioned into filmmaking, directing his first feature A régi bánya (The Old Mine) in 1912 and quickly rising to become Hungary's leading director, establishing the Corvin Film studio during World War I. Political upheaval and rising antisemitism after the war forced him to flee Hungary in 1919, leading to successful directing stints in Vienna, Berlin (where he made films like Samson and Delilah in 1922), and a brief, unsuccessful attempt in Hollywood during the mid-1920s.

Arriving in London in 1931 after a short period in Paris, Korda revitalized the struggling British film sector by founding London Film Productions, which he built into a major enterprise, including the construction of Denham Film Studios in 1936 as Europe's largest production facility at the time. His breakthrough came with directing The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933), starring Charles Laughton, which became a global hit and the first British film to win an Academy Award for Best Actor, marking Korda's shift toward lavish historical and adventure epics. Among his most notable productions were Rembrandt (1936, directed by him), the science-fiction landmark Things to Come (1936), the imperial adventure The Four Feathers (1939), the fantasy spectacle The Thief of Bagdad (1940, which won three Oscars including Best Art Direction and Best Cinematography), and the noir classic The Third Man (1949, produced through his British Lion Films).

Korda's influence extended beyond production; he collaborated closely with his brothers—art director Vincent Korda and director Zoltán Korda—and forged key partnerships, such as a distribution deal with United Artists in 1935 and wartime alliances with figures like Winston Churchill, who influenced British cinema policy to support Korda's efforts in promoting national prestige through film. His contributions to the war effort, including propaganda films and hosting Allied leaders at Denham, earned him a knighthood in June 1942, making him the first film producer to receive such an honor in Britain. Despite financial ups and downs, including a major setback during World War II, Korda's vision transformed British cinema from a marginal player into a creative powerhouse, though his company faced decline after his death on 23 January 1956 from a heart attack in London.

In brief

Sir Alexander Korda (; born Sándor László Kellner; Hungarian: Korda Sándor; 16 September 1893 – 23 January 1956) was a Hungarian-born British film director, producer, and screenwriter, who founded his own film production studios and film distribution company. Born in Hungary, where he began his career, he worked briefly in the Austrian and German film industries during the era of silent films, before being based in Hollywood from 1926 to 1930 for the first of his two brief periods there (the other was during World War II). The change led to a divorce from his first wife, the Hungarian film actress María Corda, who was unable to make the transition from silent films to "talkies" because of her Hungarian accent.

From 1930, Korda was active in the British film industry, and soon became one of its leading figures. He was the founder of London Films and, post-war, the owner of British Lion Films, a film distribution company. Korda produced many outstanding classics of the British film industry, including The Private Life of Henry VIII, Rembrandt, Things To Come, The Thief of Baghdad and The Third Man.