Andrew Marton
Encyclopedia
Andrew Marton was a Hungarian-American director, producer and editor. In his career he directed 39 films and television programs solo, and 16 as an assistant director.
to Vienna
to work at Sascha-Film
, mostly as an assistant editor. After a few months, he rose the attention of director Ernst Lubitsch
, who convinced him to try his luck in Hollywood. Marton returned to Europe in 1927, and worked as the main editor of the Tobis company in Berlin
, and later as an assistant director in Vienna. He directed his first feature film, Two O'Clock in the Morning in 1929 in Great Britain
. Following his famed adventurous spirit, he joined a German expedition to Tibet
in 1934, where he filmed his emblematic movie, Der Demon des Himalaya.
After returning to Hungary
, he directed his only Hungarian movie in 1935 in Budapest
. Between 1936-1939 he worked with Alexander Korda
in London
. After the outbreak of World War II
, he moved to the USA for good. During the 1940s and 1950s he worked mostly for MGM Studios. In 1954 he founded his own production company with Iván Törzs, Louis Meyer and László Benedek. He was active until the middle of the 1970s. On January 7, 1992 he died of pneumonia
.
or Daktari
. Remembered for cinematic moments like the chariot race of Ben Hur
, or the battle scenes of A Farewell to Arms
, he worked with prestigious Hollywood directors, including Frank Capra
, George Cukor
, Fred Zinneman, Joseph Mankiewicz and Mike Nichols
.
Biography
After high-school graduation in 1922 he was taken by Alfréd DeésyAlfréd Deésy
Alfréd Deésy was a Hungarian film director, screenwriter and actor. He directed 77 films between 1915 and 1947...
to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
to work at Sascha-Film
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:...
, mostly as an assistant editor. After a few months, he rose the attention of director Ernst Lubitsch
Ernst Lubitsch
Ernst Lubitsch was a German-born film director. His urbane comedies of manners gave him the reputation of being Hollywood's most elegant and sophisticated director; as his prestige grew, his films were promoted as having "the Lubitsch touch."In 1947 he received an Honorary Academy Award for his...
, who convinced him to try his luck in Hollywood. Marton returned to Europe in 1927, and worked as the main editor of the Tobis company in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, and later as an assistant director in Vienna. He directed his first feature film, Two O'Clock in the Morning in 1929 in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. Following his famed adventurous spirit, he joined a German expedition to Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
in 1934, where he filmed his emblematic movie, Der Demon des Himalaya.
After returning to Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, he directed his only Hungarian movie in 1935 in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
. Between 1936-1939 he worked with Alexander Korda
Alexander Korda
Sir Alexander Korda was a Hungarian-born British producer and film director. He was a leading figure in the British film industry, the founder of London Films and the owner of British Lion Films, a film distributing company.-Life and career:The elder brother of filmmakers Zoltán Korda and Vincent...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. After the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he moved to the USA for good. During the 1940s and 1950s he worked mostly for MGM Studios. In 1954 he founded his own production company with Iván Törzs, Louis Meyer and László Benedek. He was active until the middle of the 1970s. On January 7, 1992 he died of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
.
Legacy
The works of Andrew Marton are focused on exoticism, nature, and spectacle. Beside feature films, he was also notable in television, creating several nature films and supervising episodes of series like FlipperFlipper (1964 TV series)
Flipper, from Ivan Tors Films in association with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television, is an American television program first broadcast on NBC from September 19, 1964, until April 15, 1967. Flipper, a bottlenose dolphin, is the companion animal of Porter Ricks, Chief Warden at fictional Coral Key Park...
or Daktari
Daktari
Daktari is an American children's drama series that aired on CBS between 1966 and 1969. The series, an Ivan Tors Films Production in association with MGM Television, stars Marshall Thompson as Dr. Marsh Tracy, a veterinarian at the fictional Wameru Study Centre for Animal Behaviour in East...
. Remembered for cinematic moments like the chariot race of Ben Hur
Ben-Hur (1959 film)
Ben-Hur is a 1959 American epic film directed by William Wyler and starring Charlton Heston in the title role, the third film adaptation of Lew Wallace's 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. The screenplay was written by Karl Tunberg, Gore Vidal, and Christopher Fry. The score was composed by...
, or the battle scenes of A Farewell to Arms
A Farewell to Arms (1957 film)
A Farewell to Arms is a 1957 American drama film directed by Charles Vidor. The screenplay by Ben Hecht, based in part on a 1930 play by Laurence Stallings, was the second feature film adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's 1929 semi-autobiographical novel of the same name. It was the last film produced...
, he worked with prestigious Hollywood directors, including Frank Capra
Frank Capra
Frank Russell Capra was a Sicilian-born American film director. He emigrated to the U.S. when he was six, and eventually became a creative force behind major award-winning films during the 1930s and 1940s...
, George Cukor
George Cukor
George Dewey Cukor was an American film director. He mainly concentrated on comedies and literary adaptations. His career flourished at RKO and later MGM, where he directed What Price Hollywood? , A Bill of Divorcement , Dinner at Eight , Little Women , David Copperfield , Romeo and Juliet and...
, Fred Zinneman, Joseph Mankiewicz and Mike Nichols
Mike Nichols
Mike Nichols is a German-born American television, stage and film director, writer, producer and comedian. He began his career in the 1950s as one half of the comedy duo Nichols and May, along with Elaine May. In 1968 he won the Academy Award for Best Director for the film The Graduate...
.
Director
- Two O'clock in the Morning, 1929, GB
- Der Demon des Himalaya, 1935, D
- Wolf's ClothingWolf's ClothingWolf's Clothing is a 1936 British comedy film directed by Andrew Marton and starring Claude Hulbert, Gordon Harker and Lilli Palmer. A blundering group of secret agents mistake a Foreign Office official for a dangerous international assasain.-Cast:...
(1936) - Storm over Tibet, 1951, USA
- The Wild NorthThe Wild NorthThe Wild North is a 1952 American western film directed by Andrew Marton and starring Stewart Granger, Wendell Corey and Cyd Charisse. A trapper goes on the run in the Canadian wilderness, pursued by a lawman.-Cast:* Stewart Granger - Jules Vincent...
(1952) - Oh IslamOh IslamOh Islam is a 1961 Egyptian drama film directed by Enrico Bomba and Andrew Marton. The film was selected as the Egyptian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 34th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee...
(1961) - The Longest DayThe Longest Day (film)The Longest Day is a 1962 war film based on the 1959 history book The Longest Day by Cornelius Ryan, about "D-Day", the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944, during World War II....
, 1962, USA - Crack in the WorldCrack in the WorldCrack in the World is an American science-fiction disaster movie filmed in Spain in 1964 and released by Paramount Pictures. While noted for its attempts at scientific accuracy, its premise—a crack in the solid crust of the Earth threatening life on it—was disproved by the conclusive...
, 1965, USA
Second unit director
- The Seventh CrossThe Seventh CrossAnna Seghers' novel The Seventh Cross , is one of the better-known examples of German literature circa World War II. It was published first in America, in an abridged version, in September 1942 by Little, Brown and Company...
, 1944, USA - Ben HurBen-Hur (1959 film)Ben-Hur is a 1959 American epic film directed by William Wyler and starring Charlton Heston in the title role, the third film adaptation of Lew Wallace's 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. The screenplay was written by Karl Tunberg, Gore Vidal, and Christopher Fry. The score was composed by...
, 1959, USA - CleopatraCleopatra (1963 film)Cleopatra is a 1963 British-American-Swiss epic drama film directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. The screenplay was adapted by Sidney Buchman, Ben Hecht, Ranald MacDougall, and Mankiewicz from a book by Carlo Maria Franzero. The film starred Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison, Roddy...
, 1963, USA - Catch-22Catch-22 (film)Catch-22 is a 1970 satirical war film adapted from the book of the same name by Joseph Heller. Considered a black comedy revolving around the "lunatic characters" of Heller's satirical anti-war novel, it was the work of a talented production team which included director Mike Nichols and...
, 1970, USA - Kelly's HeroesKelly's HeroesKelly's Heroes is an offbeat 1970 comedy/war film about a group of World War II soldiers who go AWOL to rob a bank behind enemy lines. Directed by Brian G...
, 1970, USA - The Day of the JackalThe Day of the Jackal (film)The Day of the Jackal is a 1973 Anglo-French film, set in August 1963 and based on the novel of the same name by Frederick Forsyth. Directed by Fred Zinnemann, it stars Edward Fox as the assassin known only as "the Jackal" who is hired to assassinate Charles de Gaulle.- Synopsis :The film opens...
, 1973, USA