Sam Spiegel

Sam Spiegel ( born November 11, 1901 in Jarosław, Austria - Hungary, now Poland as Samuel P. Spiegel, † December 31 1985 in St. Martin, French West Indies ), was an independent American film producer of Austrian origin. He is regarded as one of the last great figures of the classic Hollywood era and one of the major film producers of American film history.

As an independent and successful producer at the time of the studio system he gained almost unlimited artistic freedom. Without the usual financial pressure to succeed, he realized riskier productions and broke new ground. The success proved him right: 50 internationally renowned awards and 23 Oscars were able to record his films. Personally, he was four times awarded the Oscar, one of them for his life's work due to the " consistent high quality of its productions. "

Life and work

Sam Spiegel was born in the Austro -Hungarian province of Galicia. He studied at the University of Vienna and then went for a longer stay to Palestine. He was a member of Hashomer Hatzair at.

After his time in Palestine mirror moved to the United States, where he lectured at the University of Berkeley in California. From there, hired him in 1927 Paul Bern, a manager of the MGM, as a lecturer for foreign film materials. Come in this way with the world of film in contact, he remained faithful to her life. He moved to Universal Pictures, which sent him into the European headquarters in Berlin to produce German and French adaptations of Universal movies. In 1929 he became head of the Berlin European headquarters.

After coming to power of Adolf Hitler, he first went to Austria, where he worked with Paul Fejos as a director one of the best " immigrants Movies " in Austria, Sunbeam (1933 ), produced. Soon he emigrated because of too soon degraded conditions in Austria first to France, where he continued working as a film producer. After the occupation of France by the Nazis during the Second World War, he went to Britain, where he also produced films. Eventually, he returned again in 1942, Mexico, the United States, where he found a job at 20th Century Fox. Under the pseudonym SP Eagle ( an abstraction of his surname mirror ), which he retained about a decade, he produced there until 1947. 1947 he founded with John Huston the Horizon Pictures, and thus began his unique career as an unflinching film producer with aspirations to art, and risk appetite. According to some, partly as perceived idiosyncratic film creations him in 1954 came with the eight- Oscar-winning On the Waterfront, directed by Elia Kazan 's international breakthrough. After this and the further success he enjoyed as an independent producer almost unlimited creative freedom he knew how to use.

In the Hollywood crisis of the 50s Hollywood more for a time from the UK, where also Oscar-winning works such as The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) and Lawrence of Arabia ( 1962) emerged.

He won three Academy Award in the category " Best Film".

Mirror pursued since his time with Hashomer Hatzair in Palestine carefully the development around the establishment of the State of Israel and had contacts from his time in Europe and in Palestine upright, including the later high-ranking politician Ariel Sharon and Golda Meir. Friendly relationship he had with Teddy Kollek, who was from 1965 to 1993 mayor of Jerusalem, and he knew from Vienna. A large part of his fortune he bequeathed to the city of Jerusalem, where his film school was named in honor. In later years, mirror remembered more strongly to his faith and Zionism and attended weekly rabbi.

The film school in Jerusalem in 1996 named after him ( " Sam Spiegel School Film and Television" ).

Quotes

" I argue for years that the level of the audience is much higher than the film producers and film directors and chiefs of the world suspect. And I always say that you have to write up to the level of the audience and not patronisierend down writes. "

Films (selection )

Awards

• Academy Awards: 1955: Oscar for On the Waterfront for Best Picture
• 1958: Oscar for The Bridge on the River Kwai for Best Picture
• 1963: Oscar for Best Picture Lawrence of Arabia
• 1964: Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award ( " Honorary Award " for Lifetime Achievement )
• 1972: Oscar nomination for Nicholas and Alexandra for Best Picture