Fox, the founder of the Fox studio that became 20th Century Fox, was a force in movies. In the early 20th century Thomas Alva Edison, the great inventor, owned all the patents to film making and showing. He also had a small army of Pinkerton men who took care of any opposition. The man with the patent had the monopoly. Edison had no vision for the future of his invention and kept movies as novelties: simple one-reelers in nickelodeons. Fox had a vision.
Fox sued Edison and broke his monopoly. He then hired great directors, especially Murnau and Borzage. He invested millions in the development of sound for movies and came up with movie-tone Of course, he patented it. Movie-tone became 'the' device for talkies. Now that they could talk films needed special equipment in order to be shown. So Fox built the movie houses. Isn't this beginning to sound like the plot of "Citizen Kane".
He ended in court where he was accused of trying to bribe the judge = six months in jail. With his monopoly broken, the stock market crash, and all the millions spent and loans taken on creating Movie-tone, he had to declare bankruptcy. He ended his years [1879-1952] quietly on Long Island.
Murnau, 1888-1931, was gay and German. I think Gay should come first for the following reason:
He served for Germany as an pilot in the First World War. When his lover was shot down, Murnau got 'lost' in some fog and landed in Switzerland where he stayed until the war was over.
On the basis of his first masterpiece, Nosferatu, Fox brought him to America. He was given free rein on his first picture for Fox: "Sunrise". The critics loved it but the public stayed away. It lost a great deal of money. Fortunately for Fox he also had:
Frank Borzage [1894-1931] a roman catholic born in Salt Lake City, Utah. People described Murnau as a paradox, half gypsy and the other half gentleman. Borzage was considered the nicest of men, generous, dear, and sweet. This was real early in the movie business.
At the time "Sunrise" was released "7th Heaven" by Borzage was released. "Sunrise" won 3 Oscars at the first Academy Awards, a top award for Unique and Artistic Production. "7th Heaven" also won 3 Oscars, including, Best Picture, but more importantly it won the audience. The stars Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrel became so popular that they made quite a few more films for Fox and Borzage.
Borzage died of cancer in 1962.
Murnau died in a car crash in 1931.
Most of the Fox film archive was destroyed in a fire in New Jersey. I will check netflix for "Sunrise" and "7th Heaven".
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| 'Weathered Steel' by Malcolm D. MacDougall 111 |
