Slavko Vorkapich
Slavko Vorkapich | |
---|---|
Born | Slavoljub Vorkapić March 17, 1894 |
Died | October 20, 1976 | (aged 82)
Occupation(s) | Filmmaker, artist |
Slavoljub "Slavko" Vorkapić (Serbian Cyrillic: Славољуб "Славко" Воркапић; March 17, 1894 – October 20, 1976), known in English as Slavko Vorkapich, was a Serbian-born Hollywood montagist, an independent cinematic artist, chair of USC School of Cinematic Arts, chair of the Belgrade Film and Theatre Academy, painter, and illustrator. He was a prominent figure of modern cinematography and motion picture film art during the early and mid-20th century and was a cinema theorist and lecturer.[1]
Early life
Slavoljub Vorkapić was born on March 17, 1894, in the small village of
His father, Petar, the town clerk, insisted that young Slavko be well-educated. After finishing his primary education, he became a student in a well-known regional high-school in the nearby town of Sremska Mitrovica, where he made his first steps in art and drawing. (Mileva Marić-Einstein, the first wife and work associate of Albert Einstein attended the same high school.)
He continued his high-school education in Zemun and later in the famous Art School in Belgrade. With a scholarship received from Matica srpska, Serbia's highest cultural and scientific institution at the time, Vorkapić went to Budapest, Hungary, where he studied art. At the beginning of World War I, he immediately returned to his homeland where, with the country besieged on all sides, he survived the tragic Serbian retreat across Albania in order to reach Allied positions in Greece.
From there he sailed to Italy, from where he reached France. He managed to enter Art Academy in Paris but soon after moved to Montparnasse among other Avant-garde artists. He took part in the 1917 and 1919 collective painter exhibits.
Career
This section needs additional citations for verification. (November 2022) |
Slavko Vorkapich's dream to go to the United States was fulfilled in 1920. For a short time, he lived in New York City. Then, for almost a year, he roamed the country nearly homeless, until his arrival in Hollywood in July 1921.[citation needed]
Although he started his motion picture career as a painter and an actor, he became best known as a montagist,
Vorkapić co-directed the experimental black and white short motion-picture The Life and Death of 9413: a Hollywood Extra (1928) with Robert Florey, and 2 beautiful and exciting visual tone poems, Moods of the Sea (1941) and Forest Murmurs (1947) with his Hollywood colleague, the Hungarian-born montagist and cinematic filmmaker John Hoffman (1904–1980).[3][4]
His one-minute
He is best known for his montage work on Hollywood movies such as
Vorkapich is credited for editing and montage on
He was appointed chair of the Department of Film of the University of Southern California from 1949 to 1951. During the 1950s, he was in Yugoslavia and worked as a professor at the Belgrade Film and Theatre Academy. In Yugoslavia in 1955, Vorkapić directed a full-length motion picture, Hanka.[citation needed]
Personal life
In 1938, Vorkapich commissioned modern architect Gregory Ain to build a garden house for his residence in Beverly Hills. It was a minor landmark in prefabricated architecture.[9] It has since been destroyed.[why?][when?]
Two of his many master drawings, his gift during a visit to Yugoslavia, are kept in the Srem Museum in Sremska Mitrovica.
Death
Slavko Vorkapić died of a heart attack in Mijas, Spain on the estate of his son Edvard who was a cinematographer on October 20, 1976, aged 82.
Influence and legacy
The now-common
Vorkapich's protege Art Clokey learned kinescope animation techniques under him at USC Film School and went on to use them to create the Gumby animated series.
Better Call Saul creator Peter Gould has cited Vorkapich as a major influence for the two and a half minute montage sequence seen from 27:33–30:00 in the Season 1 finale, "Marco".[10]
See also
- Pure cinema
- Montage (filmmaking)
- Cinematic techniques
- Experimental film
- Abstract film
References
- ^ *On True Cinema, Babac, Marko - 1998, 1.
- ISBN 978-1936168-68-2
- ^ ISBN 978-1593938192.
- ^ ISBN 978-8491688402.
- ISBN 978-0312681708.
- OCLC 607607424.
- Artkino Pictures. 1942.
available for free download at the Internet Archive
- Artkino Pictures, Inc. At the Globe Theatre.
- ISBN 978-0-8478-3062-6.
- ^ a b Dixon, Kelley (6 April 2015). "Better Call Saul Insider Podcast" (audio). podbay. p. 1:27:50. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
So I pitched ... what if this is like a Vorkapich?
Sources
- The Most Typical Avant-Garde. James, David – 2005
- On True Cinema. Babac, Marko – 1998
- Slavko Vorkapich: Reminiscences. Davis, Ronald – 1978
External links
- Slavko Vorkapić at IMDb
- Hanka at IMDb
- Recreation of the life and death of 9413 at the Internet Archive
- Slavko Vorkapić at FilmReference.com
- Slavko Vorkapić picture circa 1950
- http://purecinema-celluloid.webs.com/slavkovorkapich.htm
- "The Furies," opening montage sequence of Crime Without Passion (1934)