Otto Plaschkes
Encyclopedia
Otto Plaschkes was a British-Jewish
film producer
.
. His father, a butcher
, was from Bratislava
and his mother from Budapest
. Plaschkes left for England
at the age of ten, although he always expressed doubts about his date of birth—his personal papers gave three different birth dates—and felt that his mother may have added a year to qualify him for the kindertransport
, which enabled him to escape the Nazi regime
.
After arriving in England, he was temporarily adopted by a family in Liverpool
, but, more fortunately than many Jewish refugees, was soon reunited with his parents, younger brother and older sister in Salisbury
, where he was to grow up and where his father started a sausage casing business. Plaschkes attended Bishop Wordsworth's School
, where William Golding
was amongst his teachers; many of his contemporaries have claimed that he was in fact the inspiration for the sensitive, overweight character of Piggy in Golding's Lord of the Flies
, a claim which Golding never confirmed or denied.
Plaschkes went on to read History at Peterhouse, Cambridge
, where he was a member of the Cambridge Film Society, and then took an education diploma at Wadham College, Oxford
.
, who offered him a job as a runner. He was soon promoted to production assistant and also worked in the cutting room.
By 1960, he was assistant director to Otto Preminger
on Exodus
and in 1962 worked as a production assistant on Lawrence of Arabia
. He went on to become a producer in his own right: in 1965 he bought the rights to the Margaret Forster
novel Georgy Girl, casting James Mason
and Lynn Redgrave
(after her sister Vanessa
dropped out) in the leads. The film
went on to be a great success. Among the other films he produced were The Homecoming
, Galileo
and Hopscotch
, which was his most commercially successful film.
, and they married in 1975, later having a daughter, Valli.
On Valentine's day
2005, Plaschkes, as a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
, had just attended a West End screening of Kay Pollak
's As It Is in Heaven
, which had been nominated for the Oscar
for best foreign language film
. On leaving the theatre, he suffered a fatal heart attack. He was 75 and was survived by his wife and daughter.
British Jews
British Jews are Jews who live in, or are citizens of, the United Kingdom. In the 2001 Census, 266,740 people listed their religion as Jewish. The UK is home to the second largest Jewish population in Europe, and has the fifth largest Jewish community worldwide...
film producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
.
Early life
Plaschkes was born in ViennaVienna
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...
. His father, a butcher
Butcher
A butcher is a person who may slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat or any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat, poultry, fish and shellfish for sale in retail or wholesale food establishments...
, was from Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
and his mother from 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...
. Plaschkes left for England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
at the age of ten, although he always expressed doubts about his date of birth—his personal papers gave three different birth dates—and felt that his mother may have added a year to qualify him for the kindertransport
Kindertransport
Kindertransport is the name given to the rescue mission that took place nine months prior to the outbreak of the Second World War. The United Kingdom took in nearly 10,000 predominantly Jewish children from Nazi Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland and the Free City of Danzig...
, which enabled him to escape the Nazi regime
Anschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
.
After arriving in England, he was temporarily adopted by a family in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, but, more fortunately than many Jewish refugees, was soon reunited with his parents, younger brother and older sister in Salisbury
Salisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
, where he was to grow up and where his father started a sausage casing business. Plaschkes attended Bishop Wordsworth's School
Bishop Wordsworth's School
Bishop Wordsworth's School is a Church of England boys' day grammar school located in Salisbury, England. In 2010, there were 748 pupils aged between 11 and 18. The school is regularly amongst the top-performing schools in England, and in 2011 was the top school performer for the English...
, where William Golding
William Golding
Sir William Gerald Golding was a British novelist, poet, playwright and Nobel Prize for Literature laureate, best known for his novel Lord of the Flies...
was amongst his teachers; many of his contemporaries have claimed that he was in fact the inspiration for the sensitive, overweight character of Piggy in Golding's Lord of the Flies
Lord of the Flies
Lord of the Flies is a novel by Nobel Prize-winning author William Golding about a group of British boys stuck on a deserted island who try to govern themselves, with disastrous results...
, a claim which Golding never confirmed or denied.
Plaschkes went on to read History at Peterhouse, Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, where he was a member of the Cambridge Film Society, and then took an education diploma at Wadham College, Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
.
Career
Having gained an enthusiasm for film, he wrote to Sir Michael Balcon at Ealing StudiosEaling Studios
Ealing Studios is a television and film production company and facilities provider at Ealing Green in West London. Will Barker bought the White Lodge on Ealing Green in 1902 as a base for film making, and films have been made on the site ever since...
, who offered him a job as a runner. He was soon promoted to production assistant and also worked in the cutting room.
By 1960, he was assistant director to Otto Preminger
Otto Preminger
Otto Ludwig Preminger was an Austro–Hungarian-American theatre and film director.After moving from the theatre to Hollywood, he directed over 35 feature films in a five-decade career. He rose to prominence for stylish film noir mysteries such as Laura and Fallen Angel...
on Exodus
Exodus (film)
Exodus is a 1960 epic war film made by Alpha and Carlyle Productions and distributed by United Artists. Produced and directed by Otto Preminger, the film was based on the 1958 novel Exodus, by Leon Uris. The screenplay was written by Dalton Trumbo, which represented the breaking of the Hollywood...
and in 1962 worked as a production assistant on Lawrence of Arabia
Lawrence of Arabia (film)
Lawrence of Arabia is a 1962 British film based on the life of T. E. Lawrence. It was directed by David Lean and produced by Sam Spiegel through his British company, Horizon Pictures, with the screenplay by Robert Bolt and Michael Wilson. The film stars Peter O'Toole in the title role. It is widely...
. He went on to become a producer in his own right: in 1965 he bought the rights to the Margaret Forster
Margaret Forster
Margaret Forster is a British author. She was born in Carlisle, England, where she attended Carlisle and County High School for Girls , and then won an Open Scholarship to read modern history at Somerville College, Oxford, from where she graduated in 1960.After a short period as a teacher at...
novel Georgy Girl, casting James Mason
James Mason
James Neville Mason was an English actor who attained stardom in both British and American films. Mason remained a powerful figure in the industry throughout his career and was nominated for three Academy Awards as well as three Golden Globes .- Early life :Mason was born in Huddersfield, in the...
and Lynn Redgrave
Lynn Redgrave
Lynn Rachel Redgrave, OBE was an English actress.A member of the well-known British family of actors, Redgrave trained in London before making her theatrical debut in 1962...
(after her sister Vanessa
Vanessa Redgrave
Vanessa Redgrave, CBE is an English actress of stage, screen and television, as well as a political activist.She rose to prominence in 1961 playing Rosalind in As You Like It with the Royal Shakespeare Company and has since made more than 35 appearances on London's West End and Broadway, winning...
dropped out) in the leads. The film
Georgy Girl
Georgy Girl is a 1966 British film based on a novel by Margaret Forster. The film was directed by Silvio Narizzano and starred Lynn Redgrave as Georgy, Alan Bates, James Mason, Charlotte Rampling and Bill Owen....
went on to be a great success. Among the other films he produced were The Homecoming
The Homecoming (film)
The Homecoming is a 1973 film directed by Peter Hall based on the play of the same name by Harold Pinter. The film was screened at the 1974 Cannes Film Festival, but was not entered into the main competition.-Plot:...
, Galileo
Galileo (film)
Galileo is a 1975 film version of the Bertolt Brecht play The Life of Galileo. The film was produced and released as part of the American Film Theatre, which adapted theatrical works for a subscription-driven cinema series.-Plot:...
and Hopscotch
Hopscotch (film)
Hopscotch is a 1980 American film directed by Ronald Neame and produced by Otto Plaschkes. It was written by Bryan Forbes and Brian Garfield, based on his novel of the same name....
, which was his most commercially successful film.
Personal life
Plaschkes met his future wife, Louise Stein, at an after shooting party for The HomecomingThe Homecoming
The Homecoming is a two-act play written in 1964 by Nobel laureate Harold Pinter and first published in 1965. The original Broadway production won the 1967 Tony Award for Best Play and its 40th-anniversary Broadway production at the Cort Theatre was nominated for a 2008 Tony Award for "Best Revival...
, and they married in 1975, later having a daughter, Valli.
On Valentine's day
Valentine's Day
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496...
2005, Plaschkes, as a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures...
, had just attended a West End screening of Kay Pollak
Kay Pollak
Kay Pollak is an Academy Award-nominated Swedish film director. After a long break from film-making, he returned in 2004 with As It Is in Heaven , a major box office success in Sweden. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film...
's As It Is in Heaven
As It Is in Heaven
As It Is in Heaven is a 2004 film directed by Kay Pollak and starring Michael Nyqvist and Frida Hallgren. It was a box office hit in Sweden and several other countries...
, which had been nominated for the Oscar
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
for best foreign language film
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
. On leaving the theatre, he suffered a fatal heart attack. He was 75 and was survived by his wife and daughter.