Franz Antel

Franz Antel (born June 28, 1913) is a veteran Austrian filmmaker.

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Born in Vienna, Antel worked mainly as a film producer in the interwar years. After World War II, he began writing and directing films on a large scale. In the late 1940s, 1950s and 1960s these were mainly comedies (romantic, slapstick, and/or musical) and K.u.k. films all of which, for Austrian and German TV stations alike, have been a staple of weekend afternoon programming ever since.

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From the late 1960s, encouraged by the new opportunities in the film industry brought about by the Sexual Revolution, Antel gradually switched his main interest to soft porn and ribaldry. It was in particular his series of Wirtin ("hostess") films, directed under the pseudonym Fran?ois Legrand, with which he tried to win international recognition. Titles included The Sweet Sins of Sexy Susan (1967), Sexy Susan Sins Again (1969), Wild, Willing & Sexy (1969) and Don't Tell Daddy (aka Naughty Nymphs in the U.S.A.) (1972).

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1981 was a turning point in Antel's career when he adapted for the big screen a stage play by Ulrich Becher and Peter Preses. Set from the days of the Anschluss of 1938 till after the end of the war, Der Bockerer is about a Viennese butcher called Karl Bockerer (Karl Merkatz) whose common sense rather than intellect tells him to oppose the Nazis and who dares to show resistance just because he is never fully aware of the possible fateful consequences of his actions. While Bockerer and his wife survive the war unscathed, their son joins the SS but, after some internal intrigue, is sent to the front and killed.

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Der Bockerer IV

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The film's strong anti-fascist message, the moving dialogue, and performances by the cr?me de la cr?me of Austrian actors and actresses (Ida Krottendorf, Alfred B?hm, Heinz Marecek, Hans Holt, Dolores Schmidinger and many more) made Der Bockerer an unusually successful film and gave new impetus to Antel's career. He made three sequels, which follow the lives of the Bockerers well into the 1960s, each depicting a crucial historical event in Austria or one of its neighbouring countries:

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• Der Bockerer II (1996) is about the ten-year occupation (1945-1955) of Austria by the allied powers;
• Der Bockerer III ? Die Br?cke von Andau (2000) is set at the time of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956; and, finally,
• Der Bockerer IV ? Der Prager Fr?hling (2003) deals with Dub?ek's Prague Spring of 1968.

Antel still leads an active social life. Recently, he has confirmed an old anecdote about his person which says that, in order to live up to his reputation as a womanizer, he used to carry a pair of high heels in his luggage which he then would occasionally place in the corridor in front of his hotel room ? especially when he was travelling alone.

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June 28: (Some entries on this page have been duplicated on August 1. See . The correct dates for such events need to be determined.)...

1913: 1913 is a common year starting on Wednesday. (click on link for calendar)...

Austria: The Republic of Austria (German: Republik ?sterreich) is a landlocked country in central Europe. It borders Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west. The capital is the city of Vienn...

Franz Antel related Images and Photos (experimental)

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Franz Marc 2011 Wall Calendar	The Composer Franz Liszt (1811-86) 1884	Heinrich Ignaz Franz Von Biber	Franz Liszt Engraved by Gonzenbach