Leontine Sagan
| Leontine Sagan | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Leontine Schlesinger February 13, 1889 Budapest or Vienna, Austria-Hungary |
| Died | May 20, 1974 (aged 85) Pretoria, South Africa |
| Spouse(s) | Dr. Victor Fleischer |
Leontine Sagan (born Leontine Schlesinger, February 13, 1889 – May 20, 1974) was an Austrian-Hungarian theatre director and actress of Jewish descent. She is most well known for directing Mädchen in Uniform (1931). Along with directing, Sagan also acted in multiple films throughout her lifetime. Sagan died in Pretoria, South Africa in 1974, at the age of 85.
Sagan’s films centered on women, often depicting eroticism. Her films were among the first to suggest lesbian themes.
Born in Budapest or Vienna in 1889, Sagan trained with Max Reinhardt, who is best known for his elaborate and imaginative sets and theatrics. In her childhood in 1899, she moved to South Africa with her family just before World War One. She was educated in a German school in Johannesburg. In her later years, Sagan married Dr. Victor Fleischer.
Sagan directed three films, all of which are notable. She is best remembered for the first of two films she directed, Mädchen in Uniform (1931). It has an all-female cast and was ground-breaking not only for its portrayal of lesbian and pedagogical , but also for its co-operative and profit-sharing financial arrangements in the production. Whether Sagan herself was a lesbian is unrecorded; the book Women Film Directors lists her as "lesbian film director" as she directed Christa Winsloe's play, that is said to contain lesbian themes. In her teenage years, she worked as a stage actress in Germany and Austria. Some films that Sagan appeared in include Der helilige Berg (1926), Der grosse Sprung (1927), Der Weiss Rausch (1930), and Die Nacht der Regisseure (1994). It wasn’t until 1931, when Sagan became involved behind the scenes, that she gained international attention after directing her most significant film Mädchen in Uniform. Following the debut of this film, Sagan moved to England. In England, she directed Men of Tomorrow and worked for the film director Alexander Korda at Korda’s Studios. Towards the end of her career, Sagan moved to South Africa and became an influential director in South African theatre. She also co-founded the National Theatre in Johannesburg. In February 1948 she directed the NTO's first English production Dear Brutus by J.M. Barrie, followed by An Inspector Calls. Directed In Theatre Street for the East Rand Theatre Club in 1950.(Leontine Sagan." Leontine Sagan - ESAT. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2016.)
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