Leaders All — Louis Auerbach, International Pioneer (1924) 🇺🇸
Leaders All — Louis Auerbach
Because his earliest training; in a business way was in the exporting and importing of commodities; because he is a firm believer in reciprocity, in the proposition that the United States cannot consume all it makes and must sell abroad and consequently must buy from those to whom it sells; because he believes in the encouragement of the building abroad of substantial theatres, so that the habit of theatregoing may be further stimulated.
The motion picture industry boasts a goodly number of surviving pioneers still in active business. One of the more prominent of these is Louis Auerbach, who has specialized in exporting and importing motion pictures.
His initial connection with the business was with the European Feature Film Company, which was organized in 1911 for the purpose of bringing foreign pictures to the United States. Then he joined the Woods and the Godsoll organizations in Germany.
The latter company had intended to build theatres in Germany. Eight had been completed when the war broke and operations were suspended. Mr. Auerbach and his associates, among whom the foremost was Ben Blumenthal, returned to the United States, and for a period there was indecision as to the business future.
This did not last long, however, for Mr. Auerbach and Mr. Blumenthal formed the Export and Import Film Company, which has been very much in evidence on the film map ever since.
It was the first organization to place pictures on the foreign markets and to pay especial attention to trade marks.
The company went into South America, where at that time American pictures represented 5 per cent of the total, the remaining 95 per cent going to Europe. Today it is probable the figures are reversed, with the American producers doing practically the lion’s share.
One of the first moves of the new company was to place Metro pictures in Continental Europe. From this point the activities of the concern were extended throughout the world.
When the big demand came for serials Export and Import was the first company with the exception of Pathé to produce and distribute an independent serial. That was the Houdini [Harry Houdini – The Master Mystery (1918)] subject, which created such a sensation the producers were encouraged to make seven more.
The impetus given to motion pictures by the serials was responsible for opening up the whole eastern territory to the American picture. The strong liking for serials in foreign countries still persists in Japan today.
Many of the larger strokes accomplished by the company were in the importation of pictures that made an impression on the American market. Among these were “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari,” “Othello,” “Passion,” “Deception” and “Mad Love.”
Also they were responsible for bringing to the United States a trio of artists all of whom have been warmly received by Americans: Pola Negri, Ernst Lubitsch and Dimitri Buchowetzki. Offers were made to Emil Jannings that were on this side of the water regarded as rather large, but that player did not see fit to accept them.
Mr. Auerbach is a native of the Quaker settlement of Philadelphia, although he was educated in the public schools of New York City and in New York College.
Following his graduation he entered the house of one of the greatest leather importers and exporters in the country. From that he went into the mining and banking business, where he remained until he became interested in the film industry.
Throughout the past eleven years Mr. Auerbach has been most closely identified with Mr. Blumenthal. The latter now spends the large majority of his time in Europe, where more and more he is becoming heavily interested in the theatre department of the industry.
How large a factor Mr. Auerbach has been in the promotion of American films abroad may be judged when it is stated that the company with which he is so prominently connected has each of the several preceding years sent throughout the world from 50 to 100 features annually.
Perhaps the biggest deal in the history of international film relations was the sale abroad of 100 Metro features for Continental Europe. And it was a cash transaction.
This one operation went far to force sales of American pictures abroad, to open up the market. In France one house took the entire list, and a Scandinavian buyer did the same thing.
So it will be seen Mr. Auerbach and his associates are entitled to rank as pioneers.
Export and Import’s activities are growing. At the present time several large contracts are pending. In the face of none too favorable conditions the concern has just bought on this side for shipment to Europe sixty-six features.
The company has offices in London, Paris and Berlin.
Mr. Auerbach has found in his experience that there is a failure on the part of the industry as a whole to realize the importance of the foreign market to the producers and also the exhibitors of the United States.
One point stands out, and that is the value in the foreign market of established trade marks. A picture made under a well-known brand is worth far more money than a production possibly its superior but put out by a company the name of which is unknown on the other side.
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Collection: Exhibitors Trade Review, 9 August 1924
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