Paul Davidson

Biography

Paul Davidson (born in Lötzen, East Prussia, in 1867; died in 1927) was one of the most influential film producers in Germany during the 1910s and 1920s. He began as a textile sales representative and managed a security firm in Frankfurt before turning to the cinema business.

After seeing a Georges Méliès film in Paris, he founded the A.K.T.G. company in 1906 and opened Mannheim's first permanent cinema, the Union-Theater. His chain grew to include venues in several German cities and abroad, and in Berlin he built large auditoriums, among them the Union-Palast on Kurfürstendamm. In 1910 he set up PAGU, a pioneer that combined production, distribution and equipment rental. His major bet was Asta Nielsen, for whom he built a studio in Tempelhof. PAGU also worked with Ernst Lubitsch, Paul Wegener and Pola Negri.

In 1917 PAGU became part of UFA, where Davidson served as artistic director and head of production. He later produced for the short-lived EFA and, from 1922, independent films for UFA. He cancelled his contract in 1927 and took his own life that year. His legacy rests more on the industry he helped organise than on any single style: his business model shaped how films were made in Germany.

Key films

• The Tunnel (1915): one of the titles from his period as an independent producer.
• Carmen (1918): an adaptation of Bizet's opera made during his years with PAGU and UFA.
• Madame DuBarry (1919): a large historical production directed by Ernst Lubitsch that boosted the international reputation of German cinema.
• Anna Boleyn (1920): a historical drama directed by Lubitsch, made within the EFA.
• The Golem (1920): a fantasy film produced by Davidson with a lasting impact on German Expressionism.
• Sumurun (1920): an Orientalist tale that illustrates the range of his output at the time.