A mogul abroad

Prague residents, in particular expats, will have a chance to celebrate a local legend next week at a tribute evening for movie great Norbert Auerbach. The Association of Americans Resident Overseas (AARO) will be screening two documentaries at the American Center Tuesday night to honor the famed raconteur and movie industry executive, who died last December.

Auerbach, 87, succumbed to a brief but fatal illness that the family has chosen to keep private. He is survived by his wife, Alena, four sons and two sisters.

"[The event] is a small acknowledgement of Norbert's contribution over the last 17 years to those of us who live and work in the Czech Republic," said Auerbach's friend and AARO President Bill Harter. "I see this event as a cheerful goodbye and a celebration of his life here."

Tuesday's documentaries - Confessions of a Hollywood Mogul and From Bohemia to Hollywood and Back - will highlight the life and times of the man who many remember as much more than a movie great.

"A common thread in my experience was his desire to make use of what he had to offer to benefit others," said friend and filmmaker Jeremy Willis. "He was a man of unusually sharp intelligence, which he could apply relevantly, accurately and economically to the matter at hand, with a child's enjoyment of the possibilities of 'now' and an old man's appreciation of life's ironies and contradictions. Then there's his charisma, charm, generosity of spirit and wonderful sense of humor."

A trusted figure

Born in Vienna to a prominent film producer, Auerbach grew up in Prague during the 1920s and '30s on the grounds of the famed Barrandov Studios. His family left just before the German invasion, moving first to Paris before finally settling in the United States.

There, Auerbach enlisted in the U.S. Army, and, after finishing his tour of duty, earned an MBA degree from University College of Los Angeles. He spent some time helping his father with his film business, then ventured out on his own, working in international distribution, principally for United Artists.

In that role, Auerbach traveled through Europe with The Beatles to help promote their film A Hard Day's Night, supervised international distribution for such films as And God Created Woman, starring Brigitte Bardot, and helped United Artists get the film rights for Ian Fleming's James Bond novels. He became president of United Artists after the failure of the film Heaven's Gate forced the resignation of the then studio head.

Auerbach returned to Prague in 1989 to be at the bedside of a dying childhood friend, Antonín Jílek. He made a promise to look after Jílek's wife and family, eventually marrying his widow, Alena.

Back in his childhood home, Auerbach saw the possibilities of growing local film production and co-producing American movies in Prague. He served as a consultant to Barrandov Studios, Lucerna Film (now Bontonfilm) and numerous other companies.

Willis and his wife, acting coach and former actress Dale Wyatt, met Auerbach in 1994. Wyatt's agent, knowing the couple was forming a film services company, made the introduction.

"We met several times over the next year or so to get his opinion on business ventures," Willis recalled, adding that Auerbach later came to live in the same building where he and Wyatt were renting an office.

"Our office opened to the courtyard, directly below the garden, and we frequently worked outside in warm weather. Norbert came across the garden one day, leaned over the railing and proposed that we do something together. This marked the beginning of a long professional cooperation on a range of projects and a growing friendship, both of which continued until his death."

Auerbach played a pivotal role in the growth of the post-revolutionary Czech film industry.

"In the early days, before the production services industry was developed, it was common for incoming U.S. producers to meet with Norbert before talking to anyone else in Prague," Willis said. "Norbert knew who could deliver on any scale of project, so they sought his local knowledge, because he was a known and trusted figure in the film industry. He became an adviser to almost anyone who had a cinematic idea that they wanted to make happen."

Shopping with the stars

In 2006, Auerbach published a memoir, From Barrandov to Hollywood, filled with entertaining and often self-deprecating anecdotes, ranging from childhood memories of cooking lobster to his experiences in the Army. And, of course, insights on the many actors and actresses he knew.

On Sophia Loren: "A beautiful, beautiful lady and a fine actress. Sophia never behaved like a big star. When she was not working, she was happiest staying at home. Between takes when filming, she spent most of the time in her dressing room, knitting."

On Catherine Deneuve: "She is another exception among actors and actresses, behaves quite normally and is not always thinking of her next role. She always loved shopping, but did not want to go on her own. And so she called me once in a while, and if I had time, I went with her."

Outside the film industry, Auerbach was active in philanthropic and community service work in Prague. He was a founding member of the American Chamber of Commerce, and the Prague chapter of the AARO. Auerbach also worked tirelessly for the Domov Sue Ryder charity.

Wyatt said she will remember Auerbach's "huge generosity, his marvelous humor and charm, his honesty and directness, his curiosity and his great love of life and the creatures of the world."

"He's still making me laugh or reflect when I remember one of his funny, sometimes brutal, sometimes tender, usually wise comments, which is often," she added. "Or to put it more briefly, the love and energy that was Norbert Auerbach. I miss him every day."

- Klára Jiřičná contributed to this report.

Gabriella Hold can be reached at
ghold@praguepost.com