Alexis Granowsky was born as Abraham Azarkh into a
Jewish family in
Moscow. After studying in
St. Petersburg, he went to
Munich where he gained valuable theatre experience working under
Max Reinhardt. He served in the
Russian army during the
First World War before in 1919 he set up his own
Jewish-orientated theatre in
St. Petersburg, which under a new director became
GOSET. Granowsky's reputation rose quickly over the following years, as he became one of the most celebrated theatre directors in
Europe. In 1925 Granowsky directed his first film, a
silent, but concentrated his efforts on his stage work. After the
Russian Revolution, and the
Communist victory in the
Russian Civil War, Granowsky continued to live in the country even though he felt himself culturally
Western European. Granowsky was initially feted by the Soviet authorities and was awarded a number of honours but he began to find their cultural policies increasingly restrictive, and emigrated to the
Weimar Republic in the late 1920s. In Germany Granowsky worked on some theatre productions, but increasingly moved into film. He collaborated with a number of other Russian exiles such as
Léo Lania who shared his
left-wing political views. He directed two German films, before emigrating to
Paris where he lived for the rest of his life. He produced and directed expensive prestige films
The Adventures of King Pausole (1933) and
Taras Bulba (1936). He had married a wealthy German woman, but they separated before his death. Despite his lavish lifestyle, Granowsky died comparatively poor. ==Selected filmography==