Michael Curtiz

A Life in Film

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Film, History & Criticism, Performing Arts
Cover of the book Michael Curtiz by Alan K. Rode, The University Press of Kentucky
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Alan K. Rode ISBN: 9780813173962
Publisher: The University Press of Kentucky Publication: October 16, 2017
Imprint: The University Press of Kentucky Language: English
Author: Alan K. Rode
ISBN: 9780813173962
Publisher: The University Press of Kentucky
Publication: October 16, 2017
Imprint: The University Press of Kentucky
Language: English

Academy Award--winning director Michael Curtiz (1886--1962) -- whose best-known films include Casablanca (1942), Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), Mildred Pierce (1945) and White Christmas (1954) -- was in many ways the anti-auteur. During his unprecedented twenty-seven year tenure at Warner Bros., he directed swashbuckling adventures, westerns, musicals, war epics, romances, historical dramas, horror films, tearjerkers, melodramas, comedies, and film noir masterpieces. The director's staggering output of 180 films surpasses that of the legendary John Ford and exceeds the combined total of films directed by George Cukor, Victor Fleming, and Howard Hawks.

In the first biography of this colorful, instinctual artist, Alan K. Rode illuminates the life and work of one of the film industry's most complex figures. He begins by exploring the director's early life and career in his native Hungary, revealing how Curtiz shaped the earliest days of silent cinema in Europe as he acted in, produced, and directed scores of films before immigrating to the United States in 1926. In Hollywood, Curtiz earned a reputation for his explosive tantrums, his difficulty communicating in English, and his disregard for the well-being of others. However, few directors elicited more memorable portrayals from their casts, and ten different actors delivered Oscar-nominated performances under his direction.

In addition to his study of the director's remarkable legacy, Rode investigates Curtiz's dramatic personal life, discussing his enduring creative partnership with his wife, screenwriter Bess Meredyth, as well as his numerous affairs and children born of his extramarital relationships. This meticulously researched biography provides a nuanced understanding of one of the most talented filmmakers of Hollywood's golden age.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Academy Award--winning director Michael Curtiz (1886--1962) -- whose best-known films include Casablanca (1942), Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), Mildred Pierce (1945) and White Christmas (1954) -- was in many ways the anti-auteur. During his unprecedented twenty-seven year tenure at Warner Bros., he directed swashbuckling adventures, westerns, musicals, war epics, romances, historical dramas, horror films, tearjerkers, melodramas, comedies, and film noir masterpieces. The director's staggering output of 180 films surpasses that of the legendary John Ford and exceeds the combined total of films directed by George Cukor, Victor Fleming, and Howard Hawks.

In the first biography of this colorful, instinctual artist, Alan K. Rode illuminates the life and work of one of the film industry's most complex figures. He begins by exploring the director's early life and career in his native Hungary, revealing how Curtiz shaped the earliest days of silent cinema in Europe as he acted in, produced, and directed scores of films before immigrating to the United States in 1926. In Hollywood, Curtiz earned a reputation for his explosive tantrums, his difficulty communicating in English, and his disregard for the well-being of others. However, few directors elicited more memorable portrayals from their casts, and ten different actors delivered Oscar-nominated performances under his direction.

In addition to his study of the director's remarkable legacy, Rode investigates Curtiz's dramatic personal life, discussing his enduring creative partnership with his wife, screenwriter Bess Meredyth, as well as his numerous affairs and children born of his extramarital relationships. This meticulously researched biography provides a nuanced understanding of one of the most talented filmmakers of Hollywood's golden age.

More books from The University Press of Kentucky

Cover of the book The Conversion of Senator Arthur H. Vandenberg by Alan K. Rode
Cover of the book The Philosophy of The X-Files by Alan K. Rode
Cover of the book Contemporary Public Health by Alan K. Rode
Cover of the book Stoner's Boy by Alan K. Rode
Cover of the book Kentucky Cooks by Alan K. Rode
Cover of the book Appalachian Health and Well-Being by Alan K. Rode
Cover of the book Venerable Trees by Alan K. Rode
Cover of the book Out of the Inkwell by Alan K. Rode
Cover of the book Homer Simpson Ponders Politics by Alan K. Rode
Cover of the book Gateway to Equality by Alan K. Rode
Cover of the book Choices by Alan K. Rode
Cover of the book Homer Simpson Goes to Washington by Alan K. Rode
Cover of the book Kentucky Bourbon Country by Alan K. Rode
Cover of the book You've Come A Long Way, Baby by Alan K. Rode
Cover of the book From the Mountain, From the Valley by Alan K. Rode
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy