Hugo Riesenfeld
Encyclopedia
Hugo Riesenfeld was a Jewish Austrian-American composer. As a film director, he began to write his own orchestral compositions for silent film
s in 1917, and co-created modern production techniques where film scoring serves an integral part of the action. Riesenfeld composed about 100 film scores in his career.
His most successful compositions were for Cecil B. DeMille
's Joan the Woman
(1917), The Ten Commandments
(1923) and The King of Kings (1927); D. W. Griffith
's Abraham Lincoln
(1930); and the original scores to F. W. Murnau's Sunrise (1927) and Tabu
(1931).
in Vienna
, where he graduated at the age of 17 in piano, violin and composition degrees. He briefly played in the Vienna Philharmonic. By the end of the 19th century, he was playing with Arnold Schönberg, Arthur Bodanzky, and Edward Falck in a local string quartet.
In 1907, Riesenfeld emigrated to New York City
, where he worked until 1911 as concert-master for Oscar Hammerstein
's Manhattan Opera Company
. He served three seasons as bandleader of the musical company, Klaw & Erlanger
, followed by a stint as concertmaster and conductor at the Century Opera. He did his first work in film when he conducted the accompaniment for Jesse L. Lasky
's production of Carmen
(1915).
Succeeding Samuel Lionel Rothafel
-- later known as "Roxy" Rothafel -- as conductor of the Broadway
theaters the Rivoli, the Rialto, and the Criterion, he conducted from 1917 to 1925, introducing the practice of long-run resident film musicians. The cinemas were among the first, where runs of longer than a week. In 1923, an article about Riesenfeld stated, "occasionally ten weeks the same piece with undiminished force - so knows he his audience" in a New York City article wrote the Viennese magazines about Riesenfeld. "He says, know the audience and know what you must show him, ever the secret of success at the theater and cinema." [...] "just customize and know what's there and what 'draws'."
and Dave Fleischer
began producing a series of sound cartoons, called Song Car-Tunes, using the Lee DeForest Phonofilm
sound-on-film process. The Fleischers, DeForest, Edwin Miles Fadiman, and Riesenfeld formed a corporation, Red Seal Pictures, to distribute the cartoons to an East Coast theater circuit that went as far as Cleveland, Ohio
. The corporation filed for bankruptcy in late 1926, shortly after DeForest Phonofilm filed for bankruptcy in September 1926.
Next to Albert William Ketèlbey and Ernö Rapée
, Riesenfeld was a pioneer of modern, high-quality production of music. He also co-founded the cinema library music -- topical collections of music for silent film orchestra and musicians also. "Mr. Riesenfeld puts much emphasis on the music in the movies", in an article about Riesenfeld and film music. "Orchestra with organ varies in its two large theatres. His organist gets $250 a week, 70 orchestra musicians are well-paid because the lowest wage is 70 dollars a week. [...] Of course, the business costs in America are quite different than ours. Mr. Riesenfeld explains that he must have a dose of 50,000 dollars per week to reach its expenses and to this purpose otherwise it zahle weekly 120,000 spectators as he. [...] News always appear in the first week in its theatres. [...] "Mr. Riesenfeld paid up to 6000 dollars a week for the presentation rights for a good movie."
When he wrote the music for the Western
movie The Covered Wagon
(1923), Riesenfeld of one of the most frequently employed film composers in Hollywood. From 1928 to 1930, he was General Music Director of United Artists
. After that time, Riesenfeld worked mostly for independent productions.
Away from the film industry, he was orchestra conductor of the Los Angeles Symphony
and as a composer in the classical sector. He composed the ballet Chopin's Dances (1905), the comic opera Merry Martyr (1913), the musical Betty Be Good (1921), Children's Suite (1928) and overtures, orchestral music, and songs.
.
Posthumous works:
Awards:
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
s in 1917, and co-created modern production techniques where film scoring serves an integral part of the action. Riesenfeld composed about 100 film scores in his career.
His most successful compositions were for Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil Blount DeMille was an American film director and Academy Award-winning film producer in both silent and sound films. He was renowned for the flamboyance and showmanship of his movies...
's Joan the Woman
Joan the Woman
Joan the Woman is a 1916 silent drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Geraldine Farrar as Joan of Arc.It was the first film to use the Handschiegl Color Process for certain scenes...
(1917), The Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments (1923 film)
The Ten Commandments is a 1923 American epic silent film directed by Cecil B. DeMille, starring Theodore Roberts as Moses, Charles de Rochefort as Pharaoh Ramesses, Estelle Taylor as Miriam the sister of Moses, and James Neill as Aaron, the brother of Moses...
(1923) and The King of Kings (1927); D. W. Griffith
D. W. Griffith
David Llewelyn Wark Griffith was a premier pioneering American film director. He is best known as the director of the controversial and groundbreaking 1915 film The Birth of a Nation and the subsequent film Intolerance .Griffith's film The Birth of a Nation made pioneering use of advanced camera...
's Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln (film)
Abraham Lincoln, also released under the title D. W. Griffith's 'Abraham Lincoln', is a biographical film about American president Abraham Lincoln directed by D. W. Griffith. It stars Walter Huston as Lincoln and Una Merkel, in her first talking role, as Ann Rutledge...
(1930); and the original scores to F. W. Murnau's Sunrise (1927) and Tabu
Tabu (film)
Tabu is a 1931 film directed by F.W. Murnau. The film is split into two chapters, the first called "Paradise" depicts the lives of two lovers on a South Seas island until they are forced to escape the island when the girl is chosen as a holy maid to the gods...
(1931).
Life and work
Hugo Riesenfeld's musical career began at the age of seven with a violin study at the Conservatory of the Gesellschaft der MusikfreundeGesellschaft der Musikfreunde
The Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Wien , was founded in 1812 by Joseph von Sonnleithner, general secretary of the Court Theatre, Vienna, Austria. Its official charter, drafted in 1814, states that the purpose of the Society was to promote music in all its facets...
in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, where he graduated at the age of 17 in piano, violin and composition degrees. He briefly played in the Vienna Philharmonic. By the end of the 19th century, he was playing with Arnold Schönberg, Arthur Bodanzky, and Edward Falck in a local string quartet.
In 1907, Riesenfeld emigrated to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where he worked until 1911 as concert-master for Oscar Hammerstein
Oscar Hammerstein
Oscar Hammerstein may refer to:*Oscar Hammerstein I , cigar manufacturer, opera impresario and theatre builder*Oscar Hammerstein II , Broadway lyricist, songwriting partner of Jerome Kern and Richard Rodgers...
's Manhattan Opera Company
Manhattan Opera Company
The Manhattan Opera Company was an opera company based in New York City. Active from 1906 until 1910, it was founded by Oscar Hammerstein I.The company began operations in 1906 at the Manhattan Opera House on 34th Street in New York City...
. He served three seasons as bandleader of the musical company, Klaw & Erlanger
Klaw & Erlanger
Klaw & Erlanger was the New York City based theatrical production partnership of entrepreneur A.L. Erlanger and lawyer Marcus Klaw. The two began as a theatrical booking agency in 1886 before expanding into producing plays. In 1896, Klaw & Erlanger joined with Al Hayman, Charles Frohman, Samuel F...
, followed by a stint as concertmaster and conductor at the Century Opera. He did his first work in film when he conducted the accompaniment for Jesse L. Lasky
Jesse L. Lasky
Jesse Louis Lasky, Sr. was a pioneer Hollywood film producer. He was a key founder of Paramount Pictures with Adolph Zukor, and father of screenwriter Jesse L...
's production of Carmen
Carmen (1915 Cecil B. DeMille film)
Carmen is a 1915 silent drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille. It is based on the novella by Prosper Mérimée. The existing versions of this film appear to be from the 1918, re-edited release.-Plot:...
(1915).
Succeeding Samuel Lionel Rothafel
Samuel Roxy Rothafel
Samuel Lionel Rothafel, known as "Roxy" was an American theatrical impressario and entrepreneur. He is noted for developing the lavish presentation of silent films in the deluxe movie palace theaters of the 1910s and 1920s.-Biography:Born in Stillwater, Minnesota, Samuel L. Rothafel was a showman...
-- later known as "Roxy" Rothafel -- as conductor of the Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
theaters the Rivoli, the Rialto, and the Criterion, he conducted from 1917 to 1925, introducing the practice of long-run resident film musicians. The cinemas were among the first, where runs of longer than a week. In 1923, an article about Riesenfeld stated, "occasionally ten weeks the same piece with undiminished force - so knows he his audience" in a New York City article wrote the Viennese magazines about Riesenfeld. "He says, know the audience and know what you must show him, ever the secret of success at the theater and cinema." [...] "just customize and know what's there and what 'draws'."
Red Seal Pictures
In May 1924, Max FleischerMax Fleischer
Max Fleischer was an American animator. He was a pioneer in the development of the animated cartoon and served as the head of Fleischer Studios...
and Dave Fleischer
Dave Fleischer
David "Dave" Fleischer was an American animator film director and film producer, best known as a co-owner of Fleischer Studios with his two older brothers Max Fleischer and Lou Fleischer...
began producing a series of sound cartoons, called Song Car-Tunes, using the Lee DeForest Phonofilm
Phonofilm
In 1919, Lee De Forest, inventor of the audion tube, filed his first patent on a sound-on-film process, DeForest Phonofilm, which recorded sound directly onto film as parallel lines. These parallel lines photographically recorded electrical waveforms from a microphone, which were translated back...
sound-on-film process. The Fleischers, DeForest, Edwin Miles Fadiman, and Riesenfeld formed a corporation, Red Seal Pictures, to distribute the cartoons to an East Coast theater circuit that went as far as Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
. The corporation filed for bankruptcy in late 1926, shortly after DeForest Phonofilm filed for bankruptcy in September 1926.
Movie theaters and live orchestras
Most large movie theaters in the U.S. had their own orchestras for silent film accompaniment, with smaller theaters having just a piano. The musicians often relied on an already existing repertoire of opera and excerpts from other compositions. Riesenfeld began as one of the first to write original compositions for films.Next to Albert William Ketèlbey and Ernö Rapée
Erno Rapee
Ernö Rapée was one of the most prolific American symphonic conductors in the first half of the 20th Century...
, Riesenfeld was a pioneer of modern, high-quality production of music. He also co-founded the cinema library music -- topical collections of music for silent film orchestra and musicians also. "Mr. Riesenfeld puts much emphasis on the music in the movies", in an article about Riesenfeld and film music. "Orchestra with organ varies in its two large theatres. His organist gets $250 a week, 70 orchestra musicians are well-paid because the lowest wage is 70 dollars a week. [...] Of course, the business costs in America are quite different than ours. Mr. Riesenfeld explains that he must have a dose of 50,000 dollars per week to reach its expenses and to this purpose otherwise it zahle weekly 120,000 spectators as he. [...] News always appear in the first week in its theatres. [...] "Mr. Riesenfeld paid up to 6000 dollars a week for the presentation rights for a good movie."
When he wrote the music for the Western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
movie The Covered Wagon
The Covered Wagon
The Covered Wagon is an American silent Western film released by Paramount Pictures. The film was directed by James Cruze based on a novel by Emerson Hough about a group of pioneers traveling through the old West from Kansas to Oregon. J...
(1923), Riesenfeld of one of the most frequently employed film composers in Hollywood. From 1928 to 1930, he was General Music Director of United Artists
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
. After that time, Riesenfeld worked mostly for independent productions.
Away from the film industry, he was orchestra conductor of the Los Angeles Symphony
Los Angeles Philharmonic
The Los Angeles Philharmonic is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California, United States. It has a regular season of concerts from October through June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and a summer season at the Hollywood Bowl from July through September...
and as a composer in the classical sector. He composed the ballet Chopin's Dances (1905), the comic opera Merry Martyr (1913), the musical Betty Be Good (1921), Children's Suite (1928) and overtures, orchestral music, and songs.
Illness and death
Riesenfeld died in 1939 after a severe illness. His daughter Janet starred in some Mexican movies as a dancer and actress under the pseudonym Raquel Rojas and Janet Alcorzia and later became a screenwriterScreenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
.
Filmography
A selection of film compositions, unless otherwise noted:- 1915: Carmen (as conductor) directed by Raoul WalshRaoul WalshRaoul Walsh was an American film director, actor, founding member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the brother of silent screen actor George Walsh...
- 1917: Joan the WomanJoan the WomanJoan the Woman is a 1916 silent drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Geraldine Farrar as Joan of Arc.It was the first film to use the Handschiegl Color Process for certain scenes...
directed by Cecil B. DeMilleCecil B. DeMilleCecil Blount DeMille was an American film director and Academy Award-winning film producer in both silent and sound films. He was renowned for the flamboyance and showmanship of his movies... - 1918: A Christmas Fantasy (producer, director) short film
- 1919: SaharaSahara (1919 film)Sahara is a 1919 American dramatic film written by C. Gardner Sullivan and directed by Arthur Rosson. The film starred Louise Glaum and told a story of love and betrayal in the Egyptian desert.-Plot:...
directed by Arthur RossonArthur RossonArthur Rosson was an English film director. He directed 61 films between 1917 and 1948.He was born in London and died in Los Angeles, California. Rosson came from a film-making family. His brother, Harold Rosson, was an Academy Award-nominated cinematographer and several other family members were... - 1920: HumoresqueHumoresque (film)Humoresque is a 1946 Warner Bros. feature film starring Joan Crawford and John Garfield in an older woman/younger man tale about a violinist and his patroness. The screenplay by Clifford Odets and Zachary Gold was based upon a novel by Fannie Hurst...
directed by Frank BorzageFrank BorzageFrank Borzage was an American film director and actor.-Biography:Frank Borzage's father, Luigi Borzaga, was born in Ronzone, in 1859. As a stonemason, he sometimes worked in Switzerland; he met his future wife, Maria Ruegg , where she worked in a silk factory... - 1921: La ToscaLa ToscaLa Tosca is a five-act drama by the 19th-century French playwright Victorien Sardou. It was first performed on 24 November 1887 at the Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin in Paris, with Sarah Bernhardt in the title role...
(new composition) directed by Edward JoséEdward JoséEdward José was a Belgian film director and actor of the silent era.He directed 42 films between 1915 and 1925... - 1921: Reputation directed by Stuart Paton
- 1923: The Ten CommandmentsThe Ten Commandments (1923 film)The Ten Commandments is a 1923 American epic silent film directed by Cecil B. DeMille, starring Theodore Roberts as Moses, Charles de Rochefort as Pharaoh Ramesses, Estelle Taylor as Miriam the sister of Moses, and James Neill as Aaron, the brother of Moses...
directed by Cecil B. DeMille - 1923: The Covered WagonThe Covered WagonThe Covered Wagon is an American silent Western film released by Paramount Pictures. The film was directed by James Cruze based on a novel by Emerson Hough about a group of pioneers traveling through the old West from Kansas to Oregon. J...
directed by James CruzeJames CruzeJames Cruze was a silent film actor and film director.-Life:Cruze was born as Jens Vera Cruz Bosen. The Vera Cruz middle name came from the battle of Vera Cruz. He was raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but did not practice the religion after his teenage years... - 1923: The Hunchback of Notre DameThe Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923 film)The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a 1923 American film directed by Wallace Worsley and produced by Carl Laemmle and Irving Thalberg. It stars Lon Chaney, Sr., Patsy Ruth Miller, Norman Kerry, Nigel de Brulier, Brandon Hurst. The film is the second most famous adaptation of Victor Hugo's novel,...
directed by Wallace WorsleyWallace WorsleyWallace A. Worsley Sr. was an American stage actor who became a director in the silent film era. Worsley directed 29 films during the years 1918-1928 and acted in 7 films. He directed several films starring Lon Chaney Sr... - 1925: Beggar on HorsebackBeggar on HorsebackBeggar on Horseback is a play by George S. Kaufman and Marc Connelly.A parody of the expressionistic parables that were popular at the time, it rails against the perils of trading one's artistic talents for commercial gain. At its core is Neil McRae, a poor, young classical composer...
directed by James Cruze - 1925: The Wanderer directed by Raoul Walsh
- 1926: The Volga Boatman directed by Cecil B. DeMille
- 1926: Beau GesteBeau Geste (1926 film)Beau Geste is a 1926 silent film, based on the novel by P. C. Wren. This version starred Ronald Colman as the title character. -Plot:The plot concerns a valuable gem, which one of the Geste brothers, Beau, is thought to have stolen from his adoptive family.-Cast:*Ronald Colman as Michael 'Beau'...
directed by Herbert Brenon - 1926: The Sorrows of SatanThe Sorrows of Satan (film)The Sorrows of Satan is a silent film by D. W. Griffith based on the novel The Sorrows of Satan by Marie Corelli. At this point in his career Griffith had given up his independent filmmaker status by joining Paramount Pictures....
directed by D. W. GriffithD. W. GriffithDavid Llewelyn Wark Griffith was a premier pioneering American film director. He is best known as the director of the controversial and groundbreaking 1915 film The Birth of a Nation and the subsequent film Intolerance .Griffith's film The Birth of a Nation made pioneering use of advanced camera... - 1927: ChangChang (film)Chang: A Drama of the Wilderness is a documentary film about a poor farmer in Issan and his daily struggle for survival in the jungle. The two directors of Chang, Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B...
directed by Merian C. CooperMerian C. CooperMerian Caldwell Cooper was an American aviator, United States Air Force and Polish Air Force officer, adventurer, screenwriter, and film director and producer. His most famous film was the 1933 movie King Kong.-Early life:...
and Ernest B. SchoedsackErnest B. SchoedsackErnest Beaumont Schoedsack was an American motion picture cinematographer, director, and producer.Born in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Schoedsack is probably best remembered for being the co-director of the 1933 film, King Kong.... - 1927: SunriseSunrise (film)Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, also known as Sunrise, is a 1927 American silent film directed by German film director F. W. Murnau. The story was adapted by Carl Mayer from the short story "Die Reise nach Tilsit" by Hermann Sudermann.Sunrise won an Academy Award for Unique and Artistic Production...
directed by F. W. Murnau - 1927: The Cat and the CanaryThe Cat and the Canary (1927 film)The Cat and the Canary is an American silent horror film adaptation of John Willard's 1922 black comedy play of the same name. Directed by German Expressionist filmmaker Paul Leni, the film stars Laura La Plante as Annabelle West, Forrest Stanley as Charles "Charlie" Wilder, and Creighton Hale as...
directed by Paul LeniPaul LeniPaul Leni born Paul Josef Levi was a German filmmaker and a key figure in German Expressionist filmmaking, making Backstairs and Waxworks in Germany, and The Cat and the Canary , The Chinese Parrot , The Man Who Laughs , and The Last Warning in... - 1927: The King of Kings directed by Cecil B. DeMille
- 1927: Uncle Tom's CabinUncle Tom's Cabin (1927 film)Uncle Tom's Cabin is a silent film directed by Harry A. Pollard and released by Universal Pictures. The film is based on the eponymous novel written by Harriett Beecher Stowe and was the last silent film version....
directed Harry A. Polard - 1927: Old San FranciscoOld San Francisco (film)Old San Francisco is a silent movie which was released by Warner Brothers.-Production background:The film was released in a silent version and in a Vitaphone version, with sound-on-disc recording of music and sound effects only. The film was released by Warner Brothers, directed by Alan Crosland,...
directed by Alan CroslandAlan CroslandAlan Crosland was an American stage actor and film director.-Early life and career:Born in New York City, New York to a well-to-do family, Alan Crosland attended Dartmouth College. After graduation he took a job as a writer with the New York Globe magazine... - 1928: The Battle of the SexesThe Battle of the Sexes (1928 film)The Battle of the Sexes is a film directed by D. W. Griffith, starring Jean Hersholt, Phyllis Haver, Belle Bennett, Don Alvarado and Sally O'Neil, and released by United Artists. The film was a remake by Griffith of an earlier film he directed in 1914, which starred Lillian Gish...
directed by D. W. Griffith) - 1928: The CavalierThe Cavalier (film)The Cavalier is a Western directed by Irvin Willat for Tiffany Studios. It stars Richard Talmadge and Barbara Bedford and is a dramatic picture.-Plot:...
directed by Irvin WillatIrvin WillatIrvin Willat was an American film director of the silent film era. He directed 39 films between 1917 and 1937. Early in his career Willat worked as a cinematographer on several films... - 1928: The AwakeningThe Awakening (1928 film)The Awakening is a feature film directed by Victor Fleming.-Cast:*Vilma Bánky as Marie Ducrot*Walter Byron as Count Karl von Hagen*Louis Wolheim as Le Bete*George Davis as The Orderly*William Orlamond as Grandfather Ducrot...
directed by Victor FlemingVictor FlemingVictor Lonzo Fleming was an American film director, cinematographer, and producer. His most popular films were The Wizard of Oz , and Gone with the Wind , for which he won an Academy Award for Best Director.-Life and career:Fleming was born in La Canada, California, the son of Elizabeth Evaleen ... - 1928: Two LoversTwo Lovers (1928 film)Two Lovers is a silent feature film directed by Fred Niblo.-Production background:The film was rereleased in the USA in 1928, with a synchronized soundtrack, after having been previously released as a silent film.-Preservation status:...
directed by Fred NibloFred NibloFred Niblo was an American pioneer film actor, director and producer.-Biography:He was born Frederick Liedtke in York, Nebraska, to a French mother and a father who had served as a captain in the American Civil War and was wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg... - 1929: CondemnedCondemned (film)Condemned is an American black and white melodrama film. It stars Ronald Colman, Ann Harding, Dudley Digges, Louis Wolheim, William Elmer, and Wilhelm von Brincken. The movie was adapted by Sidney Howard from the novel by Blair Niles. It was directed by Wesley Ruggles...
directed by Wesley Ruggles - 1929: Bulldog DrummondBulldog Drummond (1929 film)Bulldog Drummond is a detective film which tells the story of Captain Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond, a British officer bored with civilian life, who investigates an extortion case for a beautiful girl. The film stars Ronald Colman, Claud Allister, Lawrence Grant, Montagu Love, Wilson Benge, Joan...
directed by F. Richard JonesF. Richard JonesFrank Richard Jones was an American director and producer.-Early life and career:Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Dick Jones was sixteen years old when he became involved in the fledgling film industry in his hometown with the Atlas film company... - 1929: The Iron Mask directed by Allan DwanAllan DwanAllan Dwan was a pioneering Canadian-born American motion picture director, producer and screenwriter.-Early life:...
- 1929: Eternal LoveEternal Love (1929 film)Eternal Love is silent romantic adventure directed by Ernst Lubitsch and starring John Barrymore. The film is known for being the last silent film of both Lubitsch and Barrymore...
directed by Ernst LubitschErnst LubitschErnst Lubitsch was a German-born film director. His urbane comedies of manners gave him the reputation of being Hollywood's most elegant and sophisticated director; as his prestige grew, his films were promoted as having "the Lubitsch touch."In 1947 he received an Honorary Academy Award for his... - 1929: CoquetteCoquette (film)-Plot:Norma Besant, daughter of a Southern doctor, is an incorrigible flirt and has many suitors. Her father Dr. Besant favors Stanley , who is taken with Norma. However Norma has met a simple man named Michael Jeffrey who she has fallen madly in love with. Dr. Besant disapproves of Michael...
directed by Sam Taylor - 1930: Abraham LincolnAbraham Lincoln (film)Abraham Lincoln, also released under the title D. W. Griffith's 'Abraham Lincoln', is a biographical film about American president Abraham Lincoln directed by D. W. Griffith. It stars Walter Huston as Lincoln and Una Merkel, in her first talking role, as Ann Rutledge...
directed by D. W. Griffith - 1930: Hell's AngelsHell's Angels (film)Hell's Angels is a 1930 American war film, directed by Howard Hughes and starring Jean Harlow, Ben Lyon, and James Hall. The film, which was produced by Hughes and written by Harry Behn and Howard Estabrook, centers on the combat pilots of World War I...
(Höllenflieger) directed by Howard HughesHoward HughesHoward Robard Hughes, Jr. was an American business magnate, investor, aviator, engineer, film producer, director, and philanthropist. He was one of the wealthiest people in the world... - 1931: TabuTabu (film)Tabu is a 1931 film directed by F.W. Murnau. The film is split into two chapters, the first called "Paradise" depicts the lives of two lovers on a South Seas island until they are forced to escape the island when the girl is chosen as a holy maid to the gods...
directed by F. W. Murnau - 1932: White ZombieWhite Zombie (film)White Zombie is a 1932 American independent Pre-Code horror film directed and produced by brothers Victor Halperin and Edward Halperin, respectively. The screenplay by Garnett Weston tells the story of a young woman's transformation into a zombie at the hands of an evil voodoo master. Béla Lugosi...
directed by Victor Halperin - 1933: The Wandering Jew directed by Maurice ElveyMaurice ElveyMaurice Elvey was the most prolific film director in British history. He directed nearly 200 films between 1913 and 1957. During the silent film era he directed as many as twenty films per year....
- 1934: The President VanishesThe President Vanishes (film)The President Vanishes, released in the United Kingdom as Strange Conspiracy, is a 1934 American political drama film directed by William A. Wellman and produced by Walter Wanger...
directed by William Wellman - 1935: The Phantom EmpireThe Phantom EmpireThe Phantom Empire, starring Gene Autry the Singing Cowboy, was a 12-chapter 1935 Mascot serial that combined the western, musical, and science fiction genres. The first episode is 30 mins, the rest about 20 minutes...
(serial) directed by Otto BrowerOtto BrowerOtto Brower was an American film director. He directed 45 films between 1928 and 1946.He was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and died in Hollywood, California, from a heart attack.-Selected filmography:...
and B. Reeves EasonB. Reeves EasonB. Reeves Eason was an American film director, actor and screenwriter. His directorial output was limited mainly to low-budget westerns and action pictures, but it was as a second-unit director and action specialist that he was best known... - 1935: Hard Rock Harrigan (music arranger) directed by David HowardDavid Howard (director)David Howard was an American film director. He directed 46 films between 1930 and 1941.He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and died in Los Angeles, California.-Selected filmography:...
- 1936: Robinson Crusoe of Clipper IslandRobinson Crusoe of Clipper IslandRobinson Crusoe of Clipper Island is a Republic Movie serial starring Ray Mala. It was the fourth of the sixty-six serials produced by Republic and the last to be released in 1936...
(serial) directed by Ray TaylorRay Taylor (director)Ray Taylor was a prolific American film director. He directed 159 films between 1926 and 1949. His debut was the 1926 film serial Fighting with Buffalo Bill.-Selected filmography:...
and Mack V. WrightMack V. Wright-Selected filmography:Director*Wolf Tracks *Masked *Thieves' Clothes *The Broncho Kid *Red Blood *The Texas Terror *Tarzan and the Golden Lion *South of the Rio Grande... - 1936: Daniel BooneDaniel Boone (1936 film)Daniel Boone is a 1936 American film directed by David Howard.In 1775, Daniel Boone leads thirty colonial families to Kentucky where they face two threats: Native American raiders led by renegade white Simon Girty, who opposes the colony; and the schemes of effete Stephen Marlowe to seize title to...
(stock music) directed by David Howard - 1937: The Painted StallionThe Painted StallionThe Painted Stallion is a 1937 Republic Movie serial. It was the sixth Republic serial of the sixty-six made by that company. Western serials such as this made up a third of the serials from Republic, a studio that was also heavily involved in making B-Western feature films at the time.This...
(serial) directed by Alan JamesAlan JamesAlan James was an American film director and screenwriter. He directed 79 films between 1916 and 1943...
, Ray Taylor, and William WitneyWilliam WitneyWilliam Nuelsen Witney was an American film and television director. He is best remembered for the movie serials he co-directed with John English for Republic Pictures such as Daredevils of the Red Circle, Zorro's Fighting Legion and Drums of Fu Manchu.He directed many Westerns during his career,... - 1937: Make a WishMake a Wish (film)Make a Wish is a 1937 American musical comedy film directed by Kurt Neumann and starring Bobby Breen, Basil Rathbone and Marion Claire....
(music department) directed by Kurt Neumann - 1938: Tarzan's RevengeTarzan's RevengeTarzan's Revenge is an adventure film starring Glenn Morris in his only outing as Tarzan. Eleanor Holm, a popular swimming star, co-starred as Eleanor Reed. The movie was produced by Sol Lesser, written by R. Lee Johnson and Jay Vann and directed by D. Ross Lederman...
directed by D. Ross LedermanD. Ross LedermanDavid Ross Lederman was an American film director noted for his western/action/adventure films of the 1930s and 1940s.... - 1938: Wide Open Faces directed by Kurt Neumann
Posthumous works:
- 1940: The Return of Frank JamesThe Return of Frank JamesThe Return of Frank James is a 1940 western film directed by Fritz Lang and starring Henry Fonda and Gene Tierney. It is a sequel to Henry King's 1939 film Jesse James. Written by Sam Hellman, the film loosely follows the life of Frank James following the death of his outlaw brother, Jesse James at...
(stock music) directed by Fritz LangFritz LangFriedrich Christian Anton "Fritz" Lang was an Austrian-American filmmaker, screenwriter, and occasional film producer and actor. One of the best known émigrés from Germany's school of Expressionism, he was dubbed the "Master of Darkness" by the British Film Institute... - 2003: The Making of 'The Last Man (short documentary) directed by Luciano Berriatúa
Awards:
- 1938: Oscar nomination for best score for Make a Wish