Léonide Moguy
Léonide Moguy (14 July 1899 – 21 April 1976) was a Russian-born French film director, screenwriter and film editor.
Léonide Moguy | |
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Moguy at the 16th Venice International Film Festival in 1955 | |
Born | St. Petersburg, Russia | 14 July 1899
Died | 21 April 1976 76) Paris, France | (aged
Moguy was born Leonid Mogilevsky (Леонид Могилевский) in Russia in 1899.[1] He lived in Russia until 1928, in the United States in the 1940s, and in Italy from 1949 until his death.[2] He was active in film between 1936 and 1961. His work has influenced American director Quentin Tarantino, who discovered him while writing the script for Inglourious Basterds, and named a character after him in Django Unchained.[3]
Career
He was born in Saint Petersburg and worked on technical films for the Soviet government. In 1928 he organised the Scientific and Experimental Film Laboratory in which many Soviet directors took part.
France
He moved to France and developed a reputation as a "play doctor" of films. He started directing and had a hit with 40 Little Mothers.[4]
Hollywood
Moguy moved to Hollywood in 1940. He made the film The Night is Ending (1943) at 20th Century Fox.[5] He stayed at Fox to make Paris After Dark then went to RKO to make Action in Arabia.[6]
He was meant to follow Arabia with Experiment Perilous with Paul Henreid at RKO but the film was not made.[7] Instead he made Whistle Stop for United Artists.
"I didn't do the pictures I wanted to", he later said of this time.[8]
Europe
Moguy returned to France where he made Bethsabee (1947). In 1947 he announced he would direct the first Belgian-Hollywood co production, New York's Origin, a story of the Belgian refugees who established New York.[9] The film was not made.[10]
Instead he made Tomorrow Is Too Late (1950) which introduced Pier Angeli. They were reunited in Tomorrow Is Another Day (1951).[11]
He went on to make 100 Little Mothers (1952), Children of Love (1953), The Width of the Pavement (1956), Give Me My Chance (1957) and Man Wants To Live (1961).
Personal life
One of Moguy's early companions was the fashion designer Jacques Fath, a sometime actor who appeared in an early Moguy film.
Selected filmography
- The Wonderful Day (1932) – editor
- Theodore and Company (1933) – editor
- Charlemagne (1933) – editor
- The Scandal (1934) – film
- Le comte Obligado (1935) – editor
- Divine (1935) – editor
- Le beba de l'escadron (1935) – editor
- Baccara (1935) – editor, uncredited director, first assistant director
- Forty Little Mothers (1936) – director, writer
- Prison sans barreaux (1938) – director, writer
- Conflict (1938) – director, writer
- Je t'attendrai (1939) – director
- Two Women (1940) – director
- Paris After Dark (1943) – director
- Action in Arabia (1944) – director
- Whistle Stop (1946) with George Raft and Ava Gardner – director
- Bethsabee (1947) – director
- Tomorrow Is Too Late (1950) – director, writer, producer
- Tomorrow Is Another Day (1951) – director, writer
- 100 Little Mothers (1952) – writer, producer
- Children of Love (1953) – director, writer
- The Width of the Pavement (1956) – director, writer
- Give Me My Chance (1957) – director, writer
- Man Wants To Live (1961) – director, writer
References
- Joseph F. Clarke (1977). Pseudonyms. BCA. p. 116.
- Александр Васильев; Людмила Лопато (2011). Царица парижских кабаре. Альпина Паблишер. p. 157. ISBN 978-5-9614-2277-1.
- Quentin Tarantino interview at Times Talks, excerpt on YouTube
- Frank Daugherty (26 November 1943). "Damascus setting for film in which sanders will star". The Christian Science Monitor – via ProQuest.
- Schallert, E. (11 June 1943). "DRAMA AND FILM". Los Angeles Times – via ProQuest.
- Scheuer, P. K. (14 September 1943). "SCREEN AND STAGE". Los Angeles Times – via ProQuest.
- F. S. (12 December 1943). "HOLLYWOOD FOLLOWS THE HEADLINES". New York Times – via ProQuest.
- A. H. W. (6 April 1952). "BY WAY OF REPORT". New York Times – via ProQuest.
- Aneta, B. (21 August 1947). "Belgians claim founding of new york in picture". New York Times – via ProQuest.
- A.H. WEILER. (2 November 1947). "BY WAY OF REPORT". New York Times – via ProQuest.
- Scheuer, P. K. (7 September 1950). "'Size 12' fits at RKO; 'new stars' vote told; rettig possible peter". Los Angeles Times – via ProQuest.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Léonide Moguy. |
- Léonide Moguy on IMDb
- Essay on Moguy at Film Comment