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3 Movies; October 13
He was known more as a dictator than a director on the set. Otto Preminger was a man who knew what he wanted. He played his signature strong-willed German character onscreen and off and was recruited to bring his no-nonsense demeanor to a number of roles as an actor. You might remember Preminger as the icy villain Mr. Freeze in the Batman television series (Deep Freeze, 1966) or the brutal Nazi camp guard in Stalag 17 (1953).
A protégé of the master stage director Max Reinhardt in Vienna, Preminger was invited to Hollywood in 1935. After eight months in tinsel town, Preminger’s European-trained artistic sensibilities were at odds with the Hollywood Studio method. In a heated moment he started a fight with Daryl Zanuck and was promptly fired from Fox Studios.
Preminger returned to directing stage productions on Broadway. It took nearly a decade for him to give Hollywood another chance. When he returned to the West Coast it was to direct a classy film noir, Laura (1944). In this film, Preminger proved himself a master of plot twists and innuendo. By the 1950s he broke away from the artistically confining studio system to become an independent producer/director. Now that he was outside the Hollywood system, Preminger could challenge the restrictive production code that had gone unchanged since the 1930s. Preminger turned out a string of controversial films. The Moon is Blue (1953) confronted pregnancy and virginity. The Man with the Golden Arm (1955) was Hollywood’s first major film to deal with drug addiction. Anatomy of a Murder (1959) was a courtroom drama in centered on murder and rape. In this film, the defense lawyer played by James Stewart used the words "panties," and "brassire" among others, which shocked American audiences. It was a stylish, risky and risque film that still thrills nearly forty years after it’s release.
While he thrived on controversy, Preminger also produced Hollywood-style films. River of No Return (1954) teamed Marilyn Monroe with Robert Mitchum in the landscape of the great northwest. The historical drama Saint Joan (1957) showcased Ingrid Bergman. Preminger led director John Huston to an Oscar® nominated performance in The Cardinal (1963).
As a director, Preminger was a known perfectionist, willing to drive his actors to tears for the proper performance. And as the actors murmured, Preminger seemed to his relish his reputation as a monster.
Preminger took an artistic and political risk by proudly proclaiming his Zionism in his epic modern-day Exodus (1960). Starring Paul Newman, this film dramatized the emergence of Israel in 1947. While the film was hailed as a success, one critic left the four-hour film crying "Otto! Let my people go!"
An artistic perfectionist. A hot-tempered virtuoso. An independent producer that pushed Hollywood’s bounds. Otto Preminger created a character for himself and is remembered as an uncompromising craftsman.
13 Tuesday
8:00 PM Anatomy of a Murder (1959) A small-town lawyer gets the case of a lifetime when a military man avenges an attack on his wife. James Stewart, Ben Gazzara, Lee Remick. D: Otto Preminger. BW 161m.
11:00 PM Exodus (1960) A young Israeli activist fights to set up a homeland for his people. Paul Newman, Eva Marie Saint, Sal Mineo. D: Otto Preminger. C 208m. LBX
2:30 AM The Human Factor (1979) A diplomat is suspected of being a double agent. Nicol Williamson, Iman, Derek Jacobi. D: Otto Preminger. C 116m. LBX
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