"I never care what others think of me. I rarely follow the rules. I think I wrote some good scripts, used some good actors, and made some good movies, that's all."-Joseph Mankiwi strange
Based on a comprehensive compilation of Joseph Mankiewicz's eulogy published in the New York Times by Peter Flint
In October 1950, a film focusing on the struggles of Broadway actresses was premiered in New York. The film "All About Eve" (1950) was widely accepted by New York film critics once it was released. Praise. In the following year, he was nominated for a record of 14 Oscars and became the only film in Oscar history to be nominated for four actresses.
By this year, the film was released for the 70th anniversary. Seventy years have passed, and this film is still enduring, ranking in the top 30 of AFI's 100-year-old film. And behind all of this there is a person's name that has to be mentioned. That is the director and screenwriter of "Comet Beauty"-Joseph L. Mankiewicz (Joseph L. Mankiewicz).
Choreographer
A Hollywood director who loves words
Among Hollywood directors, Mankiewicz's love for words may be rare. Because of this, he puts more emphasis on the dialogue in the film and can react to the dialogue in a highly dramatic style. In his works, the most memorable scenes often reveal elegance and timelessness.
Mankiewicz’s love for words and his talent in dramas have begun to take shape since he entered the film industry. He was nominated for an Oscar for the first time after he entered Hollywood for only two years in early 1931, because he collaborated to complete the script of "Skippy" (1931); a year later, he was nominated for the first time in "If I Have a Million". (If I Had a Million, 1932) wrote the first classic line in his play career-"my little chickadee" (my little chickadee). Of this, he embarked on his career in the fast lane play, and in 1940 wrote his first huge hit with "The Philadelphia Story" (The Philadelphia Story, 1940) .
However, his ambition is far more than just being a famous dramatist, but a director. But whether at Paramount or MGM, Mankiewicz has never been given the opportunity to direct a film of his own. It was not until 1943 that he joined the Fox Company and directed his first debut "Dragonwyck" (Dragonwyck, 1964), fulfilling his long-term dream of a director.
Two years later, "A Letter to Three Wives" (1949) won him the 22nd Oscar for Best Screenplay and Best Director, two heavyweight petty figures. In 1953, his "Julius Caesar" (1953) was recognized as the best film adapted from Shakespeare.
Mankiewicz is arguably one of the most intelligent filmmakers in Hollywood at that time, and among all his works, "Comet Beauty" is undoubtedly the most famous one.
Make history
The Hollywood myth of the perfect script
As one of the masterpieces of Joseph Mankiewicz, the script of "Comet Beauty" can be said to be one of the top scripts in Hollywood history. The film is born out of anecdotal anecdotes between Elisabeth Bergner and Mary Orr, telling how Eve Harrington (Eve Harrington), the winner of the highest award in the theater industry, is step by step The story of a famous actor who grew from a star assistant to a unique role.
It is this film that successfully made the non-traditional Hollywood actress Bette Davis (Bette Davis) become a first-line star again. The sentence "Fasten your seatbelts. It's gonna be a bumpy night." (Fasten your seatbelts. It's gonna be a bumpy night.) has become synonymous with Davis, which is enough to see the screenwriting skills of this movie.
From the perspective of the play itself, this is undoubtedly a highly completed film. Even if it is born out of a real story, what we see more in the script is that Mankiewicz reshaped the image of the two heroines with his extraordinary screenwriting skills and reconstructed the overall structure of the story. Not to mention the creation of dialogue at the textbook level. It is precisely because of the strong screenwriting support that for almost all actors who have participated in "Comet Beauty", this film represents the pinnacle of their careers to a certain extent. Of course, Marilyn Monroe (Marilyn Monroe) except. And Mankiewicz himself has few works that can match this.
Of course, as a film that focuses more on words, characters, behavior motives rather than narrative, coupled with the simple nature of the plot also allows Mankiewicz to complete this film with simple and traditional shooting methods. It is precisely because of this that the film is too dependent on dialogue and the number of scenes is very limited. It is easy to be mistaken for the criticism of the film adaptation of a stage play since the beginning of the film's release. What's more, the story of the film is focused on the behind-the-scenes events in the theater, which to some extent strengthens the false assumption of the audience.
Although the filming and visual effects cannot be compared to Sunset Blv (1950), which competed for the Oscars in the same year, Mankiewicz succeeded in getting it with the absolute advantage of the script and the tacit understanding between him and the actors. The little golden man of the best movie of the year.
Mankiewicz not to be missed
Of course, in addition to "Comet Beauty", Joseph Mankiewicz has many classic works that should not be missed. In these movies, the audience can also better understand Mankiewicz's legendary writing skills.
A Letter to Three Wives (1949)
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Screenwriter: Joseph L. Mankiewicz / Vera Casper
Starring: Kirk Douglas
Genre: Drama / Love / Suspense
Release Date: 1949-01-20
The film tells the story of three women who are unhappy in their marriage lives, after receiving a letter from a stranger, they try to find a mistress and save their married life. Although the overall story seems very simple now, as Mankiewicz’s early fame work, this film won the 22nd Oscar for Best Director and Best Screenplay. How can it be? Miss it?
No Way Out (1950)
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Screenwriter: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Starring: Richard Widmark/ Linda Darnell/ Stephen McNally
Genre: Drama / Film Noir
Release Date: 1950-08-16
The theme of this film may be very consistent with the current American theme. The film tells a series of conflicts based on racial discrimination caused by the racist Biddle brothers after being under the supervision and treatment of a black doctor at the county jail hospital. This film can clearly feel the elements of black humor in Mankiewicz's work.
5 Fingers (1952)
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Screenwriter: Michael Wilson
Starring: James Mason/ Danielle Dario
Genre: Drama / Thriller
Release Date: 1953-01-15
Mankiewicz’s one of the few thrillers tells the story of a series of chases and investigations after the male servants of the British Embassy in Turkey stole war information and sold them to German spies. In addition to nominating the best director and best screenwriter of the 25th Oscar, the film also successfully won the best screenwriter of the 10th Golden Globe Awards. Of course, this is one of the few directors that Mankiewicz did not participate in the screenwriting.
Julius Caesar (1953)
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Screenwriter: Joseph L. Mankiewicz/ William Shakespeare
Starring: Marlon Brando/James Mason/Galia Garson
Genre: Drama / History
Release Date: 1953-06-04
This film, based on traditional Shakespearean plays, tells the story of an ancient Roman Senator with a desire for power, envied by the fame and power of Caesar, and instigated others to assassinate Caesar. In Shakespeare's writing, it was originally a story with intricate layout and interweaving ambitions, tricks and political intrigue. After being adapted by Joseph Mankiewicz, it did not lose Shakespeare's style at all. In addition to being nominated for five Oscars, this film is also known as the adaptation of Shakespeare best known.
Cleopatra (1963)
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Screenwriter: Ben Hecht/ Joseph L. Mankiewicz/ Ranald McDougall/ Sidney Buckman
Starring: Elizabeth Taylor/ Richard Burton/ Rex Harrison/ Pamela Brown
Genre: Drama/ Biography/ History
Release date: 1963-06-12 (U.S.)
The story of Cleopatra must not be introduced too much. Throughout the ages, both Hollywood screenwriters and directors and European filmmakers have wanted to leave their mark. But it can be said that among the many "Cleopatra", this one by Mankiewicz is definitely the one that allows you to watch it most easily.
There is no doubt that Joseph Mankiewicz is a highly gifted language director and a screenwriter with a director's vision, not to mention the legendary works like "Comet Beauty". But for many years, criticisms of Mankiewicz and "Comet Beauty" have never stopped. Even so, he still adhered to his principles and shot one classic after another.
Perhaps what he said in an interview with the New York Times before his death best represents his summary of his film career: "I never care what others think of me. I rarely follow the rules. I think I wrote some good scripts, used some good actors, and made some good movies, that's all."
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