Joseph Leo Mankiewicz was born on February 11, 1909 in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, USA. His career began in the late 1920s in Berlin, where he was an assistant correspondent for the Chicago Tribune newspaper, and also worked as a subtitle translator for German films. His older brother, a successful screenwriter, recruited him in 1929 to work at Paramount Studios, where Joseph wrote subtitles for silent versions of sound films, wrote dialogues and scripts. In 1934, he moved to MGM Studios, where
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Joseph Leo Mankiewicz was born on February 11, 1909 in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, USA. His career began in the late 1920s in Berlin, where he was an assistant correspondent for the Chicago Tribune newspaper, and also worked as a subtitle translator for German films. His older brother, a successful screenwriter, recruited him in 1929 to work at Paramount Studios, where Joseph wrote subtitles for silent versions of sound films, wrote dialogues and scripts. In 1934, he moved to MGM Studios, where his desire to direct was met by the statement of Louis Meyer: “Before walking, you must learn to crawl”, and Mankiewicz became a producer. Among the films he produced were Fritz Lang's Fury (1936), George Cukor's The Philadelphia Story (1940). Realizing that the management of the studio did not intend to give him the opportunity for independent production, Joseph Mankiewicz in 1944 moved to the studio "XX century Fox", where in 1946 he made his debut as a director with the gothic melodrama "Dragonwick" (1946), replacing at the last minute the sick Ernst Lubitsch. In the next 26 years, he directed 20 different films: the director filmed Shakespeare, shot a western and musical, staged a social urban drama and an epic tape. On account of his successful comedies “Ghost and Mrs. Muir” (1947), “The Late George Epley” (1947), the thriller “Escape” (1948), the drama “House of Strangers” (1949). Among the leading American directors, Mankiewicz was promoted thanks to the dramas “Letter to Three Wives” (1949) and “All About Eve” (1950) – both films earned him Oscars for scripts and directing. The dramatic comedy A Case for Gossip (1951), shot in the tradition of Frank Capra’s best films, was followed by the spy thriller 5 Fingers (1952). Directed by J. Mankiewicz, Julius Caesar (1953), with Marlon Brando as Antony and Edmond O'Brien as Caskey, remains one of the best adaptations of Shakespeare's play. His subsequent films, including Barefoot Countess (1954), Suddenly Last Summer (1959), are marked by both advantages and disadvantages of Mankiewicz’s work: an interesting plot, excellent work with actors - and unjustified interruptions in dialogue, the duration of the film, the contradictory position of the director. The name Mankiewicz was associated with one of the most high-profile failures in the history of cinema - with the historical film "peplum" "Cleopatra" (1963), with Elizabeth Taylor in the title role. Although in fairness it is worth noting that he was invited to finish this one of the most expensive film projects after the dismissal of the former director. The last works of Joseph Mankiewicz were the western with elements of the black comedy Once upon a time a crook (1970) and the psychological thriller The Snooper (1972), with Lawrence Olivier and Michael Kane. In 1986, Mankiewicz was awarded the Director's Guild Award for his contribution to film art, and in 1987 at the Venice Film Festival he was awarded the honorary Golden Lion.