Robert Rossen

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Robert Rossen, actually Robert Rosen (born March 16, 1908 in New York City , † February 18, 1966 in Hollywood ) was an American screenwriter , film director and producer .

Life

Rossen, the son of Russian - Jewish immigrants who grew up in poor conditions in the Lower East Side , gained his first experience as a director and author at the theater. From 1936 Rossen wrote scripts for the film production company Warner Bros. and soon became one of Hollywood's best-paid authors. In 1937 Rossen joined the American Communist Party , of which he remained a member for ten years. In 1944 he left Warner Bros. Rossen had his first major successes after the Second World War , when he began to direct his own scripts as a director for Columbia Pictures . One focus of his work was film noir ; In addition to his films Johnny O'Clock and Hunt for Millions , he wrote for Lewis Milestone The Strange Love of Martha Ivers , produced Joseph H. Lewis ' Alarm in the Underworld and was anonymous on the screenplay of Edgar G. Ulmer's Without Mercy .

1950 was Rossen the Oscar as producer for his film The man who wanted to rule (All the King's Men) in the category Best Film . The same film also earned him Golden Globes for Best Director and Best Picture - Drama .

1951 Rossen was denounced as a communist in the course of the review of the political convictions of filmmakers before the Committee for Un-American Activities Committee ("House Un-American Activities Committee", HUAC for short) . As a result, Columbia Pictures terminated the collaboration. When he was first summoned to the HUAC, Rossen initially refused to disclose the names of former leftist companions. This led to his career in Hollywood, which is why Rossen finally appeared again in May 1953 before the committee and named the desired names. Although Rossen was able to work in the film business again, he no longer shot in Hollywood and also remained isolated from his former companions. His only audience and critical success in later years was the drama Haie der Großstadt (1961), for which he was again nominated for an Oscar. He died while preparing for his Cocoa Beach project .

Filmography (selection)

As a screenwriter

As a director

As a producer

  • 1949: Alarm in der Unterwelt (The Undercover Man) - Directed by Joseph H. Lewis

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Bob Herzberg: The Left Side of the Screen: Communist and Left-Wing Ideology in Hollywood, 1929-2009. McFarland & Co., 2011, p. 74.
  2. ^ A b Brian Neve: Film and Politics in America. A social tradition. Routledge, Oxon, 1992, pp. 16-18.
  3. ^ Brian Neve: Film and Politics in America. A social tradition. Routledge, Oxon, 1992, p. 108.
  4. ^ Frank Krutnik: "Un-American" Hollywood: Politics and Film in the Blacklist Era. Rutgers University Press, 2008, p. 195.
  5. ↑ James Naremore: More than Night: Film Noir in Its Contexts. Updated and Expanded. University of California Press, Berkeley / Los Angeles / London 2008 (WA), ISBN 978-0-520-25402-2 , p. 125.
  6. ^ Brian Neve: Film and Politics in America. A social tradition. Routledge, Oxon, 1992, p. 144.
  7. ^ Brian Neve: Film and Politics in America. A social tradition. Routledge, Oxon, 1992, pp. 174-175.
  8. ^ Brian Neve: Film and Politics in America. A social tradition. Routledge, Oxon, 1992, p. 221.
personal data
SURNAME Rossen, Robert
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Rosen, Robert (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American screenwriter, film director and film producer
DATE OF BIRTH March 16, 1908
PLACE OF BIRTH New York City
DATE OF DEATH 18th February 1966
Place of death Hollywood