Robert Z. Leonard
Robert Zigler Leonard (born October 7, 1889 in Chicago , Illinois , † August 27, 1968 in Beverly Hills , California ) was an American film director .
Career
He was married from 1918 to 1925 to the actress and dancer Mae Murray , who was the star of his films at the time. Leonard initially worked with great success at Metro Pictures Corporation and, after its merger with other companies, at MGM . He has directed many prestigious productions and, alongside Clarence Brown, was one of the in-house directors who got along particularly well with the studio's top female stars. He worked with Greta Garbo , Norma Shearer and Joan Crawford . For a while he was responsible for the films of Marion Davies , who got along perfectly with Leonard, whom she called Pop . While Davies does not quite match her collaboration with King Vidor , the contemporary press particularly praised her comedies with Leonard such as It's a Wise Child and Peg o 'My Heart . He worked particularly often with the singing screen couple Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy , whose first success Naughty Marietta he brought to the screen in 1935 with great effort. The 1937 production of Maienzeit , the film adaptation of a popular operetta starring the two stars in the leading roles and John Barrymore in a substantial supporting role, was the last film to be produced by Irving Thalberg and the most successful film of the year worldwide.
In 1936 Leonard was entrusted with the most expensive studio production since Ben Hur : the lengthy life story of Broadway impresario Florence Ziegfeld, which was distributed under the telling name The Great Ziegfeld . In addition to William Powell and Myrna Loy , the latest discovery from Europe, Luise Rainer , also played, who, to everyone's surprise, received the Oscar for best leading actress for her 15-minute performance . The central revue number A Pretty Girl is like a Melody , which lasts almost 5 minutes, is considered the most spectacular production of all MGM musicals. Leonard's better-known films included the 1940 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice starring Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier, and Weekend in the Waldorf , the costly 1945 remake of People in the Hotel from 1932 with a star cast . In 1946 he made The Secret Heart , a twisting melodrama with Claudette Colbert in the lead role, which was a great financial success. In 1947, Louis B. Mayer entrusted Leonard with the young Elizabeth Taylor , who had to master the difficult transition from child star to adult subject in the film Cynthiads . His career only came to an end towards the end of the 1950s, after he last directed Gina Lollobrigida's The Most Beautiful Woman in the World in 1955 .
Appreciation
Few directors have had the same success over as long as Leonard, who, however, rarely received the critical acclaim that he received at the box office. His specialty were elaborately produced star vehicles, which almost perfectly represented the MGM look typical of the time: bright illumination of the scenes, often with skylights, dignified furnishings, exquisite costumes and conservative camera positions mostly from a long shot, with a few pans and fades. However, individual directorial ideas and a unique, unmistakable signature were neither desired nor sought under the strict studio regime and the excessive re-filming of scenes in response to test presentations, so-called previews, in front of a test audience at MGM.
Occasionally, however, Leonard also showed innovative ideas, such as the lighting in Susan Lenox - Her Fall and Rise with Greta Garbo , which is strongly oriented towards German Expressionism . However, this remained the exception. Thanks to the growing enthusiasm for the MacDonald Eddy stripes around the world, however, his name has appeared again more frequently in intellectual magazines in recent years. Today, Leonard is seen far more than George Cukor as the leading women director of his era. As with Victor Fleming , Leonard's name was often not mentioned in the opening credits of his films.
He was married to the silent film actress Gertrude Olmsted in his second marriage .
Filmography (selection)
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Web links
- Robert Z. Leonard in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Robert Z. Leonard at Turner Classic Movies (English)
- Short synopsis of selected films
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Leonard, Robert Z. |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Leonard, Robert Zigler (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American film director |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 7, 1889 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Chicago , Illinois , United States |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 27, 1968 |
| Place of death | Beverly Hills , California , United States |