William Dieterle
About
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Also Known As
Wilhelm Dieterle
Birth Place
Germany
Born
July 15, 1893
Died
December 08, 1972
Biography
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Joined Max Reinhardt's theater company in Berlin after WWI and appeared in numerous silent films from 1921. Dieterle began directing two years later, starring in many of his own features, including his first, 1923's "Der Mensch am Wege." (His costar--in her debut leading role--was Marlene Dietrich.) Dieterle moved to Hollywood in 1930, working for Warner Bros. for a decade and starting o...
Filmography
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Die Fastnachtsbeichte
(1962)
Director
Omar Khayyam
(1957)
Director
Magic Fire
(1956)
Director
Elephant Walk
(1954)
Director
Salome
(1953)
Director
The Turning Point
(1952)
Director
Family & Companions
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Charlotte Hagenbruch
Wife
Screenwriter, actor.
Notes
Dieterle's trademark while directing was that he always wore gloves on the set.
Biography
Joined Max Reinhardt's theater company in Berlin after WWI and appeared in numerous silent films from 1921. Dieterle began directing two years later, starring in many of his own features, including his first, 1923's "Der Mensch am Wege." (His costar--in her debut leading role--was Marlene Dietrich.)
Dieterle moved to Hollywood in 1930, working for Warner Bros. for a decade and starting out with a stunning series of medium scale "A" films and plenty of fine programmers. Indeed, although he made more "important" films later, some historians rate Dieterle's finest period as between 1931 and 1934. His moving "The Last Flight" (1931) was one of the definitive portraits of the "lost generation" of the 1920s, "Jewel Robbery" (1932) was imitation Lubitsch frippery of a very high order, and "Fog Over Frisco" (1934) has developed a cult following for its incredibly fast pace and technical bravura in telling a fairly standard crime story.
As his successes continued, Dieterle became more of a prestige director, proving himself particularly adept at adding vigor to dignified biopics ("The Story of Louis Pasteur" 1935, "The Life of Emile Zola" 1937, "Juarez" 1939). His 1939 adaptation of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (1939) for RKO was easily the finest adaptation to date of the classic Victor Hugo story, and Dieterle scored with another winning adaptation when he made the marvelous "The Devil and Daniel Webster" (1941) from the Stephen Vincent Benet tale. From 1942 to 1957 he worked for numerous studios before briefly returning to Europe to make several films, and there was a gradual decline in the general quality of his work. Easily Dieterle's finest film from his later period was the delicate yet beautifully handled romantic fantasy "Portrait of Jennie" (1948), but he also did well with the Ginger Rogers-Joseph Cotten wartime romance "I'll Be Seeing You" (1944). Dieterle's wife, Charlotte Hagenbruch, scripted several of his early German productions.
Filmography
Director (Feature Film)
Die Fastnachtsbeichte
(1962)
Director
Omar Khayyam
(1957)
Director
Magic Fire
(1956)
Director
Elephant Walk
(1954)
Director
Salome
(1953)
Director
The Turning Point
(1952)
Director
Boots Malone
(1952)
Director
Red Mountain
(1952)
Director
September Affair
(1951)
Director
Peking Express
(1951)
Director
Dark City
(1950)
Director
Paid in Full
(1950)
Director
Vulcano
(1950)
Director
Rope of Sand
(1949)
Director
The Accused
(1949)
Director
Portrait of Jennie
(1949)
Director
Duel in the Sun
(1947)
Director
The Searching Wind
(1946)
Director
Love Letters
(1945)
Director
This Love of Ours
(1945)
Director
Kismet
(1944)
Director
I'll Be Seeing You
(1944)
Director
Syncopation
(1942)
Director
Tennessee Johnson
(1942)
Director
All That Money Can Buy
(1941)
Director
A Dispatch from Reuters
(1940)
Director
Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet
(1940)
Director
Juarez
(1939)
Director
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
(1939)
Director
Blockade
(1938)
Director
The Life of Emile Zola
(1937)
Director
Another Dawn
(1937)
Director
The Great O'Malley
(1937)
Director
The Prince and the Pauper
(1937)
Fill-In Director
The Story of Louis Pasteur
(1936)
Director
Satan Met a Lady
(1936)
Director
The White Angel
(1936)
Director
Dr. Socrates
(1935)
Director
A Midsummer Night's Dream
(1935)
Director
The Firebird
(1934)
Director
Fog over Frisco
(1934)
Director
The Secret Bride
(1934)
Director
Fashions of 1934
(1934)
Director
Madame Du Barry
(1934)
Director
From Headquarters
(1933)
Director
Lawyer Man
(1933)
Director
Grand Slam
(1933)
Director
The Devil's in Love
(1933)
Director
Adorable
(1933)
Director
6 Hours to Live
(1932)
Director
Man Wanted
(1932)
Director
Jewel Robbery
(1932)
Director
Scarlet Dawn
(1932)
Director
The Crash
(1932)
Director
Her Majesty Love
(1931)
Director
The Last Flight
(1931)
Director
Die Maske Fällt
(1931)
Director
Kismet
(1931)
Director
Der Tanz geht weiter
(1930)
Director
Der Tans Geht Weiter
(1930)
Director
Fruhlingsrauschen
(1929)
Director
Ich Lebe Fur Dich
(1929)
Director
Das Schweigen im Walde
(1929)
Director
Die Heilige und Ihr Narr
(1928)
Director
Das Geheimnis des Abbe X
(1927)
Director
Der Mensch Am Wege
(1923)
Director
Cast (Feature Film)
Dämon des Meeres
(1931)
Der Tanz geht weiter
(1930)
Dan
Der Tans Geht Weiter
(1930)
Das Schweigen im Walde
(1929)
Fruhlingsrauschen
(1929)
Ich Lebe Fur Dich
(1929)
Die Heilige und Ihr Narr
(1928)
Das Geheimnis des Abbe X
(1927)
Faust
(1926)
Der Mensch Am Wege
(1923)
Writer (Feature Film)
Das Geheimnis des Abbe X
(1927)
From Story
Das Geheimnis des Abbe X
(1927)
Screenwriter
Producer (Feature Film)
Magic Fire
(1956)
Producer
Vulcano
(1950)
Producer
Syncopation
(1942)
Producer
All That Money Can Buy
(1941)
Producer
Production Companies (Feature Film)
Syncopation
(1942)
Company
All That Money Can Buy
(1941)
Company
Cast (Short)
A Dream Comes True The Making of an Unusual Motion Picture
(1935)
Himself
Life Events
1913
Short film acting debut in "Fiesko"
1918
Joined Max Reinhardt in Berlin
1921
Feature film acting debut in "Die Geier-Wally"
1923
Film directing and writing debut (also actor), "Der Mensch am Wege"; co-starring Marlene Dietrich
1930
Moved to US; directed German-language versions of three Hollywood films
1931
Hollywood English-language directing debut, "The Last Flight"
1958
Returned to Germany
Photo Collections
6 Photos
Love Letters - Lobby Cards
Here are a few lobby cards from Love Letters (1945), starring Joseph Cotten and Jennifer Jones. Lobby Cards were 11" x 14" posters that came in sets of 8. As the name implies, they were most often displayed in movie theater lobbies, to advertise current or coming attractions.
4 Photos
The Prince and the Pauper - Behind-the-Scenes Photos
Here are a few photos taken behind-the-scenes during production of Warner Bros' The Prince and the Pauper (1937), directed by William Keighley.
Videos
Movie Clip
Trailer
Companions
Charlotte Hagenbruch
Wife
Screenwriter, actor.
Bibliography
Notes
Dieterle's trademark while directing was that he always wore gloves on the set.
