Victor Fleming
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- For the Arkansas lawyer and judge Victor A. Fleming, see Vic Fleming.
| Victor Fleming | |
|---|---|
| Born | 23 February 1889 La Cañada, California, USA |
| Died | 6 January 1949 Cottonwood, Arizona, USA |
Victor Fleming (February 23, 1889 – January 6, 1949) (sometimes "Vic Fleming") was an Academy Award winning American film director.
Contents |
[edit] Overview
He was born in La Cañada, California, possibly of part Native American descent and showed a mechanical aptitude early on; while working as a car mechanic he met the director Allan Dwan, who took him on as a camera assistant. Fleming soon rose to the rank of cinematographer, working with both Dwan and D. W. Griffith, and directed his first film in 1919.
Many of Fleming's silent films were action movies, often starring Douglas Fairbanks, or Westerns, and with his robust attitude and love of outdoor sports he became known as a "man's director". But he also proved an effective director of women. Under his direction, Vivien Leigh won the Best Actress Oscar, Hattie McDaniel won for Best Supporting Actress, and Ingrid Bergman was nominated. (In fact, nine actors who appeared in films directed by Fleming were Oscar-nominated.)
[edit] MGM
In 1932 Fleming joined MGM and directed some of the studio's most prestigious films. Red Dust (1932), Bombshell (1933), and Reckless (1935) showcased Jean Harlow, while Treasure Island (1934) and Captains Courageous (1937) brought a touch of literary distinction to boy's-own adventure stories. His two most famous films came in 1939, when The Wizard of Oz was closely followed by Gone with the Wind. Their fame has outstripped that of their credited director. Both were essentially producer-led projects, and in each case Fleming replaced the original directors after filming had begun, although he alone received director credit on both. His version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941), with Spencer Tracy, was generally rated below Rouben Mamoulian's 1931 version with Fredric March. Fleming's 1942 film version of John Steinbeck's Tortilla Flat, starring Spencer Tracy, John Garfield, Hedy Lamarr, and Frank Morgan, was considered quite excellent, though, and to this day remains the only film version of the book.
Fleming's few remaining films were disappointing to some, and he died quite suddenly from a heart attack soon after completing Joan of Arc (1948) with Ingrid Bergman. Fleming's film version of the life of Joan remains the definitive one for many movie lovers, and despite mixed reviews, received seven Academy Award nominations, winning two Oscars. In recent years, it has been restored to its full-length of 145 minutes, causing a more positive re-evaluation of the film based on the complete version.
[edit] Filmography as Director (Partial)
- Joan of Arc (1948)
- Adventure (1945)
- A Guy Named Joe (1943)
- Tortilla Flat (1942)
- Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941)
- Gone with the Wind (1939)
- The Wizard of Oz (1939)
- The Great Waltz (1938) (uncredited)
- Test Pilot (1938)
- Captains Courageous (1937)
- The Good Earth (1937) (uncredited)
- The Farmer Takes a Wife (1935)
- Reckless (1935)
- Treasure Island (1934)
- Bombshell (1933)
- The White Sister (1933)
- Red Dust (1932)
- The Wet Parade (1932)
- Around the World in 80 Minutes with Douglas Fairbanks (1931)
- Renegades (1930)
- Common Clay (1930)
- The Virginian (1929)
- The Wolf Song (1929)
- Abie's Irish Rose (1929)
- The Awakening (1928)
- The Rough Riders (1927)
- Hula (1927)
- The Way of All Flesh (1927)
- Mantrap (1926)
- The Blind Goddess (1926)
- Lord Jim (1925)
- A Son of His Father (1925)
- Adventure (1925)
- The Devil's Cargo (1925)
- Code of the Sea (1924)
- Empty Hands (1924)
- The Call of the Canyon (1923)
- To the Last Man (1923)
- Law of the Lawless (1923)
- Dark Secrets (1923)
- Anna Ascends (1922)
- Red Hot Romance (1922)
- The Lane That Had No Turning (1922)
- Woman's Place (1921)
- Mama's Affair (1921)
- The Mollycoddle (1920)
- When the Clouds Roll By (1919)
| Preceded by: Frank Capra for You Can't Take It with You |
Academy Award for Best Director 1939 for Gone with the Wind |
Succeeded by: John Ford for The Grapes of Wrath |
[edit] External links
- Victor Fleming at the Internet Movie Database
- Victor Fleming at the TCM Movie Database
- Victor Fleming's Gravesite
| Victor Fleming | |
|---|---|
| 1910s | When the Clouds Roll by (with Theodore Reed) |
| 1920s | The Mollycoddle | Mama's Affair | Woman's Place | The Lane That Had No Turning | Red Hot Romance | Anna Ascends | Dark Secrets | Law of the Lawless | To the Last Man | The Call of the Canyon | Code of the Sea | Empty Hands | The Devil's Cargo | Adventure | A Son of His Father | Lord Jim | The Blind Goddess | Mantrap | The Way of All Flesh | Hula | The Rough Riders | Abie's Irish Rose | The Awakening | The Wolf Song | The Virginian |
| 1930s | Common Clay | Renegades | The Wet Parade | Treasure Island | Reckless | The Farmer Takes a Wife | Captains Courageous | Test Pilot | The Wizard of Oz | Gone with the Wind |
| 1940s | Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde | Tortilla Flat | A Guy Named Joe | Adventure | Joan of Arc |
| Productions | The White Sister (1933) |
