Berthold Viertel
AMG AllMovie Guide:
Top
Berthold Viertel
Biography
Austrian filmmaker Berthold Viertel made his film directorial debut in Germany in the early '20s and later in the decade directed a few films in Hollywood before moving to England in 1933. A native of Vienna, he was educated at the University of Vienna and got his start writing poems, novels, plays, and essays. He then spent time as a theater director and actor. In 1929 and 1930, he co-penned the scripts for Murnau's two Hollywood efforts Four Devils (1929) and City Girl (1930). His wife, Polish-born actress Salka Steuermann Viertel, also collaborated on screenplays for Garbo films during the '30s and '40s. Their son, Peter Viertel, became a screenwriter and a novelist. ~ Sandra Brennan, RoviWikipedia on Answers.com:
Top
Berthold Viertel
| Berthold Viertel | |
|---|---|
| Born | 28 June 1885 Vienna, Austria-Hungary |
| Died | 24 September 1953 (aged 68) Vienna, Austria |
| Spouse | Salka Viertel (m.1918-1947; divorced) |
Berthold Viertel (28 June 1885 - 24 September 1953) was a screen writer and film director.
|
Contents
|
Arrival in America
He was married to screenplay writer and actress Salka Viertel from 30 April 1918 to 20 December 1947. The pair came to Los Angeles in 1928 planning to stay for just three years. Berthold wanted to gain experience working for the booming movie industry and the couple hoped earn enough to return to Europe. For four years, he worked for Fox Film Corporation, then Paramount Pictures, and Warner Brothers. With the uncertain political situation in Germany in 1932, the Viertels decided to stay in the United States with their children rather than return to an uncertain future in Europe. The Viertels house in Santa Monica Canyon was the site of salons and meetings of the Hollywood "intelligentsia" and European intellectuals. It was also an important gathering place for the émigré community. [1]
Personal life
Previously, Berthold Viertel had been married to Grete Viertel, but they divorced in 1918. After his divorce from Salka in 1947, he married for a third time, this time to Elisabeth Neumann with whom he remained married until his death in 1953.
His marriage to Salka Viertel produced three sons: Hans, Peter and Thomas. Peter Viertel is a book and screenplay writer.
Further reading
Christopher Isherwood's novel Prater Violet (1945) is a fictional portrayal of Isherwood and Viertel's time working together, as screenplay writer and director, respectively, for the British Gaumont movie Little Friend (1934)
Filmography
- 1922/23. DE. Nora.
- 1924. DE. Die Perücke.
- 1926. DE. K 13 513. Die Abenteuer eines Zehnmarkscheines.
- 1929. US. The One Woman Idea.
- 1929. US. Seven Faces.
- 1930/31. US/DE. Die heilige Flamme.
- 1930/31. US. The Spy.
- 1931. US. The Magnificent Lie.
- 1931/32. US. The Wiser Sex.
- 1932. US. The Man from Yesterday.
- 1934. GB. Little Friend, starring Nova Pilbeam, screenplay by Christopher Isherwood.
- 1935. GB. The Passing of the Third Floor Back.
- 1935/36. GB. Rhodes of Africa.
References
Irene Jansen. Berthold Viertel: Leben und künsterlerische Arbeit im Exil. New York: Peter Lang, 1992.
Salka Viertel. The Kindness of Strangers. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1969.
External links
- Berthold Viertel at the Internet Movie Database
- Berthold Viertel - Feuchtwanger Memorial Library
- Filmography, New York Times - Berthold Viertel
 |
This biographical article related to film is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
