Viktor Fleming: 5 films of the famous director, which must be seen

Victor Fleming is one of the masters of Hollywood who lived and worked in the beginning of the XX century. Fleming gave the world such cult paintings as "Gone with the Wind", "Explosive Beauty" and "The Wizard of Oz". How did the famous director start his career in cinema? And what 5 films of its production must be seen?

Victor Fleming: Biography

V. Fleming was born in 1889 in the state of California. Little is known about the early years of the director's life. In his interviews, Viktor Fleming only mentioned that he began his career as an auto mechanic.

Over time, Fleming mastered the profession of photographer. And a little later I got a job as a cameraman at the Triangle film studio. The first steps in filmmaking Fleming did, participating in the filming of paintings by Allan Dvon.

In 1914, the First World War began, and Viktor turned into a photojournalist working for American intelligence. After the end of hostilities, the former intelligence agent again changed his profession. So in Hollywood appeared a new director - his name was Victor Fleming.

Fleming's films were not always universally accepted, but public and film critics recognized that Victor is a master of his craft. Over 29 years of work, Fleming has produced about 50 full-length films. Among them there are especially successful films, which are worth watching and are considered classics of American cinema.

Bombshell, 1933

In 1933, director Victor Fleming released a melodramatic comedy "Explosive Beauty" with Jean Harlow.

Gene was the first actress to turn platinum hair into a trend. This later fashion was picked up by Marilyn Monroe and other bright representatives of Hollywood. However, Harlow naive fools played rarely, mostly her images were filled with drama.

Here and this time the "explosive beauty" appeared before the public in the image of a Hollywood diva, who was tired of her fame. Lola Burns seems happy, rich and famous. But in fact it turns out that Lola is incredibly tired of the sensation around her person, disappointed in the acting career and wants only peace. Burns makes a desperate bid to say goodbye to the film industry, but she does not succeed: the completion of a profitable "project" is not beneficial to the studios, producers, personal agent Burns, or her family. As a result, Lola returns to the lenses of the cameras and continues to play its difficult role.

Treasure Island, 1934

In 1934, Victor Fleming released his version of the adaptation of the famous novel by R. Stevenson "Treasure Island". For a long time his creation was very popular in the States.

The plot of Fleming's picture practically does not differ from the original plot of the book. The main character is a young man named Jim Hawkins, who hosts the Admiral Benbow Hotel. Once in a hotel room, a certain Billy Bones dies of a heart attack . In his things, Jim finds a map pointing the way to the island of treasures.

Without thinking twice, Hawkins gathers a team, enlists the support of the family friend David Livesey and embarks on a voyage. However, the young captain still does not suspect that his team is hiding a "traitor" and a notorious scoundrel.

The main roles in the film were performed by Wallace Biri ("The Chinese Seas", 1935), Jackie Cooper ("Skippy", 1931) and Lionel Berrymore ("Rasputin and the Empress", 1932).

The Wizard of Oz, 1939

Viktor Fleming released two of his best films in 1939. One of them is the children's musical fairy tale "The Wizard of Oz".

Interpretation of the novel "The Amazing Wizard of Oz", shot by Fleming, is still considered the most successful adaptation of this work. With a budget of 2.7 million dollars, the fairy tale managed to collect $ 17.7 million at the box office. The painting "The Wizard of Oz" in 1939 is included in the list of the 100 best movies produced in Hollywood, and occupies the sixth position in this rating.

In the film, Fleming refers to a little girl Dorothy, who, along with her dog was moved by a hurricane from Kansas to Oz. To return home, Dorothy will have to go through many tests, find new friends and help the people of Oz get rid of evil magical creatures.

Gone With The Wind, 1939

"Gone with the Wind" - a truly iconic picture. This historical drama became a visiting card of Viktor Fleming.

"Gone with the Wind" collected a fabulous cash desk at the box office - $ 200 million. If you make a correction for inflation, then no "Titanic" can compare with the furore, which produced a picture of Gone With The Wind.

The screen version of the novel Margaret Mitchell won 8 Oscar awards. For 20 years this record could not be beaten by any film. The main roles in the film were played by Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable.

In Gone with the Wind, many storylines are interwoven: both the Civil War of 1861, and the problem of the love triangle, social issues and moral issues are raised.

The central characters of this whole action are Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler. She is young, a bit windy and impulsive. He is much older, cold, prudent and ironic, but fell in love with Scarlett with all her flaws and virtues at first sight. These two will go through many things: misunderstanding, denial, civil war and devastation. Scarlett and Rhett will be married, find a daughter and lose her. And only when Rhett permanently turned away from Scarlett and left her, the woman will understand what she really lost. And in her life there will be a new goal: to return her husband at any cost.

Joan of Arc, 1948

"Jeanne d'Arc" - the last film, shot by V. Fleming, shortly before his death. She tells of the difficult fate of the French girl, who led the struggle of the French against the British in the hundred-year war.

"Jeanne d'Arc", unfortunately, has not paid off its budget. But I received 2 Oscars for the work of the operator and artist. In terms of costumes and production, the picture has an undeniable artistic value.