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New Biography Remembers the Life of Rouben Mamoulian
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2013/02/23/new-biography-remembers-the-life-of-rouben-mamoulian/
February 23, 2013
By Tavit Minassian
Mention Rouben Mamoulian and most people will respond with a blank
stare. But mention what the director did on Broadway and in Hollywood,
and those same faces light up in recognition. Mamoulian directed the
premieres of such groundbreaking musicals as `Oklahoma,' `Carousel,'
and `Porgy and Bess,' and classic films including `Mark of Zorro,'
`Queen Christina,' and `Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.' His importance has
finally been acknowledged in David Luhrssen's new biography,
Mamoulian: Life on Stage and Screen, published by University Press of
Kentucky.
The cover of Mamoulian: Life on Stage and Screen
Life on Stage and Screen paints a panoramic picture of Mamoulian's
many accomplishments. He was born in Tiflis, Georgia, in 1897, a time
when Armenians dominated the city's political and economic life. His
mother, a vigorous patron of Armenian theater, was an important early
inspiration. Mamoulian studied theater in Moscow in the studio of the
influential director Konstantin Stanislavsky and left Russia during
the turmoil of the civil war that followed the Bolshevik coup of 1917.
After debuting as a director on the London stage, Mamoulian was
offered an appointment at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester,
N.Y., which became a steppingstone on the way to Broadway.
After a successful career as a theater director, Mamoulian accepted
offers from Hollywood. His first movie, `Applause' (1929), displayed
his flair for innovation and helped restore motion to talking
pictures, which had been static and slow moving because the early
recording devices were cumbersome. Life on Stage and Screen shows that
Mamoulian helped pioneer many things taken for granted today,
including multi-track recording, voiceovers, and full-color feature
films. Unlike many Broadway directors who went to Hollywood, Mamoulian
kept one foot in the theater world and returned to New York in between
movie assignments to direct a remarkable run of productions.
During his time in Hollywood, Mamoulian directed many of the era's
prominent stars, including Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo, Fredric
March, Gary Cooper, Gene Tierney, Henry Fonda, Mickey Rooney, and Fred
Astaire. Always a perfectionist, he was a thorn in the side of studios
and producers, and eventually paid for his dedication to the art of
filmmaking by being cold-shouldered by the industry. He made no
pictures after being fired from the 1963 movie `Cleopatra,' whose
star, Elizabeth Taylor, he had recommended for the role. But Mamoulian
remained busy through the end of his life in 1987, publishing a
children's Christmas book and a translation of Shakespeare into
contemporary English, as well as giving talks at film schools and film
festivals.
Life on Stage and Screen is the first book to consider Mamoulian's
ethnic background, including the influence of Armenian theater and the
pageantry of the Armenian Church, and explores his failed attempt to
film Franz Werfel's novel The Forty Days at Musa Dagh. The book's
author, David Luhrssen, is film critic for Milwaukee's Shepherd
Express newspaper and has written several books, including Hammer of
the Gods: Thule Society and the Origins of Nazism and Elvis Presley:
Reluctant Rebel. He has been a contributor to the Armenian press,
covering Armenian events in Milwaukee for the national papers.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2013/02/23/new-biography-remembers-the-life-of-rouben-mamoulian/
February 23, 2013
By Tavit Minassian
Mention Rouben Mamoulian and most people will respond with a blank
stare. But mention what the director did on Broadway and in Hollywood,
and those same faces light up in recognition. Mamoulian directed the
premieres of such groundbreaking musicals as `Oklahoma,' `Carousel,'
and `Porgy and Bess,' and classic films including `Mark of Zorro,'
`Queen Christina,' and `Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.' His importance has
finally been acknowledged in David Luhrssen's new biography,
Mamoulian: Life on Stage and Screen, published by University Press of
Kentucky.
The cover of Mamoulian: Life on Stage and Screen
Life on Stage and Screen paints a panoramic picture of Mamoulian's
many accomplishments. He was born in Tiflis, Georgia, in 1897, a time
when Armenians dominated the city's political and economic life. His
mother, a vigorous patron of Armenian theater, was an important early
inspiration. Mamoulian studied theater in Moscow in the studio of the
influential director Konstantin Stanislavsky and left Russia during
the turmoil of the civil war that followed the Bolshevik coup of 1917.
After debuting as a director on the London stage, Mamoulian was
offered an appointment at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester,
N.Y., which became a steppingstone on the way to Broadway.
After a successful career as a theater director, Mamoulian accepted
offers from Hollywood. His first movie, `Applause' (1929), displayed
his flair for innovation and helped restore motion to talking
pictures, which had been static and slow moving because the early
recording devices were cumbersome. Life on Stage and Screen shows that
Mamoulian helped pioneer many things taken for granted today,
including multi-track recording, voiceovers, and full-color feature
films. Unlike many Broadway directors who went to Hollywood, Mamoulian
kept one foot in the theater world and returned to New York in between
movie assignments to direct a remarkable run of productions.
During his time in Hollywood, Mamoulian directed many of the era's
prominent stars, including Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo, Fredric
March, Gary Cooper, Gene Tierney, Henry Fonda, Mickey Rooney, and Fred
Astaire. Always a perfectionist, he was a thorn in the side of studios
and producers, and eventually paid for his dedication to the art of
filmmaking by being cold-shouldered by the industry. He made no
pictures after being fired from the 1963 movie `Cleopatra,' whose
star, Elizabeth Taylor, he had recommended for the role. But Mamoulian
remained busy through the end of his life in 1987, publishing a
children's Christmas book and a translation of Shakespeare into
contemporary English, as well as giving talks at film schools and film
festivals.
Life on Stage and Screen is the first book to consider Mamoulian's
ethnic background, including the influence of Armenian theater and the
pageantry of the Armenian Church, and explores his failed attempt to
film Franz Werfel's novel The Forty Days at Musa Dagh. The book's
author, David Luhrssen, is film critic for Milwaukee's Shepherd
Express newspaper and has written several books, including Hammer of
the Gods: Thule Society and the Origins of Nazism and Elvis Presley:
Reluctant Rebel. He has been a contributor to the Armenian press,
covering Armenian events in Milwaukee for the national papers.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress