Dimitri Buchowetzki (1885–1932) born Dmitry Savelyevych Bukhovecky was a Russian

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

, and actor in Germany, Sweden, United States, United Kingdom, and France.

Life and career

Initially Buchowetzki studied law. Later he starred in a number of silent films, mostly playing antagonistic characters, including Yakov Protazanov’s melodramas ''Giant of the Spirit'' (1918) and ''Maidservant Jenny'' (1918). He played the hussar officer Minski in Aleksandr Ivanovski’s Pushkin adaptation ''The Stationmaster'' (1918) and appeared in the title role of Aleksandr Razumnyi’s pro-Bolshevik film ''Comrade Abram'' (1919). In 1919, Buchowetzki immigrated to Germany, via Poland, where he directed his most artistic works: the expressionistic Fedor Dostoevsky adaptation '' The Brothers Karamazov'' (1921), the historical drama '' Danton'' (1921, based on Georg Büchner’s play), and ''

Othello ''Othello'' (full title: ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'') is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, probably in 1603, set in the contemporary Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573) fought for the control of the Island of Cypru ...

'' (1922), all starring Emil Jannings. Bukhovetski also made high-budget period pictures such as ''

Peter the Great Peter I ( – ), most commonly known as Peter the Great,) or Pyotr Alekséyevich ( rus, Пётр Алексе́евич, p=ˈpʲɵtr ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ, , group=pron was a Russian monarch who ruled the Tsardom of Russia from t ...

'' (1922). Pola Negri, whom Buchowetzki had directed in the German-made ''

Sappho Sappho (; el, Σαπφώ ''Sapphō'' ; Aeolic Greek ''Psápphō''; c. 630 – c. 570 BC) was an Archaic Greek poet from Eresos or Mytilene on the island of Lesbos. Sappho is known for her Greek lyric, lyric poetry, written to be sung while ...

'' (1924), invited him to Hollywood, where he directed her in a series of erotic melodramas, including ''Men'' (1924), ''Lily of the Dust'' (1926), and ''The Crown of Lies'' (1926). Buchowetzki began work at MGM on '' Love'' (1927) with Greta Garbo and

Ricardo Cortez Ricardo Cortez (born Jacob Kranze or Jacob Krantz; September 19, 1900 – April 28, 1977) was an American actor and film director. He was also credited as Jack Crane early in his acting career. Early years Ricardo Cortez was born Jacob K ...

. However, producer Irving Thalberg was unhappy with the early filming, and replaced Buchowetzki with Edmund Goulding, cinematographer

Merritt B. Gerstad Merritt B. Gerstad (5 July 1900, Chicago, Illinois – 1 March 1974, Laguna Beach, California) was an American cinematographer of silent and early sound films. Career After beginning as a cinematographer on films for Universal, he worked ...

with

William H. Daniels William H. Daniels American Society of Cinematographers, ASC (December 1, 1901 – June 14, 1970) was a film cinematographer who was Greta Garbo's personal lensman. Early in his career he worked regularly with director Erich von Stroheim. ...

, and Cortez with John Gilbert.

Selected filmography

Director * ''

Anita Jo ''Anita Jo'' is a 1919 German silent crime film directed by Dimitri Buchowetzki and starring Bernhard Goetzke, Charles Willy Kayser, and Hanni Weisse Hanni Weisse (16 October 1892 – 13 December 1967) was a German stage and film actress.S ...

'' (1919) * '' The Last Hour '' (Germany, 1921) * ''

The Experiment of Professor Mithrany ''The Experiment of Professor Mithrany'' (german: Das Experiment des Prof. Mithrany) is a 1921 German silent film directed by Dimitri Buchowetzki and starring Max Landa, Hanni Weisse and Margit Barnay.Krautz p. 272 It premiered at the Marmorhaus ...

'' (Germany, 1921) * ''

Country Roads and the Big City ''Country Roads and the Big City'' (german: Landstraße und Großstadt) is a 1921 German silent film directed by Carl Wilhelm and starring Carola Toelle, Fritz Kortner and Conrad Veidt.Soister p. 138 The film's sets were designed by the art dire ...

'' (Germany 1921) * ''

Symphony of Death ''Symphony of Death '' is an EP released by Grave Digger. Track listing # "Intro" # "Symphony of Death" # "Back to the Roots" # "House of Horror" # "Shout it Out" # "World of Fools" # "Wild and Dangerous" Japanese Bonus Track 8. "Sin C ...

'' (Germany, 1921) * '' Danton'' (Germany, 1921) with Emil Jannings, Werner Krauss, and Conrad Veidt * ''

'' (Germany, 1921) released by Samuel Goldwyn in the US in 1923 as ''Mad Love'', with Pola Negri * '' The Brothers Karamazov'' (Germany, 1921) co-director; with Emil Jannings * '' Peter der Große'' (Germany, 1922) with Emil Jannings * ''

'' (Germany, 1922) with Emil Jannings and Werner Krauss * ''

The Vice of Gambling ''The Vice of Gambling'' (german: Das Laster des Spiels) is a 1923 German silent film directed by Dimitri Buchowetzki and starring Alfred Abel, Willy Kaiser-Heyl, and Theodor Loos. The film's sets were designed by the art director Hans Dreier. ...

'' (1923, Germany) * ''

Carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (List of sovereign states, international), roundabout (British English), or hurdy-gurdy (an old term in Australian English, in South Australia, SA) is a type of amusement ...

'' (Sweden, 1923) * '' The Countess of Paris'' (1923) * '' Men'' (1924) with Pola Negri * ''

Lily of the Dust ''Lily of the Dust'' is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Dimitri Buchowetzki, starring Pola Negri, produced by Famous Players-Lasky, and distributed by Paramount Pictures. This movie was based on the 1908 novel '' The Song of Songs ...

'' (1924) with Pola Negri * '' The Swan'' (1925) with Frances Howard * '' Graustark'' (1925) with Norma TalmadgeNorma Talmadge webpage
/ref> * '' Valencia'' (1926) with Mae Murray * '' The Midnight Sun'' (1926) with Laura La Plante * '' The Crown of Lies'' (1926) with Pola Negri * '' The Indictment'' (1931) French-language version of ''

Manslaughter Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th cen ...

'' (1930) * '' The Night of Decision'' (1931) German-language version of '' The Virtuous Sin'' (1930) * ''

Woman in the Jungle ''Woman in the Jungle'' (German: ''Weib im Dschungel'') is a 1931 American drama film directed by Dimitri Buchowetzki and starring Charlotte Ander, Ernst Stahl-Nachbaur and Erich Ponto.Waldman p.97 It was shot at the Joinville Studios in Paris ...

'' (1931) German-language version of ''

The Letter The Letter may refer to: Literature * "The Letter" (poem), a poem by Wilfred Owen (1893–1918) * "The Letter", a short story in W. Somerset Maugham's 1926 collection ''The Casuarina Tree'' * "The Letter", 38th sura of the Qur'an * ''The Letters ...

'' (1929) * ''

De Sensatie van de Toekomst ''De Sensatie van de Toekomst'' (1931) is a Dutch film directed by Dimitri Buchowetzki and Jack Salvatori, released by Paramount Pictures, and based on the play ''Television'' by Howard Irving Young (1893-1952). This film was also released by ...

'' (1931) co-director of Dutch version of Paramount film ''Television'' * ''Magie moderne'' (1931) co-director with

Charles de Rochefort Charles d'Authier de Rochefort (7 July 1887 – 31 January 1952) was a French film actor, principally of the silent era. He appeared in 34 films between 1911 and 1932. He also directed seven films between 1930 and 1931. Early life De Roc ...

of French version of ''Television'' * ''

Stamboul The city of Istanbul has been known by a number of different names. The most notable names besides the modern Turkish name are Byzantium, Constantinople, and Stamboul. Different names are associated with different phases of its history, with diff ...

'' (UK, 1932), also Spanish-language version ''El hombre que asesino'' Screenwriter * '' The Bull of Olivera'' (1921)

References

External links

* 1885 births 1932 deaths Russian film directors Russian male film actors Russian male silent film actors Emigrants from the Russian Empire to France Emigrants from the Russian Empire to Germany Emigrants from the Russian Empire to Sweden Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United Kingdom {{Russia-film-director-stub