Rouben Zachary Mamoulian ( ; hy, Ռուբէն Մամուլեան; October 8, 1897 – December 4, 1987) was an American film and theatre director.

Early life

Mamoulian was born in Tiflis,

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the List of Russian monarchs, Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended th ...

, to a family of Armenian descent. His mother, Virginia (née Kalantarian), was a director of the Armenian theatre, and his father, Zachary Mamoulian, was a bank president.Luhrssen, David (2013)
''Mamoulian: Life on Stage and Screen''
University Press of Kentucky. p. 8; Mamoulian moved to England and started directing plays in London in 1922. He was brought to the United States the next year by Vladimir Rosing to teach at the Eastman School of Music and was involved in directing opera and theatre. In 1925, Mamoulian was head of the School of Drama, where Martha Graham was working at the time. Among other performances, together they produced a short, two-color film titled ''The Flute of Krishna'', featuring Eastman students. Mamoulian left Eastman shortly after, and Graham chose to leave also, even though she was asked to stay. In 1930, Mamoulian became a naturalized citizen of the United States. Child star Jackie Cooper stated in his autobiography that Rouben Mamoulian was his uncle, and this fact helped establish Cooper's early movie career.

Stage career

Mamoulian began his Broadway director career with a production of DuBose Heyward's ''

Porgy Porgy may refer to: * ''Porgy'' (novel), a 1925 novel by DuBose Heyward * ''Porgy'' (play), a 1927 play by Dorothy Heyward and DuBose Heyward, based upon his 1925 novel * Porgy (fish), a common name for fishes in the family Sparidae * Porgy Key, ...

'', which opened on October 10, 1927. He directed ''

Wings Over Europe ''Wings Over Europe'' is a PC combat flight simulator game set during the Cold War era where the USSR has attacked NATO forces in West Germany. The US release of the game is called ''Wings Over Europe: Cold War Gone Hot'', however, the tag lin ...

'' from late 1928 to 1929. He directed the revival of ''Porgy'' in 1929 along with

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...

's operatic treatment '' Porgy and Bess'', which opened on October 10, 1935. Mamoulian was also the first to stage such notable Broadway works as ''

Oklahoma! ''Oklahoma!'' is the first musical written by the duo of Rodgers and Hammerstein. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, ''Green Grow the Lilacs''. Set in farm country outside the town of Claremore, Indian Territory, in 1906, it tells ...

'' (1943), '' Carousel'' (1945), and '' Lost in the Stars'' (1949).

Film career

He directed his first feature film in 1929, '' Applause'', which was one of the early sound films. It was a landmark film owing to Mamoulian's innovative use of camera movement and sound, and these qualities were carried to his other films released in the 1930s. '' Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'' (1931) is regularly considered the best version of

Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as '' Treasure Island'', '' Strange Case of Dr Jekyll ...

's tale; '' Queen Christina'' (1933) was the last film Greta Garbo made with John Gilbert; both benefit from being made

before Before is the opposite of after, and may refer to: * ''Before'' (Gold Panda EP), 2009 * ''Before'' (James Blake EP), 2020 * "Before" (song), a 1996 song by the Pet Shop Boys * "Before", a song by the Empire of the Sun from '' Two Vines'' * "Bef ...

the "Hays Code" came into full force. The musical film '' Love Me Tonight'' was released in 1932. He directed the first three-strip Technicolor film '' Becky Sharp'' (1935), based on Thackeray's '' Vanity Fair'', as well as the 1937 musical '' High, Wide, and Handsome''. His next two films earned him wide admiration, '' The Mark of Zorro'' (1940) and ''

Blood and Sand Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood in the c ...

'' (1941), both remakes of

silent films A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...

. ''Blood and Sand'', about

bullfighting Bullfighting is a physical contest that involves a bullfighter attempting to subdue, immobilize, or kill a bull, usually according to a set of rules, guidelines, or cultural expectations. There are several variations, including some forms w ...

, was filmed in Technicolor, and used color schemes based on the work of Spanish artists such as Diego Velázquez and El Greco. His foray into screwball comedy in 1942 was a success with '' Rings on Her Fingers'' starring Henry Fonda and Gene Tierney. Mamoulian's last completed musical film was Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's 1957 film version of the

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film. Born to ...

musical ''

Silk Stockings ''Silk Stockings'' is a musical with a book by George S. Kaufman, Leueen MacGrath Leueen MacGrath (3 July 1914 – 27 March 1992) was an English actress and playwright and the second wife of George S. Kaufman, from 1949 until their divor ...

''. This was one of Porter's less successful stage musicals and was based on the 1939 '' Ninotchka''. The film ''Silk Stockings'' starred Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse, with Janis Paige and Peter Lorre in supporting roles. Mamoulian's film directing career came to an end when he was fired from two consecutive films: '' Porgy and Bess'' (1959) and '' Cleopatra'' (1963). He previously had been fired as director of ''

Laura Laura may refer to: People * Laura (given name) * Laura, the British code name for the World War I Belgian spy Marthe Cnockaert Places Australia * Laura, Queensland, a town on the Cape York Peninsula * Laura, South Australia * Laura Bay, a bay on ...

'' (1944). After directing the highly successful original stage productions of ''

'' and ''Carousel'', he worked on only a few other theatrical productions, such as ''

St. Louis Woman ''St. Louis Woman'' is a 1946 American musical theatre, musical by Arna Bontemps and Countee Cullen with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by Johnny Mercer (lyrics). The musical opened at the Martin Beck Theatre in New York on March 30, 1946, an ...

'', which introduced Pearl Bailey to Broadway audiences. Rouben Mamoulian Tortullion-bis

He personally was recruited by Directors Guild of America (DGA) co-founder King Vidor in 1936 to help unionize fellow movie directors. Mamoulian's lifelong allegiance to the DGA, and more so his general unwillingness to compromise, contributed to his being targeted in the Hollywood

blacklisting Blacklisting is the action of a group or authority compiling a blacklist (or black list) of people, countries or other entities to be avoided or distrusted as being deemed unacceptable to those making the list. If someone is on a blacklist, ...

of the 1950s. He died on December 4, 1987 at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital of natural causes at the age of 90 in Woodland Hills, California. The critical appraisal ''Rouben Mamoulian'' by Tom Milne was published as Cinema One Series, no. 13 by

Thames & Hudson Thames & Hudson (sometimes T&H for brevity) is a publisher of illustrated books in all visually creative categories: art, architecture, design, photography, fashion, film, and the performing arts. It also publishes books on archaeology, history, ...

, 1969. The biography ''Mamoulian: Life on Stage and Screen'' by David Luhrssen was published in 2013 (University of Kentucky Press).

Style

In the interview compilation book ''Directing the Film'' (Acrobat Books), Mamoulian declared a strong preference for a stylized look to his scenes, stating that he was more interested in creating a poetic look to his films than in showing ordinary realism. Parts of ''Becky Sharp'', and almost the whole of ''Blood and Sand'', with their heightened and artificial use of Technicolor, demonstrate Mamoulian's aesthetics. He also wrote a book titled ''Applause''.

Legacy

Mamoulian is considered one of the greatest filmmakers of his generation, whose films were seminal in their genres. On February 9, 1960, Mamoulian received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It has been established in

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with their f ...

that his film ''The Mark of Zorro'' is the film that Bruce Wayne and his family saw in the theater before his parents were murdered. Mamoulian’s film '' The Mark of Zorro'' is one of the biggest inspirations of the character

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book '' Detective Comics'' on March 30, 1939 ...

. The biggest similarities include the cowl, the dark personality, and mystery of his identity. In '' Batman: The Animated Series'', the character Gray Ghost was inspired by Mamoulian’s version of

Zorro Zorro ( Spanish for 'fox') is a fictional character created in 1919 by American pulp writer Johnston McCulley, appearing in works set in the Pueblo of Los Angeles in Alta California. He is typically portrayed as a dashing masked vigilant ...

. The Sydney Film Festival has an award named after him: the Rouben Mamoulian Award for the Best Director of an Australian Short Film.

Awards and honors

On February 8, 1960, for his contribution to the motion picture industry, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1709 Vine Street. He was inducted into the

American Theatre Hall of Fame The American Theater Hall of Fame in New York City was founded in 1972. Earl Blackwell was the first head of the organization's Executive Committee. In an announcement in 1972, he said that the new ''Theater Hall of Fame'' would be located in the ...

in 1981."26 Elected to the Theater Hall of Fame."
''The New York Times'', March 3, 1981. In 1982 Mamoulian received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Directors Guild of America. In 2019, Mamoulian’s film '' Becky Sharp'' was selected by the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The librar ...

for preservation in the National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Filmography

Other work

Studies and biographies

* ''Rouben Mamoulian'', Tom Milne, Cinema One Series no. 13, Thames & Hudson 1969 *

References

External links

* * *
Theater Programs, Playbills and Miscellany from the Rouben Mamoulian Collection
at the

* Obituary �
"Rouben Mamoulian, Broadway Director, Is Dead"
by Peter B. Flint in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' on December 6, 1987. {{DEFAULTSORT:Mamoulian, Rouben American theatre directors American film directors American people of Armenian descent Armenian-American male actors Donaldson Award winners Eastman School of Music faculty Soviet emigrants to the United States Film people from Tbilisi Georgian people of Armenian descent 1897 births 1987 deaths Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)