Sidney Franklin (director)

Sidney Franklin ( born March 21, 1893 in San Francisco, † May 18, 1972 in Santa Monica ) was an American film director and film producer.

Career

Sidney Franklin was one of the most prominent directors and producers. His interest in film led from 1913 to various jobs as an actor and screenwriter. In the early years, he often worked with his brother Chester M. Franklin and the two led jointly directing short comedies, so-called one- Reelern. Until the mid- 1920s Sidney Franklin had acquired the reputation of an excellent director especially for sensitive melodramas and romantic love stories. Particularly his films with the sisters Constance Talmadge, for the incognito director, he directed the comedies The twin sister and sovereignty as well as Norma Talmadge, he leads by Beverly of Graustark, earned him a reputation as an outspoken woman director. In 1925 he moved to MGM, where he quickly won the trust of Irving Thalberg, who entrusted him with the task, among others, to make Norma Shearer a top star of the studio. Films like The comedienne helped the Shearer, rapidly gaining popularity. In addition, Franklin also worked with Marion Davies together in Quality Street and Greta Garbo, although the cooperation between the two is anything but easily worked during the filming of Wild Orchids.

With the advent of sound film in 1931 Franklin was responsible for The Guardsman, the elaborately produced and accompanied by much publicity adaptation of a play by Ferenc Molnar frivolous with Broadway legends Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne. The film was moderately successful, and he had later in the year more luck with the film version of Noël Coward's Private Lives, in which Norma Shearer and Robert Montgomery had the lead roles. Three years later, he led Shearer to one of their greatest successes: The Barretts of Wimpole Street, the elegant and opulent film adaptation of a Broadway play in which Katharine Cornell had celebrated triumphs. Franklin was responsible in 1957 for the remake starring Jennifer Jones, his last film. Previously, he had in 1937 after The Good Earth by directing turned to producing. In the following years he was responsible for some of the opulent prestige productions of MGM: Her first husband in 1940, years found, and especially Mrs. Miniver, both in Greer Garson, both from the 1942 The White Cliffs of Dover, two years later. come the rental, was almost more elaborate and patriotic staged and showed Irene Dunne as an American who loses her English husband in World War I and her son in World War II. 1957, immediately after the completion of The Barretts of Whimpole Street Franklin left the studio in anger and moved consistently back into private life.

Appreciation

In his International Film Encyclopaedia Ephraim Katz Franklin calls "a stylish director rather than one with a singular style" ( " rather a stylish director as one with its own style "). An independent handwriting you will therefore miss in his films, something that distinguishes only his productions. This may certainly have something to do with the methods of production at MGM, where three or four previews were the rule rather than the exception before the final hire. Nevertheless, he belongs alongside Robert Z. Leonard and Clarence Brown to the house directors who were responsible for the distinctive look of an MGM period from the classical period under Louis B. Mayer: extravagant and yet restrained facilities, opulent costumes, flawless coverage with a lot of skylight and relatively little importance to the background music, the so-called score.

His first nomination as a producer in the category Academy Award for Best Picture was awarded Franklin for Ninotchka. He won the award for Mrs. Miniver. He received further nominations for his films found years, Madame Curie and The Yearling. The only nomination as a director he received for The Good Earth. Franklin received a 1942 Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award for the consistent high quality of production achievments, as it was in the grounds. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Filmography (selection)

As a director

As a producer