Golden Hollywood: Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Director of Brilliance

Joe Mankiewicz

There are few Hollywood directors with a better artistic reputation than Joseph L. Mankiewicz. He was a brilliant scriptwriter and producer before becoming one of the most skilful and successful directors in movie history. After learning his trade in the 1930’s and 1940’s, working with some of the most influential directors of the time, such as George Cukor, Fritz Lang and Frank Borsage.

When Mankewiecz began directing movies himself, all his latent potential rose to the surface and he showed himself to be a movie genius. He began quietly enough in 1944 when he co-wrote and produced ‘The Keys of the Kingdom’ which included a supporting role by his wife, Rose Stradler, and 2 years later he directed, on his own, ‘Dragonwyck’, which was not a success, but which taught him many lessons about handling actors.

For the next few years Mankiewicz’s genius flowered as he reached a peak of artistic maturity in 1950 and 1951, when he achieved the considerable feat of winning in consecutive years the Oscar for Best Screenplay and Best Director for ‘A Letter to Three Wives’ and ‘All About Eve’. ‘A Letter to Three Wives’ concerns a single letter sent to three different women informing them that a woman has run off with one of their husbands. The plot is detailed and intricate and Mankiewicz shows great skill in his handling of the actors and actresses. 'All About Eve’ won the Academy Award for Best Picture as well as Best Director and Best Screenplay and was a massive triumph for Mankiewicz. It has been described as the finest movie ever made which is quite an accolade, and it certainly fizzes with sparkling wit, brilliant characterisation and wonderful acting from the fine cast, including Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, George Sanders and a young Marilyn Monroe.

This was the high point of his career and it is difficult to see how he could have improved on his work. He continued to make wonderful, high quality movies including a smash hit adaptation of Shakespeare's 'Julius Caesar' in 1953 with Marlon Brando as Marc Antony and 'The Barefoot Contessa' in 1954. To show his versatility he directed a ground-breaking musical in 1955, 'Guys and Dolls' with Brando again and Frank Sinatra. Mankiewicz continued working until 1972 when he received an Oscar nomination for Best Director for his final film 'Sleuth'.

After this Mankiewicz retired and lived quietly with his second wife in New York, refusing all attempts to coax him back to work. He died in 1993, age 82, in Bedford, New York.
Read more about Joe Mankiewicz at Hollywood's Golden Age.com