In 1914, an unknown French filmmaker arrived in New York; within four years, that man, Maurice Tourneur (1876-1961), would become one of America's most acclaimed directors. In this masterful biography, Christine Leteux shows how intimately connected Tourneur's life was to major events of the twentieth century as well as to the profound transformations in movie making. He quickly managed the transition to sound, and his last major work was created for Continental Films, the German-owned firm that controlled the French film industry during the Nazi Occupation. His son, Jacques, followed in his footsteps, also becoming an acclaimed director. Drawing heavily on previously unpublished archival documents, Leteux reinvigorates film history and demonstrates that we know far less about this era of filmmaking than we often assume. She reveals not only how Tourneur jumped from France to the United States and back again but also how he shifted from one company to another, moving quickly up the ladder to bigger productions and ever larger studios. Tourneur's drive, insight, technical proficiency, skill with actors, ability to create new forms of storytelling, and fame on both sides of the Atlantic make it all the more surprising that he is not better known today-an oversight that has now been corrected thanks to Leteux's impressively detailed research and nuanced storytelling.
Christine Leteux is the author of Albert Capellani: Pioneer of the Silent Screen and Continental Films: French Cinema Under German Control, both self-translated into English. She is also the translator of several books by British film historian and filmmaker Kevin Brownlow.
List of Illustrations Foreword by Robert Byrne Introduction 1 Maurice Thomas 2 Francis Jourdain's Comrade 3 The Rebel 4 Maurice Tourneur 5 Antoine, the Gruff but Generous Man 6 From the Stage to the Screen 7 Fort Lee, New Jersey 8 The American Director 9 The Artist of the Screen 10 From George Beban to Mary Pickford 11 Paragon and the War 12 The Americanization of Maurice 13 Weaver of Dreams 14 Woman 15 Realism and Idealism 16 The Tourneur Case 17 The Last of the Mohicans 18 A Shadow of a Doubt 19 Disenchanted 20 Maurice and Jack 21 Leaving 22 The Tourneur Affair 23 The Exile 24 PathE-Natan 25 Louise 26 Justin de Marseille 27 The Film Savior 28 The End of an Era 29 Continental Films 30 La Main enchantEe 31 The Crossing of the Line 32 Purge and Restart 33 The Loner Acknowledgments Notes Filmography Selected Bibliography Index
"A mammoth undertaking that is impressive on every level. Brilliant. A fascinating study of a complicated figure whose work spans some of the most formative events in French and American cinema." - Richard Neupert, author of French Film History, 1895-1946
