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Charles Vidor is a Director, Writer, Producer and Second Unit Hongrois born on 26 july 1900 at Budapest (Hongrie)

Charles Vidor

Charles Vidor
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Birth name Károly Vidor
Nationality Hongrie
Birth 26 july 1900 at Budapest (Hongrie)
Death 4 june 1959 (at 58 years) at Vienna (Austria)

Charles Vidor (July 27, 1900 – June 4, 1959) was a film director.

Biography

Charles Vidor est né le 27 juillet 1900 dans la ville de Budapest, en Hongrie. Il fait ses études aux universités de Budapest et de Berlin, puis se tourne vers l'ingénierie civile, tout en développant un intérêt pour la musique, l'écriture, et la sculpture. Lieutenant d'infanterie durant la Première Guerre mondiale, il est blessé à trois reprises et reçoit quatre décorations. Au lendemain de la guerre, il rejoint la UFA (principale société de production allemande) et apprend les métiers de monteur et d'assistant réalisateur.

En 1924, il décide de tenter sa chance aux États-Unis, choisissant la ville de New York pour débuter, où, manquant de contacts, chante un temps comme baryton-basse dans une compagnie jouant les opéras de Wagner. Finalement, en 1927, il gagne Hollywood et fait valoir son expérience de monteur et assistant réalisateur. Son premier essai, un court métrage intitulé The Bridge lui permet de signer un contrat avec la MGM.

En 1932, il codirige, sans être crédité, Le Masque d'or, avec Charles Brabin, et signe enfin son premier film hollywoodien l'année suivante avec Sensation Hunter. Toutefois, c'est Double Doors, en 1934, petit thriller aux tonalités expressionnistes, qui le fait remarquer. En 1935 il passe à la RKO et réalise son premier western, The Arizonian, dans lequel Richard Dix débarrasse une petite ville de son shérif corrompu. Il enchaine alors avec une comédie familiale (His Family Tree, 1935), un film de détective (Muss 'Em up, 1936) et, pour la Paramount, trois séries B mineures tournées rapidement en 1937 (voir filmographie).

En 1939, il signe avec la Columbia Pictures, qu'il va servir jusqu'en 1948, y tournant film d'aventure, film criminel, drame, thriller en huis clos, comédies romantiques, western, ou encore biographie filmée.
De cette période, Gilda est sans doute sa réalisation la plus célèbre ; poussée par la Columbia à renouveler la magie sensuelle du couple vedette, Vidor accepte de tourner une adaptation de Carmen, opéra de Georges Bizet, intitulée Les Amours de Carmen. L'échec retentissant de ce film met le cinéaste en position délicate au sein de la compagnie. Il rachète alors son contrat à Harry Cohn pour 75,000 dollars et se met à disposition de n'importe quelle major hollywoodienne.

Ainsi, pour la Samuel Goldwyn Productions il signe la comédie musicale Hans Christian Andersen et La Danseuse (1952) ; pour la Paramount, le film d'aventure Tonnerre sur le temple ; et pour la MGM, il dirige successivement Elizabeth Taylor et Vittorio Gassman dans le drame Rhapsodie, Doris Day dans le film biographique Les Pièges de la passion, et Grace Kelly dans Le Cygne, quelques semaines avant que celle-ci ne devienne princesse de Monaco.

En 1957, il tourne Le Pantin brisé pour la Paramount, la biographie de Joe E. Lewis, populaire chanteur des années 1920 à 1950, gravement blessé par la mafia mais qui remonta sur la scène malgré les menaces. Le film offre une célèbre prestation de Frank Sinatra. L'année suivante, Vidor remplace au pied levé sur le tournage de L'Adieu aux armes produit par David O. Selznick. Ce fut l'un des plus grands échecs de Selznick, bien qu'adapté du roman d'Ernest Hemingway, et financé à grand frais.

En 1960, Charles Vidor entame Le Bal des adieux, autre biographie filmée, consacrée cette fois à une figure majeure du romantisme européen : le pianiste/compositeur Franz Liszt, vu sous l'angle de ses relations, parfois houleuses ou contrariées, avec les femmes de sa vie. Le cinéaste meurt au milieu du tournage, terminé alors par George Cukor. Dirk Bogarde rapporte que « Le cercueil de Vidor s'étant révélé trop petit, on scia les jambes du mort pour l'y faire entrer, et c'est ainsi qu'il fut rapatrié vers les États-Unis ».

Vidor est mort à Vienne en Autriche d'une attaque cardiaque. Une étoile lui est dédiée sur le Hollywood Walk of Fame, 6676 Hollywood Boulevard en Californie, pour sa contribution à l'industrie du cinéma.


Vie privée
Charles Vidor s'est marié quatre fois, notamment avec les actrices Karen Morley (de 1932 à 1943), et Evelyn Keyes (de 1943 à 1945).

Best films

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
(Director)
Song Without End (1960)
(Director)
The Desperadoes (1943)
(Director)
Cover Girl (1944)
(Director)
The Loves of Carmen (1948)
(Director)

Usually with

Rita Hayworth
Rita Hayworth
(4 films)
Jean Louis
Jean Louis
(5 films)
Fern Emmett
Fern Emmett
(6 films)
Source : Wikidata

Filmography of Charles Vidor (36 films)

Display filmography as list

Director

Song Without End, 2h21
Directed by George Cukor, Charles Vidor
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Musical, Romance
Themes Films about music and musicians, Films about classical music and musicians, Musical films
Actors Dirk Bogarde, Capucine, Geneviève Page, Patricia Morison, Ivan Desny, Martita Hunt
Rating59% 2.994242.994242.994242.994242.99424
Jeune pianiste de talent et salué par la critique, Franz Lizst n'en reste pas moins un personnage torturé par la solitude. À l'occasion d'une tournée européenne, le jeune artiste fait la rencontre de la princesse Caroline Sayn-Wittengenstei. Tous deux entament une idylle à double tranchant puisque cette nouvelle relation a une conséquence négative sur les performances de Franz.
A Farewell to Arms, 2h32
Directed by John Huston, Charles Vidor, Andrew Marton
Origin USA
Genres Drama, War, Romance
Themes Political films, Children's films
Actors Rock Hudson, Jennifer Jones, Vittorio De Sica, Elaine Stritch, Oskar Homolka, Mercedes McCambridge
Rating58% 2.900212.900212.900212.900212.90021
Frederick Henry (Rock Hudson) is an American officer serving in an ambulance unit for the Italian Army during World War I. While recovering from a wound in a British base hospital in northern Italy, he is cared for by Catherine Barkley (Jennifer Jones), a Red Cross nurse he had met earlier, near the front, and they engage in an affair. Frederick's friend, the doctor, convinces the army that Frederick's knee is more severely wounded than it actually is and the two continue their romance but never get married.
The Joker Is Wild, 2h6
Directed by Charles Vidor, Art Cohn
Origin USA
Genres Drama
Themes Films about alcoholism, Medical-themed films, Films about drugs
Actors Frank Sinatra, Mitzi Gaynor, Jeanne Crain, Eddie Albert, Jackie Coogan, Ted de Corsia
Rating70% 3.5431753.5431753.5431753.5431753.543175
Joe E. Lewis (Frank Sinatra), a successful 1920s Chicago night-club entertainer is invited to work for the Mob during the Prohibition era. His eventual decision to work elsewhere results in his face being slashed and his throat cut, preventing him from continuing with his current act as a singer.
The Swan
The Swan (1956)
, 1h44
Directed by Charles Vidor
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy, Romantic comedy, Historical, Romance
Themes Monde imaginaire, Théâtre, Films based on plays
Actors Grace Kelly, Alec Guinness, Louis Jourdan, Jessie Royce Landis, Estelle Winwood, Brian Aherne
Rating64% 3.201433.201433.201433.201433.20143
The film, set in 1910, deals with the story of the daughter of a minor branch of a European royal house who is being considered as a wife for her cousin, the heir to the throne.
Love Me or Leave Me, 2h2
Directed by Charles Vidor
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Biography, Musical theatre, Documentary, Musical, Romance
Themes Films about music and musicians, Musical films
Actors Doris Day, James Cagney, Cameron Mitchell, Robert Keith, Tom Tully, Harry Bellaver
Rating70% 3.546523.546523.546523.546523.54652
L'histoire romancée de la carrière de la chanteuse de jazz Ruth Etting et de son mariage tumultueux avec le gangster Marty Snyder qui l'aida à gravir les échelons du showbusiness.
Rhapsody
Rhapsody (1954)
, 1h55
Directed by Charles Vidor, Michael Kanin, Lawrence Weingarten, Fay Kanin
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Musical, Romance
Themes Films about music and musicians, Films about classical music and musicians, Musical films
Actors Elizabeth Taylor, Vittorio Gassman, John Ericson, Louis Calhern, Michael Chekhov, Barbara Bates
Rating62% 3.1023.1023.1023.1023.102
Based on the novel Maurice Guest by Henry Handel Richardson, the film is about a wealthy and beautiful woman who follows the man she loves and hopes to marry to Zurich where he studies violin at a conservatory.
Hans Christian Andersen, 1h52
Directed by Charles Vidor
Origin USA
Genres Biography, Comedy, Fantasy, Historical, Musical, Romance
Themes Films about writers, Films about magic and magicians, Seafaring films, Films about music and musicians, Transport films, Mermaids in film, Musical films, Children's films
Actors Danny Kaye, Farley Granger, Joseph Walsh, Philip Tonge, Erik Bruhn, John Qualen
Rating67% 3.3946353.3946353.3946353.3946353.394635
In the 1830s, in the small Danish town of Odense, cobbler Hans Christian Andersen spends his day spinning fairy tales for the village children, teaching them lessons about pride, humility, love and growing up through his fanciful characters. One day, the stern schoolmaster, who believes Hans is wasting his pupils' precious time, implores the Burgomaster and councilmen to curtail the cobbler's habit of distracting the students with his storytelling, but even the adult citizens easily become a rapt audience for Hans' fables. Hans finally agrees to stop distracting the children and returns to his shop, where his teenage assistant, the orphan Peter, begs him to stop causing trouble. However, later that day Hans is drawn back to the schoolhouse to see the children. As he hears the schoolchildren drone mathematical phrases, he compares an inchworm's myopic measuring of beautiful blossoms to the schoolmaster's blindness to beauty and creativity. On yet another day, when the children do not arrive at the sound of the school bell, the schoolmaster deduces that Hans is again distracting his pupils. When the schoolmaster then demands that the Burgomaster and the councilmen choose between him and the cobbler, they decide that Hans must leave Odense. Peter, who has witnessed the verdict, returns to the shop and secretly tries to save his friend from the shame of being exiled by eagerly suggesting Hans travel to Copenhagen. After much prodding, Peter succeeds in convincing Hans to leave that afternoon by reminding him that he will be the envy of the town for having been the first to visit the famous city. Soon after Hans begins his journey, Peter joins him on the trail, bringing all the shop's tools to start their business anew.
Thunder in the East, 1h37
Directed by Charles Vidor
Origin USA
Genres Drama, War
Actors Alan Ladd, Deborah Kerr, Charles Boyer, Corinne Calvet, Cecil Kellaway, John Abbott
Rating62% 3.1425653.1425653.1425653.1425653.142565
The film is set in 1947 after India has gained its independence from Britain. Steve Gibbs (Alan Ladd), an American arms dealer, flies into a small Indian state intending to sell weapons to a local maharajah whose capital is facing an attack from a bandit army. He is opposed by the maharajah's prime minister (Charles Boyer), who is a proponent of Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence. He also falls in love with a blind woman (Deborah Kerr).
It's a Big Country, 1h29
Directed by Don Hartman, John Sturges, Richard Thorpe, William A. Wellman, Charles Vidor, Clarence Brown, Don Weis
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Comedy, Comedy-drama, Anthology film
Actors Gary Cooper, Ethel Barrymore, Gene Kelly, Van Johnson, Janet Leigh, Fredric March
Rating59% 2.99932.99932.99932.99932.9993
A professor traveling on a train overhears a fellow passenger make a comment about "America". The professor then asks: "Which America?" This provides a lead-in for multiple tales of American life. There is the tale of Mrs. Riordan, an elderly lady from Boston. She is upset about not having been counted in the 1950 census. She asks a newspaper editor named Callaghan to intervene on her behalf, and he makes the mistake of not taking her seriously.
The Loves of Carmen, 1h39
Directed by Charles Vidor, Earl Bellamy
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Romance
Themes Films about animals, Sports films, Bullfighting films
Actors Rita Hayworth, Glenn Ford, Victor Jory, Luther Adler, Margaret Wycherly, Ron Randell
Rating61% 3.0531753.0531753.0531753.0531753.053175
Following the plot of the classic opera, "Carmen," this story follows the wild gypsy's adventures as a siren and bandit. Carmen (Rita Hayworth) lures an innocent soldier (Glenn Ford) to his ruin, getting him expelled from the army. He then turns to banditry, killing Carmen's husband (Victor Jory) and others. The drama culminates in an ending with the innocent soldier repenting of his sins and dying.
Gilda
Gilda (1946)
, 1h50
Directed by Charles Vidor
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Thriller, Noir, Crime, Romance
Themes Films about sexuality, Striptease
Actors Rita Hayworth, Glenn Ford, George Macready, Joseph Calleia, Eduardo Ciannelli, Steven Geray
Rating75% 3.7990053.7990053.7990053.7990053.799005
Johnny Farrell (Glenn Ford), a small-time American gambler newly arrived in Buenos Aires, Argentina, narrates. When he wins a lot of money cheating at craps, he has to be rescued from a robbery attempt by a complete stranger, Ballin Mundson (George Macready). Mundson tells him about an illegal high-class casino, but warns him not to practice his skills there. Farrell ignores his advice, cheats at blackjack, and is taken by two men to see the casino's owner, who turns out to be Mundson. Farrell talks Mundson into hiring him and quickly gains his confidence. However, the unimpressed washroom attendant, Uncle Pio (Steven Geray), keeps calling him "Mr.
A Song to Remember, 1h53
Directed by Charles Vidor
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Musical
Themes Films about music and musicians, Films about classical music and musicians, Musical films
Actors Paul Muni, Cornel Wilde, Merle Oberon, Nina Foch, Ivan Triesault, George Coulouris
Rating65% 3.2948053.2948053.2948053.2948053.294805
Vidor romanticizes Chopin's patriotism in the film, which was produced during World War II. Chopin, played by Cornel Wilde, is first presented to the audience as a child prodigy playing a piece by Mozart, but suddenly starts to bang on the piano keys when he notices out the window that Polish people are being taken prisoners by the Russian authorities.
Over 21
Over 21 (1945)

Directed by Charles Vidor
Origin USA
Genres Comedy
Themes Political films, Films based on plays
Actors Irene Dunne, Alexander Knox, Charles Coburn, Jeff Donnell, Lee Patrick, Phil Brown
Rating62% 3.1450753.1450753.1450753.1450753.145075
At the New York Bulletin newspaper, its owner, Robert Drexel Gow (Charles Coburn), receives a teletype story that the newspaper’s thirty-nine-year-old editor, Max Wharton (Alexander Knox), is resigning to enlist in the army. Robert is livid, both at the news and the method that he found out about the news. There is a second story on the teletype: Max’s wife, the famous novelist Paula Wharton (Irene Dunne) (whom Max calls Paulie), is in Hollywood adapting her latest book into a movie screenplay. Max wants to do his duty as a citizen and responsible journalist to be close to the war (World War II). Robert’s view is that without Max, the newspaper will fold because Max *is* the newspaper.
Together Again, 1h33
Directed by Charles Vidor
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Romance
Actors Irene Dunne, Charles Boyer, Charles Coburn, Mona Freeman, Jerome Courtland, Fern Emmett
Rating66% 3.3414753.3414753.3414753.3414753.341475
Anne Crandall succeeds her husband as mayor of Brookhaven, Vermont, when he dies. She takes her duties as mayor seriously, and after five years of faithful service, her father-in-law, Jonathan Crandall, begins to worry about her health and her social life since she spends most of her waking hours at the office.
Cover Girl
Cover Girl (1944)
, 1h47
Directed by Budd Boetticher, Charles Vidor
Origin USA
Genres Comedy, Romantic comedy, Musical, Romance
Themes Films about music and musicians, Musical films
Actors Rita Hayworth, Gene Kelly, Phil Silvers, Otto Kruger, Eve Arden, Lee Bowman
Rating66% 3.347133.347133.347133.347133.34713
Rusty (Rita Hayworth), a chorus girl working at a nightclub run by her boyfriend Danny McGuire (Gene Kelly), is given a chance for stardom by the wealthy magazine editor John Coudair (Otto Kruger), who years earlier had been in love with her grandmother, Maribelle Hicks. Offered an opportunity to be a highly paid cover girl, Rusty would faithfully remain with her nightclub act if only Danny would ask her. He doesn't want to stand in her way, so he picks an argument to send her packing. Rusty becomes a star on Broadway after appearing in a musical produced by Coudair's wealthy friend, Noel Wheaton (Lee Bowman), and decides to get married to Wheaton. At the last second she leaves the wedding and reunites with Danny.