Alfred Zinnemann or Fred Zinnemann is an American filmmaker born in Austria. He has won 24 Academy Awards for his directing in four different genres: thriller, western, noir and fiction. His career lasted over 50 years, and during this time he managed to shoot about 25 feature films.
Creative heritage
Alfred was one of the first directors to insist on filming in authentic locations, as well as star actors and random faces in films. This gives any motion picture more realism.
In the film industry, Zinnemann was considered an individualist for taking risks to create unique films. Many of his dramas were stories of lonely but principled people hardened by tragic events.
According to many critics and historians, Zinnemann's style demonstrates psychological realism and a determination to make worthy and interesting paintings.
Fred's most famous films were "Men" (1950), "Noon" (1952), "From Here to Eternity" (1953), "Oklahoma!" (1955), The Story of a Nun (1959), A Man for All Seasons (1966), Day of the Jackal (1973) and Julia (1977). His films have been nominated for an Oscar 65 times, of which 24 have won.
Many stars made their debut in Zinnemann's paintings: Marlon Brando, Julie Harris, Rod Steiger, Pierre Angeli, Brandon de Wild, Montgomery Clift, Shirley Jones and Meryl Streep.
Nineteen actors who played in Fred's films have been nominated for Academy Awards: Frank Sinatra, Montgomery Clift, Audrey Hepburn, Glynis Jones, Paul Scofield, Robert Shaw, Wendy Hillier, Jamon Robards, Vanessa Redgrave, Jane Maximili Fonda, Gary Cooper and Shell.
Biography
Alfred Zinnemann was born on April 29, 1907 in Rzeszow, Austria (now Poland). His parents, Anna Feivel and Oskar Zinnemann, were Austrian Jews. In addition to Fred, the family also had a younger brother. He grew up in Austria and became a lawyer, although as a child he dreamed of becoming a musician.
Alfred by 1927 graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Vienna. But he never became a lawyer. During his studies he became interested in cinematography and after graduation he went to study filmmaking in Paris at the School of Artistic Photography and Cinematography. After becoming a cameraman, he found work on several film sets in Berlin.
At the age of 21 in 1929, Fred immigrated to Hollywood. His parents were killed during the Holocaust.
It should be noted that discrimination against Jews has been a part of life in Austria since time immemorial. The Jewish people lived in an oppressive, deceitful, hostile and cruel atmosphere. It was felt everywhere and at all levels: at school, at work, in society. A Jew from birth was considered an outsider and a threat to the cultural life of the country. This is why Zinnemann, who was born in Austria-Hungary and emigrated to the United States, never really felt like an Austrian.
Career
In Germany, Zinnemann is known for only one film - "People on Sunday" in 1929, which he directed with fellow newcomers Billy Wilder and Robert Siodmak.
His next film, "Wave" (1935), Fred shoots in Mexico. The film features non-professional actors recruited from the local community. After the completion of this project, Fred settles in North Hollywood.
In 1930 he removes his first Hollywood work - the film "Everything is Quiet on the Western Front" (1930). Many of the actors in the film were recruited from among the former Russian aristocrats and high-ranking officers who fled to America after the October Revolution of 1917.
Zinnemann's next films were shot on a grand scale. In 1942, Alfred Shoots Eyes in the Night and The Gloved Killer for Children. In 1944 he directed the picture The Seventh Cross, in which he uses German actors even in the smallest roles.
After World War II, Alfred released the films My Brother Talks to Horses and Little Mr. Jim in 1947.
The following year, 1948, two of Alfred's great films were released. This is Search, for which Fred won the Academy Award for Best Screenplay. And a film noir "An Act of Violence".
In 1950, the famous actor Marlon Brando made his screen debut in Zinnemann's film Men. This film was about war veterans, it had many scenes filmed in one of the California hospitals, in which real patients served as extras.
In 1952, Alfred's most famous work was released, High Noon, which in 1989 was selected in the Top 25 for the US National Film Registry. In it, Zinnemann applied many advanced techniques for that time:
- An 80-minute countdown to the hour of confrontation, which broke the pattern of a Western familiar to everyone;
- shooting without filters, which gave the landscape the sharp quality characteristic of newsreels;
- photographs of the protagonist (played by Gary Cooper) in many close-ups, some of which he sweated, and at some point even burst into tears.
Alfred's next film, "The Wedding Party" (1952), is distinguished by the fact that Zinnemann chose 26-year-old Julie Harris to play the role of a 12-year-old girl, although she brilliantly coped with her role.
From Here to Eternity, 1953, was nominated for 13 Academy Awards and won 8 of them, including Best Picture and Best Director. Frank Sinatra, who starred in the film, received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, and Donna Reed received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
In the musical "Oklahoma!" 1955, filmed widescreen, young star Shirley Jones made her debut.
In 1957, Fred shoots a rather dangerous film "Rain Hat", in which the main character suffers from a secret addiction to morphine. The fact is that in the 1950s, films about drug addiction were rare and not welcomed by society.
In 1959, Zinnemann shoots A Nun's Tale with Audrey Hepburn in the title role.
The 1960 film SunDowners held the record for the most Oscar nominations without winning a single award. The next 1964 film, Here's a Pale Horse, was a critical and commercial flop.
In 1965, Alfred Zinnenman was a jury member at the IV Moscow International Film Festival.
Fred's next successful film was 1966's Man for All Seasons, which won 6 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Director. The film also received awards at the 5th Moscow International Film Festival.
In 1973, Zinnemann directed The Day of the Jackal, which became a hit with audiences.
1977 Julia was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and won 3 of them: Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress.
Fred Zinnemann's last film was Five Days of One Summer (1982), filmed in Switzerland. The motion picture became a critical and commercial failure, after which the famous director retired from filmmaking for good.
Last years and death
The apocryphal story goes that during a meeting with a young Hollywood executive in the 1980s, Zinnemann was surprised to find that the executive did not know who he was, despite the fact that Fred had won four Academy Awards and directed many of Hollywood's biggest films. When the young leader quietly asked Zinnemann to list what he had done in his career, Zinnemann elegantly put him in his place, answering: "Of course, but you tell me first." In Hollywood, this story is known as "You First," and is often referenced when veteran creators find the upstarts unfamiliar with their work.
Zinnemann died on March 14, 1997 in London, UK from a heart attack at the age of 89. The director's remains were cremated and buried at the Kensalskoe green cemetery.
