Edward Dmytryk

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Edward Dmytryk
Edward Dmytryk.jpg
Born (1908-09-04)September 4, 1908
Grand Forks, Canada
Died July 1, 1999(1999-07-01) (aged 90)
Encino, United States
Occupation Film director
Film editor
Years active 1929–1979

Edward Dmytryk (September 4, 1908 – July 1, 1999) was a Canadian-born American film director of Ukrainian origins who was amongst the Hollywood Ten, a group of blacklisted film industry professionals who served time in prison for being in contempt of Congress during the McCarthy-era 'red scare'.

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Early life [edit]

Dmytryk was born in Grand Forks, British Columbia, Canada, the son of Ukrainian parents. He grew up in San Francisco when his family moved to the United States. After his mother died, his father, Michael Dmytryk, remarried. At the age of 31, Dmytryk became a naturalized citizen.

Work, Hollywood Ten, HUAC [edit]

Dmytryk made his directorial debut with The Hawk in 1935.[1] His best known films from the pre-McCarthy period of his career were film noirs Crossfire, for which he received a Best Director Oscar nomination, and Murder, My Sweet, the latter an adaptation of Raymond Chandler's Farewell, My Lovely. In addition, he made two World War II films: Hitler's Children, the story of the Hitler youth and Back to Bataan starring John Wayne.

The late 1940s was the time of the Second Red Scare, and Dmytryk was one of many filmmakers investigated. Summoned to appear before the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC), he refused to cooperate and was sent to jail. After spending several months behind bars, Dmytryk made the decision to testify again, and give the names of his fellow members in the American Communist Party as the HUAC had demanded. On April 25, 1951, Dmytryk appeared before HUAC for the second time, answering all questions. He spoke of his own Party past, a very brief membership in 1945, including the naming of twenty-six former members of left-wing groups. He explained how John Howard Lawson, Adrian Scott, Albert Maltz and others had pressured him to include communist propaganda in his films. His testimony damaged several court cases that others of the so-called "Hollywood 10" had filed. He recounted his experiences of the period in his book, Odd Man Out: A Memoir of the Hollywood Ten (Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 1996).

For a time, Dmytryk moved to England, and Stanley Kramer hired him to direct a trio of low-budget films before handing Dmytryk The Caine Mutiny. He made films for major studios Columbia, 20th Century Fox, MGM and Paramount Pictures, including, among others, Raintree County, The Left Hand of God, The Young Lions, a remake of the Marlene Dietrich classic The Blue Angel, and The Carpetbaggers. Later into the 1960s and 1970s, he directed Where Love Has Gone, Anzio, Alvarez Kelly, Shalako, and Bluebeard.

After his film career tapered off in the 1970s, he entered academia and taught at the University of Texas at Austin, and at the University of Southern California. He wrote several books on the art of filmmaking (such as On Film Editing) and lectured at various colleges and theaters, such as the Orson Welles Cinema.

Dmytryk died from heart and kidney failure on 1 July 1999, aged 90, in Encino, California.

Complete filmography [edit]

This filmography lists all the feature films Dmytryk directed, and is believed complete.

See also [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ Vallance, Tom (July 3, 1999). "Obituary: Edward Dmytryk". The Independent. Retrieved 2011-05-01. 

External links [edit]

Films directed by Edward Dmytryk
1930s
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
Short films
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