From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the Arkansas lawyer and judge Victor A.
Fleming, see Vic Fleming.
Victor Fleming (February 23, 1889 – January 6,
1949) (sometimes "Vic Fleming") was an Academy Award-winning American film director, cinematographer, and producer. His most
popular films were The Wizard of Oz
(1939), and Gone with the Wind
(1939), for which he won an Academy Award for Best Director.
Overview
Victor Fleming was born in Pasadena, California, possibly of
part Native American
descent and showed a mechanical aptitude early on; while working as
a car mechanic he met the director Allan Dwan, who took him on as a camera
assistant. Given his aptitude, he developed an interest in
airplanes, and for his movies got to know the men at Rogers
Airport, Los Angeles, including Moye Stephens.
Fleming soon rose to the rank of cinematographer, working with both
Dwan and D. W.
Griffith, and directed his first film in 1919.
Many of Fleming's silent films were action movies, often
starring Douglas Fairbanks, or Westerns, and
with his robust attitude and love of outdoor sports he became known
as a "man's director". But he also proved an effective director of
women. Under his direction, Vivien Leigh won the Best Actress Oscar, Hattie McDaniel
won for Best Supporting
Actress, and Ingrid Bergman was nominated. (In fact,
nine actors who appeared in films directed by Fleming were
Oscar-nominated.)
MGM
In 1932 Fleming joined MGM and directed some of the studio's most
prestigious films. Red Dust (1932), Bombshell
(1933), and Reckless (1935) showcased Jean Harlow, while
Treasure Island (1934) and Captains Courageous
(1937) brought a touch of literary distinction to boy's-own
adventure stories. His two most famous films came in 1939, when
The Wizard of Oz was
closely followed by Gone with the Wind.
Their fame has outstripped that of their credited director. Both
were essentially producer-led projects, and in each case Fleming
replaced the original directors after filming had begun, although
he alone received director credit on both (he replaced Richard Thorpe on
The Wizard of Oz after George Cukor had briefly come in and
altered some of the makeup. Cukor's alterations remained in the
film, and, by coincidence, it was Cukor whom Fleming replaced on
Gone With the Wind. ) Fleming's version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr.
Hyde (1941), with Spencer Tracy, was generally rated below
Rouben
Mamoulian's 1931 version with Fredric March. Fleming's 1942 film
version of John
Steinbeck's Tortilla Flat, starring
Spencer Tracy, John
Garfield, Hedy
Lamarr, and Frank
Morgan, was considered quite excellent, though, and to this day
remains the only film version of the book.
Fleming's few remaining films were disappointing to some, and he
died quite suddenly from a heart attack soon after
completing Joan of Arc (1948) with
Ingrid Bergman. It was one of the few films that he did not make
for MGM. Despite mixed reviews, Fleming's film version of the life
of Joan received
seven Academy
Award nominations, winning two Oscars. In recent years, it has been
restored to its full-length of 145 minutes, causing a more positive
re-evaluation of the film based on the complete version.
Filmography as Director
(Partial)
External
links
| Films directed by Victor Fleming |
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| 1910s |
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| 1920s |
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| 1930s |
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| 1940s |
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| Productions |
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