Rouben Mamoulian

ROUBEN MAMOULIAN d1987. Russian-American director, producer, screenwriter and film editor. He directed his first feature film in 1929, Applause which was one of the early sound films. It was a landmark film owing to his innovative use of camera movement and sound and these qualities were carried to his other films released in the 1930s. Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1931) is regularly considered the best version of Robert Louis Stevenson's tale. Queen Christina (1933) was the last film Greta Garbo made with John Gilbert. Both benefit from being made before the "Hays Code" came into full force. The musical film Love Me Tonight was released in 1932. He directed the first three-strip Technicolor film Becky Sharp (1935) / as well as the 1937 musical High Wide and Handsome. His next two films earned him wide admiration ; The Mark of Zorro (1940) and Blood and Sand (1941).His last completed musical film was Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's 1957 film version of the Cole Porter musical Silk Stockings. This was one of Porter's less successful stage musicals and was based on the 1939 Ninotchka. The film Silk Stockings starred Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse with Janis Paige and Peter Lorre in supporting roles