Happy Birthday, Robert Wise! Born today in 1915 as Robert Earl Wise, this American film editor, film producer and film director were one of the most successful directors of the 1960s.
When he became an efficient maker of epic-length pictures, he was one of Hollywood's few popularly recognized filmmakers.
As a youth Wise's favorite pastime was going to the movies. As a student at Connersville High School, Wise wrote humor and sports columns for the school's newspaper and was a member of the yearbook staff and poetry club.
Wise initially sought a career in journalism and following graduation from high school attended Franklin College, a small liberal arts college south of Indianapolis, Indiana, on a scholarship.
In 1933, due to the family's poor financial situation during the Great Depression, Wise was unable to return to college for his second year and moved to Hollywood to begin a lifelong career in the film industry.
However, David, Wise's older brother, had gone to Hollywood several years earlier and worked at RKO Pictures.
He later found Robert a job in the shipping department at RKO. While there, Wise worked odd jobs at the studio before moving into editing.
Wise began his film career at RKO as a sound and music editor. In the 1930s, RKO was a small, budget-minded studio with "a strong work ethic" and "willingness to take artistic risks", which was fortunate for a newcomer to Hollywood such as Wise.
At RKO, Wise became an assistant to American studio head sound-effects editor T.K. Wood. As Wise gained experience, he became more interested in editing film content, rather than sound, and went to work for American RKO film editor William "Billy" Hamilton.
Later at RKO, Wise worked with Orson Welles on his 1941 American black and white drama/mystery film 'Citizen Kane'.
Although Wise worked as an editor on 'Citizen Kane', it is likely that while working on the film he became familiar with the optical printer techniques employed by American pioneer of visual effects in motion pictures Linwood G. Dunn to produce effects for 'Citizen Kane'.
This included the image projected in the broken snow globe which falls from Kane's hand as he dies.
The following year, Wise was nominated for an Oscar for Best Film Editing. However, he didn't win. This occurred at the at the 14th Academy Awards in late February 1942.
Later that year, Wise also worked as film editor on Welles' next film for RKO. This was the 1942 American black and white drama/historical period drama 'The Magnificent Ambersons'.
While working as a film editor, Wise was called on to shoot additional scenes for the film. Welles' 'Citizen Kane' also later influence Wise's innovations in the use of sound in films.
In 1944 at RKO, Wise got his first credited directing job while working for Russian-American novelist, Hollywood horror film producer and screenwriter Val Lewton.
Lewton later promoted Wise to his superiors at RKO, beginning a collaboration that produced the notable 1945 American black and white horror film 'The Body Snatcher'. It starred Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi.
Afterwards, Wise identified the film as a personal favorite and its rave reviews also helped establish his career as a director. Welles' 'Citizen Kane' also later influenced Wise's innovations in the use of sound in films
Wise's meticulous preparation may have been largely motivated by studio budget constraints, but advanced the moviemaking art. However, when Wise's directing career slowed, he took a more active role in supporting the film industry.
In the early 1960s, Wise directed three films adapted from the Broadway stage.
The most notable were the 1961 American Technicolor musical/romance drama film ‘West Side Story’ and the 1965 American musical/family drama film ‘The Sound of Music’.
The most notable were the 1961 American Technicolor musical/romance drama film ‘West Side Story’ and the 1965 American musical/family drama film ‘The Sound of Music’.
Wise had co-directed 'West Side story' alongside American choreographer, director, dancer and theater producer Jerome Robbins.
A year after its release, the former film captured won Oscars. This occurred at the 34th Academy Awards in early April 1962.
The awards included Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor in a Supporting Role (George Chakiris), Best Actress in Support Role (Rita Moreno), Best Cinematography, Best Original Music, Best Film Editing, Best Costume Best Production Design, and Best Sound Mixing.
The awards included Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor in a Supporting Role (George Chakiris), Best Actress in Support Role (Rita Moreno), Best Cinematography, Best Original Music, Best Film Editing, Best Costume Best Production Design, and Best Sound Mixing.
Four years later, 'The Sound of Music' received ten Oscar nominations. However, the film only won five Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Score, BestFilm Editing and Best Sound Mixing.
One of the five nominations included Best Actress (Julie Andrews). However, she didn't win. This occurred at the 38th Academy Awards in mid- April 1966.
From 1971 to 1975, Wise was the president of the Director's Guild of America. From 1985 through 1988. he was the president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. During the 1980s and 1990s Wise served on the advisory board of the National Student Film Institute.
Wise's meticulous preparation may have been largely motivated by studio budget constraints, but advanced the moviemaking art.
In 1995, 'The Day the Earth Stood Still was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
In 1998, Wise received the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award. Wise has remained a very visible and well-known director and figure in Hollywood since the 1970s.
In the late 1990s, the 1999 American supernatural horror/thriller film 'The Haunting' was released. It starred Catherine Zeta-Jones, Liam Neeson, Owen Wilson, Lili Taylor and Virginia Madsen.
The film is an actionized reimagining of American writer Shirley Jackson's 1959 Gothic horror psychological fiction novel The Haunting of Hill House. On a budget of $80 million, the film grossed $180.2 million at the box office.
With a 15% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the critics consensus reads: "A remake of the classic 1963 movie "The Haunting" about a team of paranormal experts who look into strange occurrences in an ill-fated house.
Through the course of the night some will unravel, some will question, and all will fight for their lives as the house fights back."
Wise had an expansive bungalow on the Universal Studios lot and owned a modern California beach house. He continued to screen films for personal enjoyment and had "final cut" decisions on his films.
In 2001, the United States Library of Congress selected 'The Sound of Music' for preservation in the National Film Registry, finding it "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Wise suffered a heart attack and was rushed to UCLA Medical Center. There, he passed from heart failure on September 14, 2005, just four days after his birthday. Wise was 91.
Three years later, the 2008 American science fiction/Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction drama film 'The Day the Earth Stood Still' was released. It starred Keanu Reeves as the extraterrestrial visitor Klaatu.
On a budget of $233.1 million, 'The Day the Earth Stood Still' only earned back a mere $80 million at the box office.
With a 21% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the critics consensus reads: "Heavy on special effects, but without a coherent story at its base, 'The Day the Earth Stood Still' is subpar re-imagining of the 1951 science-fiction classic." The original film currently holds 94%.
According to Wise's personal life, he, a lifelong liberal, contributed to charitable organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union, and established the Robert E. Wise Foundation.
This was to provide financial assistance to causes in the Los Angeles, California area. Wise's private papers are housed at the University of Southern California.
Among his credits, Wise is known for directing a handful of notable films in the last half of the 20th century. These include the following:
The Body Snatcher', (1945), 'Born to Kill' (1947), 'The Set-Up' (1949), 'Destination Gobi' (1953), 'This Could Be the Night;' (1957), 'Run Silent, Run Deep' (1958), 'I Want to Live! (1958), 'The Sand Pebbles' (1966), 'The Andromeda Strain' (1971), 'The Hindenburg (1975) and 'Star Trek: The Motion Picture' (1979).
Often contrasted with auteur directors such as Stanley Kubrick, (who tended to bring a distinctive directorial "look" to a particular genre, Wise has been viewed as a craftsman, inclined to let the (sometimes studio-assigned) story concept set the style.
Wise had been viewed as a craftsman, inclined to let the (sometimes studio-assigned) story concept set the style.
Later, cineastes, such as Martin Scorsese, insist that despite Wise's legendary workaday concentration on stylistic perfection within the confines of genre and budget, his choice of subject matter and approach still functioned to identify Wise as an artist and not merely an artisan.
For Wise, connecting to the viewer was the "most important part of making a film." Wise also had a reputation for a strong work ethic and budget-minded frugality.
In addition, he was known for his attention to detail and well-researched preparation for a film.
Wise achieved critical success as a director in a striking variety of film genres: horror, noir, western, war, science fiction, musical and drama, with many repeat successes within each genre.
Demonstrating an unusual flexibility that surpassed any lack of a consistent style or theme, Wise was an efficient master craftsman who was first and foremost committed to conveying a thoroughgoing sense of reality in his films.
Wise had been active from 1934–2000.
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