Berthold Viertel
Encyclopedia
Berthold Viertel born in Vienna
, Austria
was a screen writer and film director
.
from 30 April 1918 to 20 December 1947. The pair came to Los Angeles
in 1928 planning to stay for just three years. Berthold wanted to gain experience working for the booming movie industry and the couple hoped earn enough to return to Europe. For four years, he worked for Fox Film Corporation, then Paramount Pictures
, and Warner Brothers. With the uncertain political situation in Germany in 1932, the Viertels decided to stay in the United States with their children rather than return to an uncertain future in Europe. The Viertels house in Santa Monica Canyon
was the site of salons and meetings of the Hollywood "intelligentsia" and European intellectuals. It was also an important gathering place for the émigré
community. http://www.usc.edu/libraries/archives/arc/libraries/feuchtwanger/exiles/viertel.html
with whom he remained married until his death in 1953.
His marriage to Salka Viertel produced three sons: Hans, Peter and Thomas. Peter Viertel
is a book and screenplay writer.
's novel Prater Violet
(1945
) is a fictional portrayal of Isherwood and Viertel's time working together, as screenplay writer and director, respectively, for the British Gaumont
movie Little Friend (1934)
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
was a screen writer and film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
.
Arrival in America
He was married to screenplay writer and actress Salka ViertelSalka Viertel
Salka Viertel was an actress and screenwriter. The pianist and composer Eduard Steuermann was her brother. Mrs. Viertel was born Salomea Steuermann in Sambor, a city then in the province of Galicia, which was a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but today is in western Ukraine.-Career:She...
from 30 April 1918 to 20 December 1947. The pair came to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in 1928 planning to stay for just three years. Berthold wanted to gain experience working for the booming movie industry and the couple hoped earn enough to return to Europe. For four years, he worked for Fox Film Corporation, then Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
, and Warner Brothers. With the uncertain political situation in Germany in 1932, the Viertels decided to stay in the United States with their children rather than return to an uncertain future in Europe. The Viertels house in Santa Monica Canyon
Santa Monica neighborhoods
The western and northwestern border of Santa Monica, California is the stretch of Santa Monica Bay. On its other sides, the city is bordered by various districts of Los Angeles: the eastern border is Brentwood north of Wilshire Boulevard and West Los Angeles south of Wilshire, the northeastern...
was the site of salons and meetings of the Hollywood "intelligentsia" and European intellectuals. It was also an important gathering place for the émigré
Émigré
Émigré is a French term that literally refers to a person who has "migrated out", but often carries a connotation of politico-social self-exile....
community. http://www.usc.edu/libraries/archives/arc/libraries/feuchtwanger/exiles/viertel.html
Personal life
Previously, Berthold Viertel had been married to Grete Viertel, but they divorced in 1918. After his divorce from Salka in 1947, he married for a third time, this time to Elisabeth NeumannElisabeth Neumann-Viertel
Elisabeth Neumann-Viertel was an Austrian actress. Under the Nazi regime she emigrated to the United States, but she later returned. She was the second wife of Berthold Viertel....
with whom he remained married until his death in 1953.
His marriage to Salka Viertel produced three sons: Hans, Peter and Thomas. Peter Viertel
Peter Viertel
Peter Viertel was an author and screenwriter.-Biography:He was born to Jewish parents in Dresden, Germany, the writer and actress Salka Viertel and the writer Berthold Viertel. In 1928, his parents moved to Santa Monica, California where Viertel grew up with his brothers, Hans and Thomas...
is a book and screenplay writer.
Further reading
Christopher IsherwoodChristopher Isherwood
Christopher William Bradshaw Isherwood was an English-American novelist.-Early life and work:Born at Wyberslegh Hall, High Lane, Cheshire in North West England, Isherwood spent his childhood in various towns where his father, a Lieutenant-Colonel in the British Army, was stationed...
's novel Prater Violet
Prater Violet
Prater Violet is Christopher Isherwood's fictional first person account of film-making. The Prater is a large park and amusement park in Vienna, a city important to characters in the novel for several reasons. Though Isherwood broke onto the literary scene as a novelist, he eventually worked in...
(1945
1945 in literature
The year 1945 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*November 1 - The magazine Ebony is published for the first time.*Noel Coward's short play, Still Life, is adapted to become the film, Brief Encounter....
) is a fictional portrayal of Isherwood and Viertel's time working together, as screenplay writer and director, respectively, for the British Gaumont
Gaumont British
Gaumont-British Picture Corporation was the British arm of the French film company Gaumont. The company became independent of its French parent in 1922, when Isidore Ostrer acquired control of Gaumont-British....
movie Little Friend (1934)
Filmography
- 1922/23. DE. NoraNoraNora or Norah may refer to:*Nora , an English and Irish feminine personal name* Nóra , a Hungarian feminine personal name-People:*Nora Aunor, a multi-awarded Filipino actress-singer-producer*Norah Baring, a British movie actress...
. - 1924. DE. Die Perücke.
- 1926. DE. K 13 513. Die Abenteuer eines ZehnmarkscheinesDie Abenteuer eines ZehnmarkscheinesDie Abenteuer eines Zehnmarkscheines is a German silent film directed by Berthold Viertel. It was released in 1926....
. - 1929. US. The One Woman Idea.
- 1929. US. Seven Faces.
- 1930/31. US/DE. Die heilige Flamme.
- 1930/31. US. The SpyThe SpyThe Spy can refer to *The Spy: A Tale of the Neutral Ground, an 1821 novel by James Fenimore Cooper*The Spy, a 1914 film adaptation of the Cooper novel by director Otis Turner*The Spy, a 2010 novel by Clive Cussler...
. - 1931. US. The Magnificent Lie.
- 1931/32. US. The Wiser SexThe Wiser SexThe Wiser Sex is a 1932 crime drama film made by Paramount Pictures, directed by Berthold Viertel and Victor Viertel, and starring Claudette Colbert, Melvyn Douglas, Lilyan Tashman, William Boyd and Ross Alexander....
. - 1932. US. The Man from Yesterday.
- 1934. GB. Little Friend, starring Nova PilbeamNova PilbeamNova Margery Pilbeam is a British film and stage actress. She was born in Wimbledon. Her father was RADA-trained actor Arnold Pilbeam.-Career:Pilbeam had widely noted roles as a child stage actress...
, screenplay by Christopher IsherwoodChristopher IsherwoodChristopher William Bradshaw Isherwood was an English-American novelist.-Early life and work:Born at Wyberslegh Hall, High Lane, Cheshire in North West England, Isherwood spent his childhood in various towns where his father, a Lieutenant-Colonel in the British Army, was stationed...
. - 1935. GB. The Passing of the Third Floor BackThe Passing of the Third Floor BackThe Passing of the Third Floor Back is a 1935 British drama film directed by Berthold Viertel and starring Conrad Veidt, Anna Lee, René Ray and Frank Cellier. The film is based on a short story by Jerome K. Jerome and depicts the various small-minded inhabitants of a building and the arrival of a...
. - 1935/36. GB. Rhodes of AfricaRhodes of AfricaRhodes of Africa is a 1936 British biographical film charting the life of Cecil Rhodes. It was directed by Berthold Viertel and starred Walter Huston, Oskar Homolka, Basil Sydney and Bernard Lee.-Cast:* Walter Huston - Cecil Rhodes...
.