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Director

Michael Curtiz

Austria-Hungary [now Hungary]

Michael Curtiz (December 24, 1886 — April 10, 1962), born Manó Kaminer, was a Hungarian-American film director. He had early credits as Mihály Kertész and Michael Kertész. He directed more than fifty films in Europe and more than one hundred in the United States. The best-known were The Adventures of Robin Hood, Angels with Dirty Faces, Casablanca, Yankee Doodle Dandy, and White Christmas. He thrived in the heyday of the Warner Bros. studio in the 1930s and '40s. Curtiz was less successful from

Thematic context drawn from Senses of Cinema. Read the full critical essay →

Having helmed some of the most successful films of Hollywood’s Golden Age, winning an Academy Award and receiving a further three official nominations in the process, it may seem inconsistent to consider Michael Curtiz an underrated director. Yet he was seldom afforded the degree of respect and singular appreciation granted to more celebrated colleagues, particularly those classified as “ auteurs ,” with their work analysed and applauded for repeated themes, narrative fields, and distinct…

Casablanca 1942
Four Wives 1939
Dodge City 1939
Black Fury 1935
Mandalay 1934
The Key 1934
Female 1933
Doctor X 1932
Noah's Ark 1928
Red Heels 1925