Cecil B DeMille (1883 - 1959)
DeMille started his film career
comparatively late for a pioneer in 1913. He was the original director
general of Famous Players-Lasky which became Paramount. He is generally
remembered today for his historical and biblical epics. The first of
these and one of the best was Joan the Woman (1916) which starred opera
star Geraldine Farrar and Wallace Reid. At the same time DeMille made
some very good psychological dramas which forshadowed film noir with
some of their concerns : films such as The Cheat (1915) and
particularly The Whispering Chorus (1918) were ahead of their time in
subject matter and even cinematic technique.
Unfortunately these imaginative, articulate films were not box office successes and in the late teens/ early Twenties DeMille turned to sophisticated sex comedies which while still entertaining and influential in encouraging the wearing of fashions and cosmetics aren't quite as impressive to modern eyes. Many of these starred Gloria Swanson who left Mack Sennett's comedy studios and started her dramatic film career working for the director. Then in 1922 what the public wanted changed again, the failure of Adam's Rib (1922) led to his first proper biblical epic (though flashbacks comparing the morals of the past and the present had appeared in the sex comedies) The Ten Commandments (1923). The best of his biblical epics to me is his version of the life of Christ, King of Kings (1927) which for the most part avoided overt moralising to present an almost newsreel like depiction.
DeMille was a perfectionist who required strong willed people to work for him and needed some elbow room in the studio system. In the early days of sound he worked for Louis B. Mayer at MGM and hated it. It was with some relief that he returned to Paramount for Sign of the Cross (1932) where he remained for the rest of his career.
Although his sound movies are by no means all bad DeMille I believe did his very best work in the silent era. His career ended with a rather long though entertaining remake of The Ten Commandments (1956), it was one of his best talkies in its epic quality and more fun than some other epics of the period.
Unfortunately these imaginative, articulate films were not box office successes and in the late teens/ early Twenties DeMille turned to sophisticated sex comedies which while still entertaining and influential in encouraging the wearing of fashions and cosmetics aren't quite as impressive to modern eyes. Many of these starred Gloria Swanson who left Mack Sennett's comedy studios and started her dramatic film career working for the director. Then in 1922 what the public wanted changed again, the failure of Adam's Rib (1922) led to his first proper biblical epic (though flashbacks comparing the morals of the past and the present had appeared in the sex comedies) The Ten Commandments (1923). The best of his biblical epics to me is his version of the life of Christ, King of Kings (1927) which for the most part avoided overt moralising to present an almost newsreel like depiction.
DeMille was a perfectionist who required strong willed people to work for him and needed some elbow room in the studio system. In the early days of sound he worked for Louis B. Mayer at MGM and hated it. It was with some relief that he returned to Paramount for Sign of the Cross (1932) where he remained for the rest of his career.
Although his sound movies are by no means all bad DeMille I believe did his very best work in the silent era. His career ended with a rather long though entertaining remake of The Ten Commandments (1956), it was one of his best talkies in its epic quality and more fun than some other epics of the period.
Written content copyright Derek McLellan,2005.
Copyright © The Fedora Chronicles
DeMille image from
http://www.born-today.com/Today/08-12.htm