This comprehensive biography is the first to present Lewis Milestone's
remarkable life-a classic rags-to-riches American narrative-in full and
explores his many acclaimed films from the silent to the sound era.
Creator of All Quiet on the Western Front, Of Mice and Men, the
original Ocean's Eleven and Mutiny on the Bounty, Lewis Milestone
(1895-1980) was one of the most significant, prolific, and influential
directors of our time. A serious artist who believed in film's power not
only to entertain, but also to convey messages of social importance,
Milestone was known as a man of principle in an industry not always
known for an abundance of virtue.
Born in Ukraine, Milestone came to America as a tough, resourceful
Russian-speaking teenager and learned about film by editing footage from
the front as a member of the Signal Corps of the US Army during World
War I. During the course of his film career, which spanned more than 40
years, Milestone developed intense personal and professional
relationships with such major Hollywood figures as Howard Hughes, Kirk
Douglas, Marlene Dietrich, and Marlon Brando. Addressed are Milestone's
successes-he garnered 28 Academy Award nominations-as well as his
challenges. Using newly available archival material, this work also
examines Milestone's experience during the Hollywood Blacklist period,
when he was one of the first prominent Hollywood figures to fall under
suspicion for his alleged Communist sympathies.
