Sternberg, Josef von

Sternberg, Josef von
orig. Jonas Stern

born May 29, 1894, Vienna, Austria
died Dec. 22, 1969, Hollywood, Calif., U.S.

Austrian-born U.S. film director.

He immigrated with his Orthodox Jewish family to New York as a boy. By 1923 he was a scriptwriter and cameraman in Hollywood. In 1927 he made the first serious gangster movie, Underworld. His films became noted for their striking visual effects and atmospheric use of light and dark. In Germany he directed The Blue Angel (1930), which made actress Marlene Dietrich an international star. She returned with Sternberg to Hollywood, where he directed her in Morocco (1930), Shanghai Express (1932), Blonde Venus (1932), The Scarlet Empress (1934), and The Devil Is a Woman (1935). His career thereafter declined, though his late films Macao (1952) and The Saga of Anatahan (1953) were admired.

Josef von Sternberg editing a film.

Culver Pictures

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▪ Austrian-American director
original name  Jonas, or Josef, Stern, or Sternberg  
born May 29, 1894, Vienna, Austria
died Dec. 22, 1969, Hollywood, Los Angeles, Calif., U.S.
 motion-picture director whose films are characterized by pictorial richness and photographic craftsmanship.

      Sternberg immigrated to the United States as a boy. He began working in films as early as 1911 for a film-servicing company, and by 1923 he was a scriptwriter and cameraman in Hollywood. The Salvation Hunters (1925), his first independent release, brought immediate recognition; it was a realistic portrait of waterfront life, almost entirely composed of motionless shots. Two years later he directed Underworld (1927), one of the outstanding pictures of the year. Marked by carefully created atmosphere, striking lighting effects, and colourful characterization, it initiated a series of pictures dealing with the criminal world that included The Drag Net (1928) and The Docks of New York (1928). The Last Command (1928), starring the German character actor Emil Jannings, furthered his reputation.

  Sternberg's best-known motion picture was Der blaue Engel (1930; The Blue Angel). Starring Marlene Dietrich (Dietrich, Marlene) as the symbol of sultry post-World War I decadence, the film combined sensual elegance, realistic detail of background, smooth transition between scenes, and the effective integration of music and song into an artistic whole. Sternberg brought Dietrich to the United States, where he featured her in a succession of notable films: Morocco (1930), Dishonored (1931), Blonde Venus (1932), Shanghai Express (1932), The Scarlet Empress (1934), and The Devil Is a Woman (1935).

      An American Tragedy (1931) and Crime and Punishment (1935) were the other important films he directed in the 1930s. Sternberg's popularity subsequently declined, and few pictures released after that were critically acclaimed.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • STERNBERG, JOSEF VON — (1894–1969), film director. Von Sternberg, born in Vienna (though the von was a Hollywood addition), was one of the best known film directors of the 1920s and 1930s. He used the camera as it had not been used before, capturing the play of light… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Sternberg, Josef von — • ШТЕ РНБЕРГ (Sternberg) Джозеф фон (29.5.1894 22.12.1969)    амер. режиссёр. Род. в Австрии. С 1914 в США. Был монтажёром, сценаристом, ассист. режиссёра. В 1925 пост. ф. Охотники за спасением , в 1927 Подполье о чикагских гангстерах. Значит.… …   Кино: Энциклопедический словарь

  • Sternberg, Josef von — ► (1894 1969) Director cinematográfico austríaco. Películas: La ley del hampa y El ángel azul (1930), entre otras. * * * orig. Jonas Stern (29 may. 1894, Viena, Austria–22 dic. 1969, Hollywood, Cal., EE.UU.). Director de cine estadounidense de… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Sternberg, Josef von —    см. Штернберг, Джозеф фон …   Режиссерская энциклопедия. Кино США

  • Sternberg, Josef von —    See Dietrich, Marlene …   Historical dictionary of Weimar Republik

  • Josef von Sternberg — Nacimiento 29 de mayo de 1894 Viena, Imperio austrohúngaro Fallecimiento 22 de diciembre de 1969 …   Wikipedia Español

  • Josef Von Sternberg — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Sternberg. Josef von Sternberg Nom de naissance Jonas Sternberg Naissance 29 mai 1894 Vienne …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Josef von sternberg — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Sternberg. Josef von Sternberg Nom de naissance Jonas Sternberg Naissance 29 mai 1894 Vienne …   Wikipédia en Français

  • STERNBERG (J. von) — Né sous François Joseph comme Pabst et Stroheim, Sternberg, autrichien mi américanisé, a pris avec son pays et avec son temps le recul de l’artiste et a traduit dans une œuvre inégale, formellement étincelante, sa haine du réel, homme, choses et… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Josef von Sternberg — Infobox actor name = Josef von Sternberg imagesize = 220px birthname = Jonas Sternberg birthdate = birth date|1894|5|29 birthplace = Vienna, Austria Hungary deathdate = death date and age|1969|12|22|1894|5|29 deathplace = Hollywood, California… …   Wikipedia

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