History Creator / JosefVonSternberg

Sternberg was ThePerfectionist on a level that would make even Creator/StanleyKubrick flinch. He would direct his films Prussian DrillSergeantNasty style and was a mean martinet to his cast and crew, with whom he would have epic fights. As an aesthete who believed passionately in DoingItForTheArt, he also clashed with producers.

[[caption-width-right:305:''"I care nothing about the story, only how it is photographed and presented."'']]

His films were highly influential on the likes of Creator/AlfredHitchcock and Creator/JorgeLuisBorges who cited him as his favorite filmmaker.

His final film was ''The Saga of Anatahan,'' which tackled the Japanese soldiers stranded in the wild not knowing the war was over. It was shot in Japan, in Japanese, with non-actors; Sternberg supplied an English voice-over. Released in 1951, it was ahead of its time, prefiguring the modern art movie. Sternberg then went into retirement. During this time, he wrote his autobiography, ''Fun in the Chinese Laundry'', and also served as a teacher at UCLA's film program (where his students included Jim Morrison and Ray Manzarek of Music/TheDoors fame).

Josef von Sternberg (born Jonas Sternberg; 29 May 1894 – 22 December 1969) was born in New York City but spent a great deal of his youth studying in Vienna, Austria. His films are [[ChildOfTwoWorlds a meeting of two worlds]]: one 20th-century, modern and forward-marching, the other 19th-century, decadent and dying.

Sternberg was one of the [[TropeMakers pioneers]] of [[UsefulNotes/TheSilentAgeOfHollywood silent era]] filmmaking, shooting on location in Los Angeles for his very first directorial effort, ''The Salvation Hunters''. That film was made outside the Hollywood system and had no hope of wide distribution; luckily, Sternberg had a friend who managed to get the film screened in Creator/CharlieChaplin's private theatre. Chaplin was so impressed with Sternberg's groundbreaking cinematography that he called the director to Hollywood and invited him to collaborate on a feature. That film, variously known as ''The Sea Gull'' and ''A Woman of the Sea'', starred Chaplin's {{muse}} and leading lady Edna Purviance, but -- for [[NoodleIncident reasons that have never been made clear]] -- Chaplin shelved it and then [[WhatTheHellHero burnt the negative]].[[note]]It was the only film Chaplin ever produced but did not himself direct.[[/note]]

Sternberg was one of the [[TropeMakers pioneers]] of [[UsefulNotes/TheSilentAgeOfHollywood silent era]] filmmaking, shooting on location in Los Angeles for his very first directorial effort, ''The Salvation Hunters''. That film was made outside the Hollywood system and had no hope of wide distribution; luckily, Sternberg had a friend who managed to get the film screened in Creator/CharlieChaplin's private theatre. Chaplin was so impressed with Sternberg's groundbreaking cinematography that he called the director to Hollywood and invited him to collaborate on a feature. That film, variously known as ''The Sea Gull'' and ''A Woman of the Sea'', starred Chaplin's {{muse}} and leading lady Edna Purviance, but--for [[NoodleIncident reasons that have never been made clear]]--Chaplin shelved it and then [[WhatTheHellHero burnt the negative]].[[note]]It was the only film Chaplin ever produced but did not himself direct.[[/note]]

[[quoteright:275:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/80f03fbfede87213cb26d944aec00a69.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:275:''"I care nothing about the story, only how it is photographed and presented."'']]

Josef von Sternberg (born Jonas Sternberg; 29 May 1894 – 22 December 1969) was born in New York City but spent a great deal of his youth studying in Vienna, Austria. His films are [[ChildOfTwoWorlds a meeting of two worlds]]: one 20th-century, modern and forward-marching, the other 19th-century, decadent and dying. He was one of UsefulNotes/TheSilentAgeOfHollywood's [[TropeMakers pioneers]], shooting on location for his very first film, ''The Salvation Hunters''. This film was made outside the Hollywood system and had no hope of wide distribution; luckily, Sternberg had a friend who managed to play the film in Creator/CharlieChaplin's private theatre. Chaplin was so impressed with the groundbreaking cinematography that he called the director to Hollywood and invited him to make a film. That film was ''The Sea Gull'' starring Chaplin's Muse and Leading lady Edna Purviance but for [[NoodleIncident reasons that have never been made clear]], Chaplin shelved the film and then [[WhatTheHellHero burnt the negative]].[[note]]It was the only film Chaplin ever produced but did not himself direct.[[/note]]

When the UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode went into effect, Sternberg and Dietrich were no longer together and Sternberg, no longer able to tackle his preferred material, struggled afterwards. A 1937 production of ''Literature/IClaudius'', starring Creator/CharlesLaughton, Merle Oberon and produced by Alexander Korda, was intended to be his most commercial venture, an EpicMovie on Rome based on Robert Graves novel, but the TroubledProduction, as a result of clashes between Sternberg/Korda/Laughton topped by a car accident suffered by Obern a month into production led the production to be halted in the middle, leaving only rushes. This tarnished his reputation within the film fraternity and he never again mounted a big scale production, working on smaller budgets. His only well-known film after the Code was ''The Shanghai Gesture'' a lurid {{film noir}} set in a landscape of decadence, compromise, sexual neurosis and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking girls in cages]].

Josef von Sternberg (born Jonas Sternberg, 29 May 1894 – 22 December 1969) was born in New York City but spent a great deal of his youth studying in Vienna, Austria. His films are [[ChildOfTwoWorlds a meeting of two worlds]]: one 20th-century, modern and forward-marching, the other 19th-century, decadent and dying. He was one of UsefulNotes/TheSilentAgeOfHollywood's [[TropeMakers pioneers]], shooting on location for his very first film, ''The Salvation Hunters''. This film was made outside the Hollywood system and had no hope of wide distribution; luckily, Sternberg had a friend who managed to play the film in Creator/CharlieChaplin's private theatre. Chaplin was so impressed with the groundbreaking cinematography that he called the director to Hollywood and invited him to make a film. That film was ''The Sea Gull'' starring Chaplin's Muse and Leading lady Edna Purviance but for [[NoodleIncident reasons that have never been made clear]], Chaplin shelved the film and then [[WhatTheHellHero burnt the negative]].[[note]]It was the only film Chaplin ever produced but did not himself direct.[[/note]]

[[quoteright:277:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/80f03fbfede87213cb26d944aec00a69.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:277:"I care nothing about the story, only how it is photographed and presented."]]

When sound arrived, Sternberg was in Germany making a film with Emil Jannings, the top German star of the time. For the film's lead heroine, Sternberg cast a young actress who appeared in a few German films but hadn't been noticed yet. The film was ''The Blue Angel'' and the actress was Creator/MarleneDietrich, who stole the film with her iconic performance as "Lola Lola". She and Sternberg fell in love and became a CreatorCouple with Sternberg making several [[UsefulNotes/ThePreCodeEra pre-Hays-Code]] films that made Dietrich one of the greatest actresses in film history and a Hollywood icon that no one would forget. These films were pessimistic about relationships and regarded romantic love and its cliches with a contempt that, needless to say, did not always translate to box office glory. Films like ''Morocco''(which featured the first Lesbian kiss in film history) and the anti-heroic biopic of the Catherine the Great (''The Scarlet Empress'') have to be seen to be disbelieved. His films were further known for [[RuleOfGlamorous their incredibly glamorous set and costume designs]].

Josef von Sternberg (born Jonas Sternberg, 29 May 1894 – 22 December 1969) was born in New York City but spent a great deal of his youth studying in Vienna, Austria. His films are [[ChildOfTwoWorlds a meeting of two worlds]]: one 20th-century, modern and forward-marching, the other 19th-century, decadent and dying. He was one of UsefulNotes/TheSilentAgeOfHollywood's [[TropeMakers pioneers]], shooting on location for his very first film, ''The Salvation Hunters''. This film was made outside the Hollywood system and had no hope of wide distribution; luckily, Sternberg had a friend who managed to play the film in Creator/CharlieChaplin's private theatre. Chaplin was so impressed with the groundbreaking cinematography that he called the director to Hollywood and invited him to make a film. That film was ''The Sea Gull'' starring Chaplin's Muse and Leading lady Edna Purviance but for [[NoodleIncident reasons that have never been made clear]], Chaplin shelved the film and then [[WhatTheHellHero burnt the negative]].

Josef von Sternberg (1894–1969) was born in New York City but spent a great deal of his youth studying in Vienna, Austria. His films are [[ChildOfTwoWorlds a meeting of two worlds]]: one 20th-century, modern and forward-marching, the other 19th-century, decadent and dying. He was one of UsefulNotes/TheSilentAgeOfHollywood's [[TropeMakers pioneers]], shooting on location for his very first film, ''The Salvation Hunters''. This film was made outside the Hollywood system and had no hope of wide distribution; luckily, Sternberg had a friend who managed to play the film in Creator/CharlieChaplin's private theatre. Chaplin was so impressed with the groundbreaking cinematography that he called the director to Hollywood and invited him to make a film. That film was ''The Sea Gull'' starring Chaplin's Muse and Leading lady Edna Purviance but for [[NoodleIncident reasons that have never been made clear]], Chaplin shelved the film and then [[WhatTheHellHero burnt the negative]].