Peter Viertel
Peter Viertel | |
---|---|
Born | Dresden, Germany | 16 November 1920
Died | 4 November 2007 Marbella, Spain | (aged 86)
Spouses | |
Parent(s) | Berthold Viertel Salka Viertel |
Peter Viertel (16 November 1920 – 4 November 2007)[1] was an author and screenwriter.
Biography
Viertel was born to Jewish parents in
Viertel graduated from
Based on his experiences, Viertel wrote the play The Survivors with his friend
Viertel was best known for his novel White Hunter Black Heart, which was made into a film starring Clint Eastwood in 1990.[6] It is a thinly-disguised account of Viertel's experiences working with film director John Huston while they were making The African Queen. The central character is scriptwriter Pete Verrill while the Huston character is called John Wilson. Film critic Pauline Kael wrote in 1999 that White Hunter was “still the best Hollywood novel I’ve ever come across — and it isn’t even set in Hollywood.”[7] Viertel's opinion of the finished film was tempered by his idea that Huston himself would have preferred a portrayal with more sarcasm.[5] Viertel's looks and personality were an inspiration for Robert Redford's character Hubbell Gardiner in The Way We Were.[8]
Of his screenwriting work for Hollywood productions, Viertel said that it was primarily a vehicle for income so that he could continue to write novels.[9] Though he worked closely with movie professionals that he liked such as Billy Wilder and Huston, Viertel said there was always creative tension.[10]
Viertel is recognized for introducing surfing in Europe. In 1956, while on location in Biarritz for the filming of The Sun Also Rises, Viertel was so impressed by the waves that he sent for his surfboard from California and soon afterwards started Europe's first surf club.[11][12]
Viertel was twice married. His first wife was
A filmed documentary by director Michael Scheingraber was in production at the time of Viertel's death. Titled Peter Viertel – Between the Lines, the film is based upon over 400 minutes of recorded interviews with him.[13]
Films
- Saboteur(1942)
- The Hard Way (1943)
- The Search (Draft – uncredited) (1948)
- We Were Strangers (1949)
- Roughshod (Story) (1949)
- The Survivors (Studio OneTV series episode) (Story) (1950)
- Decision Before Dawn (1951)
- The African Queen (Uncredited) (1951)
- Beat the Devil (Screenplay collaboration – uncredited) 1953
- The Village (1953)
- The Hard Way (Lux Video Theatre TV series episode) 1957
- The Survivors (TV movie) (with Irwin Shaw) 1957
- The Sun Also Rises (1957)
- The Night Heaven Fell (Uncredited) (1958)
- The Old Man and the Sea (1958)
- Five Miles to Midnight (1962)
- White Hunter Black Heart (1990)
Books
- The Canyon (1940)
- Line of Departure(1947)
- White Hunter Black Heart (1953)
- Love Lies Bleeding (1964)
- Bicycle on the Beach (1971)
- American Skin (1984)
- Dangerous Friends: At Large with Huston and Hemingway in the Fifties (1992)
- Loser Deals (1995)
Play
The Survivors, (with Irwin Shaw) New York, Playhouse Theatre, January 1948.
Footnotes
- ^ a b ""Screenwriter Viertel dies shortly after his wife Deborah Kerr" November 5 2007 (in German)". orf.at. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
- ^ "German Exiles: Feuchtwanger Memorial Library". Archived from the original on 2007-08-29. Retrieved 2007-08-29.
- ^ Roselman, Josh. "Daily Debriefing". The Dartmouth. Archived from the original on 2007-11-11. Retrieved 2007-11-08.
- ^ Boyd, Douglas Agente: Female Secret Agents in World Wars, Cold Wars and Civil Wars The History Press 3 October 2016)
- ^ a b "Peter Viertel, 86; Novelist and Noted Screenplay Writer" by Adam Bernstein, The Washington Post, November 6, 2007. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
- ^ "Sur in English': "Peter Viertel author and screenwriter" May 31 2007". surinenglish.com. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
- ^ "Peter Viertel, 86, Author and Screenwriter, Is Dead" by Douglas Martin, The New York Times, November 6, 2007. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (October 18, 2007). "Deborah Kerr: In Memory". rogerebert.com. Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
- ^ Marbella, Spain, La Tribuna obituary November 6, 2007 Archived November 25, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ English translation of La Tribuna obituary November 6, 2007 Archived November 25, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ The Encyclopedia of Surfing, by Matt Warshaw, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2005
- ^ "The Pioneers of Surfing in the Basque Country – basquetribune". basquetribune.com. 3 March 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
- ^ "Peter Viertel Between the Lines – letter from Director Michael Scheingraber". eeweems.com. Archived from the original on 20 October 2009. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
References
- "Peter Viertel, 86, Author and Screenwriter, Is Dead", by Douglas Martin, The New York Times, November 6, 2007
External links
- Obituary by Ronald Bergan in The Guardian, 7 November 2007
- Peter Viertel at IMDb
- Peter Viertel (fan-site) Images, letters, bio and other information