Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/957795
68 DGA QUARTERLY THE EGYPTIAN (1954) > In his first post-Warner Bros. film, Curtiz reunited with producer and ex-WB colleague Darryl Zanuck, who famously hired Marlon Brando, fresh off of On the Waterfront, for the title role. But one encounter with Curtiz and Brando was out. The film was meant to capitalize on the epic sword-and-sandals craze of the time, not to mention 20th Century Fox's Cinemascope technology. "No expense was spared to make every detail as authentic as possible," Rode writes. "From a pictorial perspective, The Egyptian is probably one of the most historically accurate movies ever made." But ultimately, the spectacle was undone by unfortunate casting and a passive, existential hero. FOUR DAUGHTERS (1938) > Although the success of this film led to three sequels, Four Daughters is best remem- bered as the striking debut of Group Theatre alum John Garfield. As Rode notes, Curtiz and Garfield shared "a unique artistic sensibility wedded to fierce ambition," as well as a mutual respect. Given Curtiz's heavy Hungarian accent, direc- tives were not always clear to those new to working with him. "Although it took him a while to decrypt the director's bollixed syntax, Garfield realized that Curtiz knew exactly what he was doing," writes Rode. "Garfield realized that Curtiz knew exactly what he was doing." — A L A N R O D E PHOTOS: PHOTOFEST; (OPPOSITE) BFI