Editing Lewis Milestone (section)

==Late career, 1952–1962==

Milestone's final years as a filmmaker correspond to the decline of the Hollywood movie empire; his final eight films reflect these historic developments.<ref>Silver, 2010: "many of his later films tend to be forgettable."<br />Millichap, 1981 p. 175<br />Whitely, 2020: Milestone's "career decline" in the 1950s.</ref> By 1962, shortly before the release of his last Hollywood film ''[[Mutiny on the Bounty (1962 film)|Mutiny on the Bounty]]'', ''[[Films and Filming]]'' (December 1962) wrote: "In common with so many of the Old Guard directors, Lewis Milestone's reputation has somewhat tarnished over the last decade. His films no longer have that stamp of individuality which distinguished his early work."<ref>Canham, 1974 p. 70: Excerpt quoted by Canham. And p. 104: Milestone once known for "his superlative craftsmanship [which had] earned his a place in film history" and "established professionals who had become more or less house directors at various studios suddenly [found themselves displaced] by new directors from television"<br />Higham and Greenberg, 1968 pp. 17&ndash;18: "something vital seemed to be ebbing away ever more swiftly from the films of Hollywood, a process accelerating in the early Fifties and reaching a climax with [[CinemaScope]]. The Forties may now be seen as the [[apotheosis]] of the U.S. feature film, its last great show of confidence before it virtually succumbed artistically to the paralyzing effects of bigger and bigger screens, [and] the collapse of the star system."</ref>

During the last stage of his career, Milestone's films are, according to Joseph Millichap (1981), "less a reprise of the director's earlier achievements than several desperate efforts to keep working. Even more markedly than in his earlier career, Milestone moved frenetically between pictures which varied widely in setting, style and accomplishment."<ref>Millichap, 1981 p. 175</ref><ref>Canham, 1974 pp. 69–70: "The later half of the Fifties proved to be a key era in the history of Hollywood. It was a significant turning point in that it marked the end of the 'golden years of Hollywood; the gigantic star factory{{nbsp}}... had begun to crumble at the beginning of the decade under pressure from the spreading popularity of television,[as well as] the hysterical the publicity that arose from the investigation into Hollywood folk by the [[House Un-American Activities Committee]] [which] stopped many careers dead, and sent other into exile of [[Ghost writer|"ghost"]] work. The studios began to tighten the purse strings{{nbsp}}... [and the industry resorted to] gimmicks and technical modification such as [[3D film|3-D]], [[CinemaScope]] and [[Cinerama]]"<br />Gow, 1971 p. 10: "the McCarthy method were so bull-dozing{{nbsp}}... the many were unfairly victimized{{nbsp}}.... And Hollywood long accustomed to{{nbsp}}... accumulating wealth with practiced ease, was suddenly battered in the Fifties by challenges to its security. Among these challenges, the greatest by far was television{{nbsp}}... to compete with television, the obvious move was to offer in cinema an experience unavailable in the rival medium{{nbsp}}... Color [and] CinemaScope"</ref>

=== Sojourn in Europe, 1953–1954 ===
In the early 1950s, Milestone traveled to England and Italy seeking work. He directed a biography of a [[diva]], a World War II action drama and an international romance-melodrama.<ref>Canham, 1974 p. 177: See Canham's film summaries in Filmography section.</ref>

''[[Melba (film)|Melba]]'' (1953), which was filmed at [[Horizon Pictures]], is a biopic of Australian [[coloratura]] soprano singer [[Dame Nellie Melba]]. The film was an effort by producer [[Sam Spiegel]] to capitalize on the popularity of contemporaneous film biographies of [[Enrico Caruso]] and [[Gilbert and Sullivan]]. [[Metropolitan Opera]] star [[Patrice Munsel]] made her screen debut playing Melba. Aside from Munsel's performance, Milestone was forced to work with a "worthless script" and an "insipid cast", and failed to deliver a compelling rendering of Melba's life. According to Kingsley Canham, ''Melba'' "turned out to be a disastrous flop" at the box office.<ref>Canham, 1974 pp. 101&ndash;102: "Melba was an ill-fated attempt to cash in on the success of the recently filmed biography of [[Gilbert and Sullivan]]. [[Sam Spiegel]] produced the film for Milestone, but in spite of the presence of Patrice Munsel as [[Dame Nellie Melba]], it turned out to be a disastrous flop."</ref><ref>Millichap, 1981 p. 177: "the [Munsel] vehicle turned out to be another Hollywood travesty{{nbsp}}... [Milestone's] ersatz biography."</ref> Milestone remained in England during 1953 to film ''[[They Who Dare]]'', a wartime adventure, for [[Mayflower Productions]]–[[British Lion Films]], starring [[Dirk Bogarde]].<ref>Millichap, 1981 p. 177</ref> The film is a dramatization of an account of a British-and-Greek commando unit that was assigned to destroy a German airfield on [[Rhodes]]. The film is based on a script by [[Robert Westerby]]; Milestone delivered an action-packed climax in the final minutes of the film that recalls his early work in this genre but the film had a poor reception from critics and audiences. According to Canham (1974), Milestone's consecutive box-office failures "was not a good omen for an established director, especially in the Fifties".<ref>Canham, 1974 p. 101: "Milestone had little success with the two films he had made in England" and "failure at the box office [with Melba and They Who Dare] was not a good omen for an established director, especially in the Fifties"</ref><ref>Whitely, 2020: Milestone make "several low budget failures, such as They Who Dare in 1954"<br />Whitely, 2020: "After several low budget failures, such as 'They Who Dare' in 1954, Milestone directed major Hollywood names in his last three movies"</ref>

Milestones next movie ''[[The Widow (1955 film)|The Widow (La Vedova)]]'' (1955) was filmed in Italy for [[Giorgio Venturini|Ventruini/Express]] in 1954, and adapted by Milestone from a novel by [[Susan York]]. The film is a "soap opera-ish love triangle", and stars [[Patricia Roc]], [[Massimo Serato]] and [[Anna Maria Ferrero]]. According to Canham (1974), "The triangle and its consequences are predictable, and Milestone's part in the proceedings seems simply to record the inevitable tragedy on film".<ref>Canham, 1974 p. 103: "an Italian/American co-production starring [[Patricia Roc]]" and p. 117: "A high-powered romantic melodrama, filmed in Italy with an international cast."</ref><ref>Millichap, 1981 p. 178: "a joint British-Italian venture" and "soap opera-ish" and "The triangle and its consequences are predictable, and Milestone's part in the proceedings seems simply to record the inevitable tragedy on film."</ref>

===''Pork Chop Hill'' (1959)===

According to Millichap (1981), ''[[Pork Chop Hill (film)|Pork Chop Hill]]'' (1959), which was produced by [[Sy Bartlett]] for the Melville Company, represents the third work in "an informal war trilogy", along with ''All Quiet on the Western Front'' (1930) and ''A Walk in the Sun'' (1945).<ref>Millichap, 1981 p. 178: "might well rank with A Walk in the Sun" and p. 179: "perhaps recalls the antiwar attitudes in ''All Quiet on the Western Front''"</ref><ref>McGee, 2003 TCM: "He would later turn his attention to the spectacle of war and the cohesiveness of men in battle in both ''A Walk in the Sun'' (1945) and ''Pork Chop Hill'', which form an informal war trilogy with ''All Quiet on the Western Front''."</ref> The film is based on a recounting a [[Battle of Pork Chop Hill|Korean War battle]] by combat veteran [[S. L. A. Marshall]] and a screenplay by [[James R. Webb]]. According to Millichap (1981), Milestone was provided with a realistic literary platform from which to develop his final cinematic treatment of men at war.<ref>Millichap, 1981 p. 179</ref>

The film's plot involves a strategically pointless assault by a company of U.S. infantrymen to secure and defend a nondescript hill against a much larger Chinese battalion.<ref>Millichap, 1981 p. 179: "The general staff feels they must respond to this challenge or lose ground at the truce table."</ref> According to Canham (1974), the plot involves "The story of a battle for a strategic point of little military value, but of great moral value, during the last days of the Korean War".<ref>Canham, 1974 p. 117<br />McGee, 2003: "It takes place during the final hours of peace negotiations between Korea and the U.S. and recounts the capture of Pork Chop Hill by American troops, an action ordered only to demonstrate to Communist negotiators that the U.S. would continue to fight if an agreement was not reached."<br />Millichap, 1981 p. 179: "Pork Chop Hill perhaps recalls the antiwar attitudes of [Milestone's] ''All Quiet on the Western Front'' more fully than any of his World War II movies."</ref>

Milestone, and actor and financial investor in the project [[Gregory Peck]], who plays company commander Lieutenant Joe Clemons, argued over the presentation of the film's themes. Rather than emphasize the pointlessness of the military operation, Peck favored a more politicized message, equating the taking of ''Pork Chop Hill'' as an equivalent to the battles of [[Battle of Bunker Hill|Bunker Hill]] and [[Battle of Gettysburg|Gettysburg]].<ref>Millichap, 1981 p. 180: "Peck's voice-over at the film's conclusion the iconic battles, whereas Milestone had lacked this dimension, referring only to the troops: "the men who fought here know what they did and the meaning of it."</ref><ref>Canham, 1974 p. 103: "Gregory Peck{{nbsp}}... played a major role in the production of the film"</ref> According to McGee (2003) the studio's final edit of the director's cut blunted Milestone message concerning the futility of war, perhaps his most anti-war statement since ''All Quiet on the Western Front'' (1930).<ref>McGee, 2003 TCM: "The release version of ''Pork Chop Hill'' differed from Milestone's original conception. The film originally was to cut between the peace talks and the action of holding the hill but that idea was scrapped."</ref><ref>Millichap, 1981 p. 179: "Milestone seems to say that the lesson of ''Pork Chop Hill'' was the futility of war{{nbsp}}... However, the changes made to the director's version [by the studio] weaken the harsh irony of this message."</ref> According to Millichap (1981):<ref>Millichap, 1981 p. 178: "Peck was one of the movie's [financial] backers and thus exercised a great deal of control over the production{{nbsp}}... it seems that Peck, more than anyone else interfered with Milestone's artistic vision in Pork Chop Hill."</ref>

{{blockquote |It was Peck's conception of the part which doomed Milestone's vision; Peck converted the role into a more or less standard superman of World War II vintage{{nbsp}}... and also cut much of Milestone's careful development of other characters, his artistic counterpointing of the opposing forces, and his bitterly ironic conclusion.{{clarify|reason="Which source does this quotation come from?"|date=July 2023}}<ref>Millichap, 1981 p. 178: "the strongest of Milestone's late films [and] without the studio interference{{nbsp}}... make{{clarify|reason="may"?|date=May 2023}} rank well with ''A Walk in the Sun'' (1945)."</ref><ref>Canham, 1974 pp. 103&ndash;104: "the released version differed from Milestone's original conception{{nbsp}}... he had intended to include much more cross-cutting between the [battlefield] action of holding the hill and peace talks that were going on as the action played out{{nbsp}}... [and] about men fighting blindly for objectives without being aware of the point of their actions or the strategy that lay behind it, but he was not able to have his own way."</ref>}}

Milestone distanced himself from the final cut of the film, saying, "Pork Chop Hill became a film I am not proud of{{nbsp}}... [merely] one more war movie".<ref>Millichap, 1981 p. 180: Millichap's footnote for this remark cites a 1959 interview with "Dale Mackey", publication undisclosed.</ref> In addition to Peck, Milestone cast primarily unknown actors as the officers and the rank-and-file characters, among them [[Woody Strode]], [[Harry Guardino]], [[Robert Blake (actor)|Robert Blake]] in his first adult role, [[George Peppard]], [[Norman Fell]], [[Abel Fernandez]], [[Gavin MacLeod]], [[Harry Dean Stanton]], and [[Clarence Williams III]].<ref>McGee, 2003 TCM: "Told with a hard-nosed style of harsh realism and fluid action, the film stars Gregory Peck and a bevy of up-and-coming actors, such as George Peppard, Martin Landau, Rip Torn, Harry Guardino, Harry Dean Stanton, Robert Blake, and Woody Strode".</ref><ref>Millichap, 1981 p. 179: The company of men "represent the various types found in American war films{{nbsp}}... [[Harry Guardino]], [[George Shibata]], [[James Edwards (actor)|James Edwards]], [[Woody Strode]], [[Rip Torn]], [[George Peppard]], and Robert Blake in his first adult role."</ref>

===''Ocean's 11'' (1960)===
Milestone accepted an offer from [[Warner Bros.]] to produce and direct comedy-[[Heist film|heist]] film ''[[Ocean's 11]]'' (1960) for Dorchester Studios. The story by [[George Clayton Johnson]] concerns of group of ex-military comrades who orchestrate an elaborate burglary of [[Las Vegas]]'s biggest casinos. The movie stars the [[Rat Pack]] led by [[Frank Sinatra]], who like the director, had been a supporter of the [[Committee for the First Amendment]] during the [[Red Scare]]. Milestone's earlier success with comedy films and combat sagas may have influenced Warner's decision to choose Milestone for the film.<ref>Millichap, 1981 p. 180: "The plot involves a gang of old army buddies out to heist the biggest casinos in [[Las Vegas]]{{nbsp}}... perhaps Warner Brothers felt that Milestone could orchestrate both the military[-like] operation of the plot and the comic turns of the cast."<br />Safford, 2008 TCM: "One of the first in a series of heist movies in the sixties, ''Ocean's Eleven'' (1960){{nbsp}}... audiences are treated to a glimpse of Sinatra and his favored cronies [The Rat Pack]."<br />Walsh, 2001: "Sinatra had been a member of the Committee for the First Amendment, founded to oppose the [[House Un-American Activities Committee|HUAC]] attacks on Communists in Hollywood.<br />Safford, 2008 TCM: "Lewis Milestone, the veteran director whose most famous film remains the anti-war saga, ''All Quiet on the Western Front'' (1930), seemed an unlikely choice to direct Ocean's 11. But his career had suffered during the communist purge of Hollywood due to Senator Joe McCarthy's influence in the fifties and Milestone needed the work."</ref>

The film's screenplay, which Millichap (1981) called "preposterous", was written by [[Harry Brown (writer)|Harry Brown]] and [[Charles Lederer]].<ref>Millichap, 1981 pp. 180&ndash;181: "Given what he had to work with- a preposterous screenplay by [[Harry Brown (writer)|Harry Brown]] and [[Charles Lederer]]-and a cast including [[Dean Martin]], [[Sammy Davis Jr.]], [[Peter Lawford]], [[Joey Bishop]] and [[Buddy Lester]]- he did a fair job."</ref> Millichap (1981) said Milestone delivered a film that equivocates between a pure satire of American acquisitiveness or its celebration.<ref>Millichap, 1981 p. "the movie never quite decides if it is being played straight or as a spoof,; if it is an amoral satire of American values or a silly television variety show" and "preposterous" also here.<br />Silver, 2010: "A career 'climaxing' with the [[Rat Pack]]'s version of [[Ocean's 11]]{{nbsp}}... doesn't lend much to the argument that Milestone had a coherent worldview."<br />Canham, 1974 p. 103: "a pedestrian comedy-thriller [and not as impressive] as [[Henry Hathaway]]'s [[Seven Thieves]] (1960) which was released at the beginning of the year."</ref> The film was a box-office success but critics have widely dismissed it as unworthy of Milestone's talents.<ref>Millichap, 1981 p. 181: "As entertainment the movie made money, but it proves completely forgettable as a film."<br />Walsh, 2001: "How much director Lewis Milestone had his heart in it is questionable."<br />Silver, 2010: "A career 'climaxing' with the [[Rat Pack]]'s version of [[Ocean's 11]]{{nbsp}}... doesn't lend much to the argument that Milestone had a coherent worldview."<br />Canham, 1974 p. 105: "Milestone's experience with Ocean's Eleven was not the first time his career was affected by a poor decision on timing and distribution."</ref> According to film critic [[David Walsh (writer)|David Walsh]]:

{{blockquote|[H]owever history had contrived to drop the somewhat improbable project in his lap, Milestone no doubt worked away conscientiously on ''Ocean's 11''. He probably had little choice in the matter. Even in the last days of the studio system, directors were more or less at the beck and call of the studio chiefs. The more talented, working within an institutional strait jacket, struggled to imbue their genre projects with personal and social meaning, with varying degrees of success.<ref name=":1">Walsh, 2001</ref>}}

===''Mutiny on the Bounty'' (1962)===

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's remake of [[Frank Lloyd]]'s 1935 film ''[[Mutiny on the Bounty (1935 film)|Mutiny on the Bounty]]'' starring [[Clark Gable]] and [[Charles Laughton]] was consistent with Hollywood's resort to blockbuster productions during the late Fifties. The studio risked over $20 million on the "ill-starred" 1962 ''[[Mutiny on the Bounty (1962 film)|Mutiny on the Bounty]]'' and recovered less than half of it.<ref>Millichap, 1981 p. 181: By the end of the Fifties Hollywood had decided it could only lure audiences away from television set with 'Big Name Stars' and 'Spectacular Productions.'" and "ill-starred" and p. 182; The film "proved a financial disaster, recouping less than half of its costs of $20 million plus"<br />Miller, 2010 TCM: "unable to film due to weather{{nbsp}}... as much as 17 inches [of rain] in one day{{nbsp}}... Carol Reed began to clash with Brando and MGM studio management early in the production [over] interpretation [of characters]."<br />Canham, 1974 p. 103: Canham calls the Milestone's Mutiny on the Bounty "this fiasco"</ref>

In February 1961, the 65-year-old Milestone took over directorial duties from [[Carol Reed]], who became disillusioned with the project due to inadequate scripting, inclement weather on location in [[Tahiti]] and disputes with leading man [[Marlon Brando]]. Milestone was tasked with bringing good order and discipline to the production, and with curbing Brando. Rather than inheriting a largely completed film, Milestone discovered only a few scenes had been filmed.<ref>Millichap, 1981 p. 182: "Reed quickly and sensibly abandoned ship". Milestone's reputation as a "film doctor", skilled at salvaging troublesome movies, may have earned him the job offer. And Milestone "careful craftsman and hard taskmaster to [control] the mercurial Brando." Brando "chafed" under the direction of Reed. And pp. 181&ndash;182: "Milestone expected to find the film near completion but instead discovered only a few usable scenes."</ref>

According to Miller (2010), the production history of the 1962 ''Mutiny on the Bounty'' is a record of personal and professional recriminations registered by Milestone and Brando rather than a coherent cinematic endeavor. To assert creative control over his character mutineer [[Fletcher Christian]], Brando collaborated with screenwriters and off the set, independently of Milestone, leading Milestone to withdraw from some scenes and sequences, and effectively relinquish control to Brando.<ref>Miller, 2010 TCM: See article for Milestone's disengagement from his directing duties.</ref> Millichap refers to the film as "the Brando-Milestone" ''Mutiny on the Bounty'', noting "the story of this Hollywood disaster is long and complex, but the central figure in every sense is Marlon Brando, not Lewis Milestone".<ref>Millichap, 1981 p. 183: "Milestone deserves his share of the blame for [the film's] ultimate failure. However, Brando is more culpable than the ageing director, as he became the actual auteur" and "the project never coheres into a film"<br />Canham, 1974 p. 103: "The last film which bears Milestone's name as the director is the re-make of [[Mutiny on the Bounty (1935 film)|Mutiny on the Bounty]] is hardly representative of his work since the final film is reputed to contain scenes shot by [[George Seaton]], [[Richard Thorpe]], [[Andrew Marton]], [[Billy Wilder]], [[Fred Zinnemann]] and [[Marlon Brando]] among others" and a "fiasco"<br />Whitely, 2020: The shoot was " not a happy experience as Milestone found himself more and more out of touch with the big egos he was directing. In 1962 Brando practically took over the directing duties from him."<br />Barson, 2020: "Milestone's last film was the epic Mutiny on the Bounty (1962), which he took over from Carol Reed. A lavish remake of the 1935 film version{{nbsp}}... Milestone's movie featured a polarizing performance by Marlon Brando as Fletcher Christian"</ref>

''Mutiny on the Bounty'' is the final completed film for which Milestone was credited but according to Canham (1974), it is not considered representative of Milestone's ''oeuvre''.<ref>Canham, 1974 p. 103</ref>