by Sam Juliano
One of the key figures of the pre-code era in American cinema, William A. Wellman’s critical reputation remains in a state of flux, ranging from glowing comparisons to D.W. Griffith to repudition of his “impersonal” style as the product of studio domination. His most ardent supporters make claim for auteur status and a favorable comparison with other masculine filmmakers of lofty regard like Howard Hawks, John Ford and Raoul Walsh. The advocates could further make a persuasive case for Wellman’s versatility and prolific output, both of which rival Hawks, and for a career that spans nearly five decades. But the two are further linked by their love and experience in aviation, a subject that was treated in several Wellman features dating back to the celebrated Oscar winner Wings in 1928 and concluding appropriately enough with the director’s final film, Lafayette Escadrille, which chronicles the period he spent in in France during World War I serving as a volunteer fighter pilot. One of Hawks’ two lost films, The Air Circus, about the friendship of two pilots, was also released in 1928. Hence it seems like no fluke that both men, (born the same year, with Wellman four months older) with similar macho backgrounds would direct what are arguably the two greatest old-school gangster films ever made, The Public Enemy and Scarface, released within five months of each other in the early 1930’s. Some of the most prominent actors and actresses got their start under Wellman and Hawks, and both made smooth transitions from the silent era to the advent of the talkies. Some would claim the comparisons would end there, and see Hawks as the greater talent with some compelling evidence, but a recently-concluded 40 film Wellman retrospective at Manhattan’s Film Forum has shown if nothing else, that both of these distinguished figures can and should be spoken of with a comparable degree of veneration. Yes, Ernst Lubitsch, James Whale and Joseph Von Sternberg are also major players during this period, and a case could be made for the achievements of the first two at least eclipsing Wellman during the five year period (1929-1934) of this era, but only Hawks and Anthony Mann can match Wellman by way of the diversity of his output. Wellman made great contributions in the gangster, western, adventure, social drama, noir, silent, screwball comedy and melodrama genres, and any list of his greatest films would invariably tap into a number of these types. (more…)
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