Robert Aldrich Biography
Robert Burgess Aldrich was a famous director of Classical Hollywood, born on August 9, 1918 in Cranston, Rhode Island. Belonging to a wealthy East Coast family, his father was a publisher and his grandfather a senator related to the Rockefeller family. After being educated in Providence and the University of Virginia, Aldrich moved to California in 1941 and began his career at the RKO studios. Here, alongside great directors such as Jean Renoir, Joseph Losey and Charlie Chaplin, his passion for directing matured. His film debut occurred in 1953 with the sports drama "Big Leaguer", followed by two westerns with Richard Burton, "The Last Apache" (1954) and "Vera Cruz" (1954). But it was with the noir "A Kiss and a Gun" (1955), with a cast of debuting actors, that he achieved his first great success. From here on, Aldrich stands out as one of the most visionary and humanist Hollywood authors, who believes in the strength of the individual to counteract the corruption of society. In 1955, with "The Big Knife", Aldrich won the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival and began his fame in Europe too. In the 1960s, the director developed a darker and more pessimistic streak, which was reflected in films such as the revisionist western "No Mercy for Ulzana" (1972), the dramatic road movie "The Emperor of the North" (1973) and the sports drama "That dirty last goal" (1974). In 1977, with "The Choir Boys", he describes the violence of the Los Angeles policemen with a psychological nuance. After "California Dolls" (1981), Aldrich was forced to retire due to health problems and passed away on December 5, 1983. His legacy, however, remained intact thanks to the numerous successes he achieved in Hollywood and Europe, throwing foundations for a more aware and engaged cinema.
