Joseph E. Levine

Production

Joseph E. Levine

Born 1905-09-09 · Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Joseph Edward Levine (September 9, 1905 – July 31, 1987) was an American film distributor, financier and producer. At the time of his death, it was said he was involved in one or another capacity with 497 films. Levine was responsible for the American releases of Godzilla, King of the Monsters!, Attila and Hercules, which helped revolutionize American film marketing, and was founder and president of Embassy Pictures. Levine's biggest hit was director Mike Nichols' The Graduate (1967), a blockbuster hit that was considered, then and now, a watershed film that inaugurated the New Hollywood and made Dustin Hoffman a superstar. At the time of its release, The Graduate became one of the Top Ten All-Time Box Office hits. With the great success of the film, Levine sold his company to the conglomerate Avco, though he continued on as the CEO of the renamed Avco-Embassy film production division. Other films produced and/or financed by Levine included Two Women (1960), Contempt (1963), The 10th Victim (1965), Marriage Italian Style (1964), The Lion in Winter (1968), The Producers (1968), Carnal Knowledge (1971) and The Night Porter (1974). After leaving Avco-Embassy, he became an independent again, producing A Bridge Too Far (1977). Description above from the Wikipedia article Joseph E. Levine, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Acting credits

Behind the camera

A Bridge Too Far poster
7.2

The story of Operation Market Garden—a failed attempt by the allies in the latter stages of WWII to end the war quickly by securing three bridges in Holland allowing access over the Rhine into Germany. A combination of poor allied intelligence and the presence of two crack German panzer divisions meant that the final part of this operation (the bridge in Arnhem over the Rhine) was doomed to failure.

A Bridge Too Far

1977

Contempt poster
7.0

Art film producer Jeremy Prokosch, unhappy with the work of his director, hires Fritz Lang (as himself) to direct an adaptation of The Odyssey, but when it seems that the legendary filmmaker is making a picture destined to bomb, he brings in a screenwriter to energise the script. The professional intersects with the personal when a rift develops between the writer and his wife.

Contempt

1963

Magic poster
6.8

A ventriloquist is at the mercy of his vicious dummy while he tries to renew a romance with his high school sweetheart.

Magic

1978

Tattoo poster
5.0

Karl Kinsky, an unbalanced tattoo artist, becomes obsessed with Maddy, a model he meets when he is hired to body-paint several women for a photo shoot, making the women look like they have large tattoos. As Kinsky grows more obsessed with Maddy, he becomes increasingly determined that Maddy should bear his "mark" -- forever.

Tattoo

1981

Harlow poster
5.6

Jean Harlow arrives in Los Angeles as a teenager, pushed into showbiz by her mother and stepfather. Kindhearted agent Arthur Landau becomes Jean's mentor, while a devious Howard Hughes-like mogul grows infatuated with the beautiful young actress. Harlow herself falls for producer Paul Bern before tragedy strikes.

Harlow

1965

The Wonders of Aladdin poster
5.2

Young Aladdin has a series of wild adventures after he discovers a magic lamp containing a genie.

The Wonders of Aladdin

1961

The Carpetbaggers poster
5.9

Jonas Cord is a disagreeable young tycoon who's building planes, directing films, and catting around on the corporate make in 1930s Hollywood.

The Carpetbaggers

1964

Where Love Has Gone poster
6.1

A divorced couple's teen-age daughter stands trial for stabbing her mother's latest lover.

Where Love Has Gone

1964

The Ski Bum poster
4.8

A ski instructor tries to teach a bunch of insanely eccentric people how to ski while dealing with everyone wanting his attention.

The Ski Bum

1971