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Samuel Bronston

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161-582: Samuel Bronston ( né   Bronstein ; 7 August 1908 – 12 January 1994) was a Bessarabian -born American film producer and media executive . His films have earned a total of seven Academy Award nominations. Born in Bessarabia , Russian Empire (present day Moldova ), Bronston immigrated into the United States in 1937. A year later, he met James Roosevelt , the son of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt , and moved to Los Angeles . Together, they formed

322-526: A pars pro toto for the entire country. Many Dutch people object to the country being referred to as Holland instead of the Netherlands , on much the same grounds as many Welsh or Scottish people object to the United Kingdom being referred to as England. In particular, those from regions other than Holland find it undesirable or misrepresentative to use the term Holland for the whole country, as

483-577: A man's surname at birth that has subsequently been replaced or changed. The diacritic mark (the acute accent ) over the e is considered significant to its spelling, and ultimately its meaning, but is sometimes omitted. According to Oxford University 's Dictionary of Modern English Usage , the terms are typically placed after the current surname (e.g., " Margaret Thatcher , née Roberts" or " Bill Clinton , né Blythe"). Since they are terms adopted into English (from French), they do not have to be italicized , but they often are. In Polish tradition ,

644-452: A Spanish prisoner, nailed it on a vessel's prow, and invited the townsmen to come and fasten their teeth in it, which many did with savage satisfaction. The Duke of Alba attempted to suppress the Protestant movement in the Netherlands. Netherlanders were "burned, strangled, beheaded, or buried alive" by his " Blood Council " and Spanish soldiers. Bodies were displayed along roads to terrorise

805-491: A baker and dessert maker. He was the third born of nine siblings, which included five brothers and four sisters. Through his father's lineage, Bronston was the patrilineal nephew to Leon Trotsky , whose real name was Lev Davidovich Bronstein. Abraham was not enamored with the then-ongoing Russian Revolution of 1917–1923 , and formulated an exodus to Paris , where his family was staying. Abraham's sons were emigrated first, and then his daughters. In Paris, Bronston studied to become

966-463: A brief but fruitless partnership. Roosevelt left Hollywood to return to active military service. Bronston then joined Columbia Pictures , and worked as an associate producer on The Adventures of Martin Eden (1942). A year later, in 1943, Bronston founded his namesake studio Samuel Bronston Productions , and produced Jack London (1943) for United Artists . He next collaborated with Lewis Milestone on

1127-400: A deal for $ 750,000. Filming proceeded, and wrapped on January 5, 1945. However, United Artists decided not to distribute the film as they had agreed to release The Story of G.I. Joe (1945), another war film with similar subject material. Milestone then presented the film to Twentieth Century Fox , whom agreed to distribute the film. In August 1946, Variety anticipated while A Walk in

1288-650: A distinct governmental structure of their own. They were utilized as a buffer zone between the Republic and the Spanish-controlled Southern Netherlands . In the Dutch Golden Age , spanning much of the 17th century, the Dutch Empire grew to become one of the major seafaring and economic powers. Science, military and art (especially painting ) were among the most acclaimed in the world. By 1650,

1449-508: A long record of social tolerance , having legalised prostitution and euthanasia , along with maintaining a liberal drug policy . The Netherlands allowed women's suffrage in 1919 and was the first country to legalise same-sex marriage in 2001. Its mixed-market advanced economy has the eleventh-highest per capita income globally. The Hague holds the seat of the States General , Cabinet , and Supreme Court . The Port of Rotterdam

1610-542: A mercantile middle class began to develop in these urban areas, especially in Flanders, and later Brabant. Wealthy cities started to buy certain privileges for themselves from the sovereign. Around 1100 AD, farmers from Flanders and Utrecht began draining and cultivating uninhabited swampy land in the western Netherlands, making the emergence of the County of Holland as the centre of power possible. The title of Count of Holland

1771-473: A minor romantic tearjerker, it's Stella Dallas with stardust." It was another box office failure, earning $ 1.6 million in distributor rentals. Before the release of Circus World , Bronston had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, reporting over $ 5.6 million in accumulated debts to du Pont III. At this point, Bronston had pledged to continue filmmaking in Spain, with several projects in development including Battle of

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1932-669: A potential film project in 1958. The film tells a fictionalized account of Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar , a Castilian knight, whom the Moors called "El Cid"—which translates to the Lord—from the Arabic term "El Seid." Alone in his convictions, the Cid finds himself a battle of feudal rivalries while the kingdom of Spain faces an invasion from the Moors, led by Ben Yusuf . In April 1960, Variety announced that Bronston

2093-462: A potential jail sentence of five years. At the time, Bronston had been freed on a $ 10,000 bond. The case was next appealed to the Second Circuit Court . In April 1971, a jury upheld the perjury charge. Judge Charles H. Tenney stated he disagreed with the jury verdict. While he refrained from issuing a jail sentence, nevertheless, Tenney imposed a $ 2,000 fine against Bronston. In December 1971,

2254-433: A state of almost continual war or paradoxically formed personal unions. As Frankish settlement progressed from Flanders and Brabant, the area quickly became Old Low Franconian (or Old Dutch). Around 1000 AD, due to several agricultural developments, the economy started to develop at a fast pace, and the higher productivity allowed workers to farm more land or become tradesmen. Towns grew around monasteries and castles , and

2415-527: A surgeon but fainted at his first autopsy. He instead turned to playing the flute and became an amateur photographer. He was educated at the Sorbonne , where he studied history and the visual arts . His early photography career led to an interest in the film industry, where he worked as a film publicity agent for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) in Europe. In 1932, Bronston was accused of writing bad checks, and he fled to

2576-497: A total area of 41,543 km (16,040 sq mi), including water bodies, and a land area of 33,481 km (12,927 sq mi). The Caribbean Netherlands has a total area of 328 km (127 sq mi) It lies between latitudes 50° and 54° N , and longitudes 3° and 8° E . The Netherlands is geographically very low relative to sea level and is considered a flat country, with about 26% of its area and 21% of its population below sea level. The European part of

2737-481: A total area of 41,850 km (16,160 sq mi)—of which the land area is 33,500 km (12,900 sq mi)—the Netherlands is the 33rd most densely populated country, with a density of 535 people per square kilometre (1,390 people/sq mi). Nevertheless, it is the world's second-largest exporter of food and agricultural products by value, owing to its fertile soil , mild climate, intensive agriculture , and inventiveness . The four largest cities in

2898-450: Is a lot of crap! Because all we were trying to do was dramatize how an empire fell. Incest, buying an army, destroying the will of the people to speak through the Senate, all these things ... were in the film." The film was a costly box office flop, earning $ 1.9 million in distributor rentals in the United States and Canada. Circus World (1964) served as a departure from Bronston's films, as

3059-457: Is important, or, for that matter, made to understand. The fellows who wrote the screenplay — Ben Barzman, Basilio Franchina and Philip Yordan—have failed completely to shape a drama that has human interest or even sense." Due to claims of historical inauthenticity, Mann subsequently shot back: "Now I guarantee you there is not one person had read Gibbon ... From Bosley Crowther on down or up. And for them to start to say: 'This isn't Gibbon'—well, this

3220-682: Is now the southern Netherlands: the Menapii and the Eburones . Under Augustus , the Roman Empire would conquer the entirety of the modern day Netherlands, incorporating it into the province of Germania Antiqua in 7 BC, but would be repelled back across the Rhine after the Battle of Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD, with the Rhine becoming fixed as Rome's permanent northern frontier around 12 AD. Notable towns would arise along

3381-631: Is the busiest in Europe . Schiphol is the busiest airport in the Netherlands , and the fourth busiest in Europe . Being a developed country , the Netherlands is a founding member of the European Union , Eurozone , G10 , NATO , OECD , and WTO , as well as a part of the Schengen Area and the trilateral Benelux Union. It hosts intergovernmental organisations and international courts , many of which are in The Hague. The countries that comprise

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3542-416: Is the feminine past participle of naître , which means "to be born". Né is the masculine form. The term née , having feminine grammatical gender , can be used to denote a woman's surname at birth that has been replaced or changed. In most English-speaking cultures, it is specifically applied to a woman's maiden name after her surname has changed due to marriage. The term né can be used to denote

3703-519: Is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands . The Netherlands consists of twelve provinces ; it borders Germany to the east and Belgium to the south, with a North Sea coastline to the north and west. It shares maritime borders with the United Kingdom , Germany, and Belgium. The official language is Dutch, with West Frisian as a secondary official language in

3864-445: The 1960 Cannes Film Festival , MGM studio president Joseph Vogel and other studio executives visited the set during filming, and became interested in securing the distribution rights due to their concurrent success of Ben-Hur (1959). By December 1960, Bronston sold the distribution rights to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). The studio did not provide any financing towards the film, but Bronston signed guarantee bonds with MGM, ensuring

4025-712: The Batavian rebellion of 69 AD but were eventually defeated. The Batavi later merged with other tribes into the confederation of the Salian Franks, whose identity emerged in the first half of the third century. Salian Franks appear in Roman texts as both allies and enemies. They were forced by the confederation of the Saxons from the east to move over the Rhine into Roman territory in the fourth century. From their new base in West Flanders and

4186-506: The Eighty Years' War between the Provinces and their Spanish ruler began. The level of ferocity exhibited by both sides can be gleaned from a Dutch chronicler's report: On more than one occasion men were seen hanging their own brothers, who had been taken prisoners in the enemy's ranks... A Spaniard had ceased to be human in their eyes. On one occasion, a surgeon at Veer cut the heart from

4347-629: The European Economic Community and European Atomic Energy Community . In 1993, the former two were incorporated into the European Union . Government-encouraged emigration efforts to reduce population density prompted some 500,000 Dutch to leave the country after the war. The 1960s and 1970s were a time of great social and cultural change, such as rapid de- pillarisation . Students and other youth rejected traditional mores and pushed for change in matters such as women's rights , sexuality , disarmament and environmental issues . In 2002

4508-563: The Hilversum culture . Iron ore brought a measure of prosperity and was available throughout the country. Smiths travelled from settlement to settlement with bronze and iron, fabricating tools on demand. The King's grave of Oss (700 BC) was found in a burial mound, the largest of its kind in Western Europe. The deteriorating climate in Scandinavia from 850 BC and 650 BC might have triggered

4669-662: The Holland region only comprises two of the twelve provinces, and 38% of Dutch citizens. As of 2019, the Dutch government officially has preferred the Netherlands instead of Holland when talking about the country . Often Holland or Hollanders is used by the Flemish to refer to the Dutch in the Netherlands, and by the Southern Dutch (Dutch living " below the great rivers ", a natural cultural, social and religious boundary formed by

4830-721: The Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies . In 1944–45, the First Canadian Army liberated much of the Netherlands. Soon after VE Day , the Dutch fought a colonial war against the new Republic of Indonesia . In 1954, the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands reformed the political structure as a result of international pressure to carry out decolonisation . The Dutch colonies of Surinam and Curaçao and Dependencies and

4991-754: The Limes Germanicus : Nijmegen and Voorburg . In the first part of Gallia Belgica , the area south of the Limes became part of the Roman province of Germania Inferior . The area to the north of the Rhine, inhabited by the Frisii, remained outside Roman rule, while the Germanic border tribes of the Batavi and Cananefates served in the Roman cavalry . The Batavi rose against the Romans in

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5152-563: The Netherlands to avoid a jail sentence. He was apprehended by French authorities, and released from police custody. He migrated with his family to England in the following year. There, he met Charmian London , the second wife of author Jack London . While in England, Bronston's family had aspirations to relocate to the United States . In 1937, Bronston arrived in the United States on boat, at

5313-659: The Nordwestblock culture. The first author to describe the coast of Holland and Flanders was the geographer Pytheas , who noted in c. 325 BC that in these regions, "more people died in the struggle against water than in the struggle against men." During the Gallic Wars , the area south and west of the Rhine was conquered by Roman forces under Julius Caesar from 57 BC to 53 BC. Caesar describes two main Celtic tribes living in what

5474-467: The Rhine - Meuse river estuary . In the east of the Netherlands, remains are found of the last ice age , which ended approximately ten thousand years ago. As the continental ice sheet moved in from the north, it pushed moraine forward. The ice sheet halted as it covered the eastern half of the Netherlands. After the ice age ended, the moraine remained in the form of a long hill-line. The cities of Arnhem and Nijmegen are built on these hills. Over

5635-555: The States General , was headquartered in The Hague and comprised representatives from each of the seven provinces. The sparsely populated region of Drenthe was part of the republic, albeit not considered a province in its own right. Moreover, during the Eighty Years' War , the Republic came to occupy a number of Generality Lands located in Flanders , Brabant and Limburg . These areas were primarily inhabited by Roman Catholics and lacked

5796-617: The United States Marine Corps Reserve , which left The Adventures of Martin Eden without a distributor. In late April 1941, Bronston signed with Columbia Pictures to work as an associate producer on The Adventures of Martin Eden (1942). A month later, Sidney Salkow was hired to direct, while Glenn Ford and Claire Trevor were enlisted to portray the lead roles. Filming began on October 15, 1941. In 1943, Bronston formed his namesake production company, Samuel Bronston Productions . As his inaugural project, he produced

5957-652: The euro was introduced as fiat money , and in 2010 the Netherlands Antilles was dissolved . Referendums were held on each island. As a result, Bonaire , Sint Eustatius and Saba (the BES islands) were incorporated as special municipalities upon the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles. The special municipalities are collectively known as the Caribbean Netherlands . The European Netherlands has

6118-430: The syndicated radio series ; and an untitled third film that was to be produced and directed by John Stahl . The deal was later extended to five films, which included The Adventures of Martin Eden , a film adaptation of the novel Martin Eden by Jack London . All these films were to be released by United Artists . However, by late October 1940, the partnership had dissolved due to Roosevelt's active involvement with

6279-404: The "Netherlands" lost their original deictic meaning . In most Romance languages , the term "Low Countries" is officially used as the name for the Netherlands. The term Holland has frequently been used informally to refer to the whole of the modern country of the Netherlands in various languages, including Dutch and English. In some languages, Holland is used as the formal name for

6440-444: The 1943 film Jack London for United Artists . The film was an adaptation of the biographical book authored by London's widow Charmian . The film starred Michael O'Shea as Jack London, while Susan Hayward was cast as Charmian. Before the film's release, Bronston signed an optioning deal with Charmian for the screen rights to her husband's other novels. In 1944, he announced plans to adapt London's novels, including The Valley of

6601-496: The 1966 film adaptation, Fregonese returned to direct. Bronston however was uncredited. This was followed up with Dr. Coppelius (1966), a film adaptation based on the comic ballet Coppélia . The story concerns the title character who constructs a doll named Coppelia that is quite lifelike that people mistaken it for a real woman. The film starred Walter Slezak in the title role, and filming began in late 1966. By 1967, Bronston's legal battle against du Pont III continued, in which

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6762-539: The 490s, Clovis I had conquered and united all these territories in the southern Netherlands in one Frankish kingdom , and from there continued his conquests into Gaul . During this expansion, Franks migrating to the south (modern territory of France and Walloon part of Belgium) eventually adopted the Vulgar Latin of the local population. A widening cultural divide grew with the Franks remaining in their original homeland in

6923-588: The Bulge , Suez , Brave New World , Nightrunners of Bengal , Paris 1900 , and The French Revolution . Bronston tried to reorganize his studio operations in Madrid, and convinced the Banco Exterior to not foreclose on his mortgage of his properties. Thanks to his connections with Adolfo Suárez , who was the programme director of the state broadcaster Televisión Española (TVE), Bronston managed to rent his studios to

7084-715: The Chamartín, Sevilla, and Cea studios in Madrid. Additional interior filming was shot at the Cinecittà in Rome , while second-unit filming was shot on actual locations, including the Belmonte Castle . Heston finished filming his scenes in April 1961, with the duel fight of Calahorra sequence. Released in December 1961, El Cid was released to critical acclaim, with praise towards Mann's direction,

7245-744: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire near the front window at the Hatchards bookshop. Mann did not read the entire edition but selected the focal point of Marcus Aurelius 's death and his son Commodus 's reign as the beginning of the end of Rome's decline as an imperial power, as theorized by Roman historians. Bronston was enthusiastic about the adaptation; he announced the film's development in September 1961, with Mann to direct and Charlton Heston to star. However, Heston backed out having disliked an early draft of

7406-603: The Dutch Republic was attacked by France, England and three German Bishoprics simultaneously, in what would become known as the Franco-Dutch War . At sea , it could successfully prevent the English and French navies from blockading the western shores. On land, however, it was almost taken over by the advancing French and German armies from the east. It managed to turn the tide by inundating parts of Holland . From 1672 to 1712,

7567-641: The Dutch established a presence in India , the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia ), Formosa (now Taiwan ), and the only western trading post in Japan, Dejima . During the period of Proto-industrialisation , the empire received 50% of textiles and 80% of silks import from the India's Mughal Empire . Many economic historians regard the Netherlands as the first thoroughly capitalist country. In early modern Europe, it had

7728-716: The Dutch owned 16,000 merchant ships. The Dutch East India Company and the Dutch West India Company established colonies and trading posts all over the world. The Dutch settlement in North America began with the founding of New Amsterdam in 1614. In South Africa, the Dutch settled the Cape Colony in 1652. Dutch colonies in South America were established along the many rivers in the fertile Guyana plains, among them Colony of Surinam (now Suriname ). In Asia,

7889-457: The European country all became countries within the Kingdom, on a basis of equality. Indonesia had declared its independence in August 1945. Suriname followed in 1975. The Netherlands was one of the founding members of Benelux and NATO . In the 1950s, the Netherlands became one of the six founding countries of the European Communities , following the 1952 establishment of the European Coal and Steel Community , and subsequent 1958 creations of

8050-507: The Frisians were defeated after a series of wars . With the approval of the Franks, the Anglo-Saxon missionary Willibrord converted the Frisian people to Christianity and established the Archdiocese of Utrecht . However, his successor Boniface was murdered by the Frisians in 754. The Frankish Carolingian empire controlled much of Western Europe. In 843, it was divided into three parts— East , Middle , and West Francia . Most of present-day Netherlands became part of Middle Francia, which

8211-467: The Great . To finance the film, Bronston formed an investment company called Admiral Pictures Corp., with R. Stuyvesant Pierrepont as the board chairman. Bronston raised financial capital from multiple investors, including financier Pierre S. Du Pont III (of the du Pont family ). In his autobiography, Stack stated several American corporations had frozen assets in Spain and could only be reinvested locally. Among them, Du Pont agreed to invest $ 5 million into

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8372-423: The Jews ... In short, the essential drama of the messianic issue has been missed and the central character has been left to perform quietly in a series of collateral tableaux." However, at the box office, King of Kings earned $ 8 million in distributor rentals from the United States and Canada. According to the El Cid film souvenir program, written by Harold Lamb , Bronston first contemplated El Cid (1961) as

8533-403: The Low Countries from 1384 to 1581. The new rulers defended Dutch trading interests. The fleets of the County of Holland defeated the fleets of the Hanseatic League several times. Amsterdam grew and in the 15th century became the primary trading port in Europe for grain from the Baltic region . Amsterdam distributed grain to the major cities of Belgium, Northern France and England. This trade

8694-413: The Low Countries south of the great rivers. These tribes would eventually develop into the Salian Franks . The Celtic La Tène culture (c. 450 BC to the Roman conquest) expanded over a wide range, including the southern area of the Low Countries . Some scholars have speculated that even a third ethnic identity and language, neither Germanic nor Celtic, survived in the Netherlands until the Roman period,

8855-409: The Meuse. These rivers functioned as a natural barrier between fiefdoms and hence historically created a cultural divide, as is evident in some phonetic traits that are recognisable on either side of what the Dutch call their "Great Rivers" ( de Grote Rivieren ). Another significant branch of the Rhine, the IJssel river, discharges into Lake IJssel , the former Zuiderzee ('southern sea'). Just like

9016-448: The Moon , The Star Rover , and The Little Lady of the Big House . Bronston's second project was City Without Men (1943). In 1944, Bronston enticed director Lewis Milestone away from the studio system and signed him to a multi-picture contract to direct independent film projects, which were be distributed by United Artists. Bronston had also lured exiled French directors René Clair and Julien Duvivier to work for him. During

9177-454: The Netherlands are Amsterdam , Rotterdam , The Hague and Utrecht . Amsterdam is the country's most populous city and the nominal capital , though the primary national political institutions are located in the Hague. The Netherlands has been a parliamentary constitutional monarchy with a unitary structure since 1848. The country has a tradition of pillarisation (separation of citizens into groups by religion and political beliefs) and

9338-441: The Netherlands entered a unique era of political, economic, and cultural greatness, ranked among the most powerful and influential in Europe and the world; this period is known as the Dutch Golden Age . During this time, its trading companies, the Dutch East India Company and the Dutch West India Company , established colonies and trading posts all over the world. With a population of over 18 million people, all living within

9499-476: The Netherlands to the brink of bankruptcy. However, the Cultivation System was introduced in 1830; in the Dutch East Indies, 20% of village land had to be devoted to government crops for export. The policy brought the Dutch enormous wealth and made the colony self-sufficient. The Netherlands abolished slavery in its colonies in 1863. Enslaved people in Suriname would be fully free only in 1873. The Netherlands remained neutral during World War I, in part because

9660-415: The Netherlands) and upstream Germania Superior . Thus, in the case of the Low Countries and the Netherlands, the geographical location of this lower region is more or less downstream and near the sea, compared to that of the upper region of Germania Superior. The designation 'Low' returned in the 10th-century Duchy of Lower Lorraine , which covered much of the Low Countries. The Dukes of Burgundy used

9821-432: The Netherlands. However, Holland is a region within the Netherlands that consists of the two provinces of North and South Holland . Formerly these were a single province, and earlier the County of Holland , which included parts of present-day Utrecht . The emphasis on Holland during the formation of the Dutch Republic , the Eighty Years' War , and the Anglo-Dutch Wars in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, made Holland

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9982-407: The Northern Netherlands in 1839 as the Kingdom of the Netherlands was created by decree), while the personal union between Luxembourg and the Netherlands was severed in 1890, when William III died with no surviving male heirs. Ascendancy laws prevented his daughter Queen Wilhelmina from becoming the next Grand Duchess. The Belgian Revolution and the Java War in the Dutch East Indies brought

10143-452: The OWI. Bronston then proceeded with A Walk in the Sun (1945) with Milestone as co-producer and director. Robert Rossen was hired to write the screenplay, and principal photography began in November 1944 at the Agoura Ranch within the San Fernando Valley . Financing of the film was initially handled by the bank creditor Walter E. Heller & Co. , which loaned $ 850,000, while Ideal Factoring Co. loaned $ 300,000. Back in New York, Bronston

10304-428: The Republic, led by William III of Orange and Anthonie Heinsius would regularly clash with France in what some historians have come to call the Forty Years' War . In the Nine Years' War and the War of the Spanish Succession , the Republic was at the centre of anti-French coalitions. The Dutch ultimately successfully defended the Spanish Netherlands , established a barrier there, and their troops proved central to

10465-408: The Revolutionary War. But the Samuel Bronston production doesn't get much fire-power into the characters. They end, as they begin, as historical personages rather than human being." The film earned $ 1 million in distributor rentals from the United States and Canada, becoming a box office flop. Despite losing his investment, Du Pont III told Bronston he did not invest in individual projects but "rather in

10626-409: The Roman Empire (1964). By June 1964, Bronston declared bankruptcy due to the box office failures of The Fall of the Roman Empire and Circus World (1964), in which he owed over US$ 5.6 million to du Pont III. He subsequently produced Savage Pampas (1966) and Dr. Coppelius (1966), albeit uncredited. During his bankruptcy proceedings with his creditors' attorneys, while under oath, Bronston

10787-454: The Silent in driving out Spanish troops and forming a new government for the Netherlands. Don Juan of Austria , the new Spanish governor, was forced to concede initially, but within months returned to active hostilities. The Dutch looked for help from the Protestant Elizabeth I of England, but she initially stood by her commitments to the Spanish in the Treaty of Bristol of 1574. When the next large-scale battle occurred at Gembloux in 1578,

10948-432: The Southwest Netherlands, they were raiding the English Channel . Roman forces pacified the region but did not expel the Franks, who continued to be feared at least until the time of Julian the Apostate (358) when Salian Franks were allowed to settle as foederati in Texandria . After the Roman government in the area collapsed in roughly the year 406, the Franks expanded their territories into numerous kingdoms. By

11109-406: The Spanish forces won easily. In light of the defeat at Gembloux , the southern states of the Seventeen Provinces distanced themselves from the rebels in the north with the 1579 Union of Arras . Opposing them, the northern half of the Seventeen Provinces forged the Union of Utrecht in which they committed to support each other against the Spanish. The Union of Utrecht is seen as the foundation of

11270-431: The Spanish in the Netherlands under the Duke of Parma in a series of largely indecisive actions that tied down significant numbers of Spanish troops and bought time for the Dutch to reorganise their defences. The war continued until 1648, when Spain under King Philip IV recognised the independence of the seven north-western provinces in the Peace of Münster . Parts of the southern provinces became de facto colonies of

11431-404: The Sun had earned $ 1.6 million in distributor box office rentals, it would leave no immediate net profit to reimburse Bronston, Milestone, and the creditors' financial investments. Before the film's release, Bronston filed suit against the bank creditors and five other individuals connected with the film for $ 3.36 million for the film rights, along with $ 1 million in punitive damages. He had alleged

11592-621: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld the perjury charge, in a 2–1 decision. The case Bronston v. United States ultimately reached the United States Supreme Court . On January 10, 1973, the Supreme Court overturned the conviction, in which it ruled that while Bronston's answer was "shrewdly calculated to evade," it did not rise to the level of perjury because he told the literal truth. Over two decades later,

11753-595: The United Provinces consistently possessed one of Europe's largest and most capable armies. However, following the conclusion of the War of the Spanish Succession , other major powers such as Prussia, Austria, Britain, and Russia significantly expanded their military forces. The Republic struggled to match these developments, and gradually assumed the status of a mid-tier power. However, historians have sometimes overstated

11914-426: The United States and Canada. Due to the film's estimated $ 9 million production budget, the film did not earn a profit in the United States, but recouped its cost from international territories. Prior to his success with El Cid (1961), Bronston wanted Anthony Mann to direct another epic for him. Having finished filming El Cid , Mann saw an Oxford concise edition of Edward Gibbon 's six-volume series The History of

12075-517: The Vatican into a thirty-part film series. He took up the offer, and was given unprecedented access into the Vatican archives. He produced a total of 26 documentaries, on behalf of the Chancellery of the Vatican . Bob Considine served as the narrator for these documentaries. However, the intense heat generated from the high-key lighting caused a minor fire in the chapel, and relations between Bronston and

12236-538: The Vatican soured not long after. By March 1950, after fifteen months of filming, Variety reported Bronston had returned to the United States, intending to sell his documentaries for theatrical distribution. He also had pictures of the Vatican published in Life magazine. By August 1955, the Los Angeles Times reported that Bronston had returned to Hollywood, with plans to produce an independent project. He returned to

12397-637: The Vatican, Bronston presented the script, credited to Yordan and Italian theologian playwright Diego Fabbri , to Pope John XXIII , who approved it. Actor Jeffrey Hunter was cast as Jesus after John Ford had suggested him as a candidate, having directed him in The Searchers (1956) and Sergeant Rutledge (1960). Ray was familiar with Hunter, having directed him in The True Story of Jesse James (1957). Bronston agreed because of Hunter's striking blue eyes, explaining: "I really chose him for his eyes. It

12558-422: The ability of men." Despite the financial failure of John Paul Jones (1959), Farrow and Bronston formed a production company, Brofar, and they proceeded on their second project. The next month, Bronston announced the project was a religious biographical film of Jesus , tentatively titled Son of Man . It had been an independent project Farrow had been developing since 1953. Meanwhile, Twentieth Century Fox, under

12719-462: The age of 29. He received American citizenship, and changed his name to Samuel Bronston, due to anti-Semitism. For about a month, he resided in an apartment complex in the Bronx with his cousin, Leon Patlach. He then moved to Washington, D.C. where he met James Roosevelt , the son of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt . By 1938, Bronston and James Roosevelt moved to Los Angeles ; in December, Roosevelt

12880-450: The age of 85. He is buried in Las Rozas , Madrid, Spain. Birth name#Maiden and married names A birth name is the name given to a person upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname , the given name , or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth register may by that fact alone become

13041-526: The alliance which halted French territorial expansion in Europe until a new cycle began in 1792 with the French Revolutionary Wars . However, the wars left them effectively bankrupt, and inflicted permanent damage on the Dutch merchant navy; while they remained the dominant economic power in the Far East, Britain took over as the pre-eminent global commercial and maritime power. Between 1590 and 1713,

13202-616: The armed support of revolutionary France , Dutch republicans proclaimed the Batavian Republic , modelled after the French Republic and rendering the Netherlands a unitary state on 19 January 1795. The stadtholder William V of Orange had fled to England. From 1806 to 1810, the Kingdom of Holland was set up by Napoleon Bonaparte as a puppet kingdom governed by his brother Louis Bonaparte . However, King Louis Bonaparte tried to serve Dutch interests instead of his brother's, and he

13363-539: The auction lasted for four days, with the monies transferred to the Union of Film Workers, which had filed suit on behalf of select union members owed thousands in back pay. During the same month, the New York State Supreme Court ordered Bronston to pay du Pont III nearly $ 2.5 million plus interest, for a total of $ 3 million. Meanwhile, Bronston found himself in other legal issues, concerning perjury. In 1966, he

13524-489: The case was invoked by President Bill Clinton 's attorneys when he was charged with perjury during his impeachment . Afterwards, Bronston moved to a small apartment in Houston , and was still ambitious to develop historical epics. His wife Dorothea stated, "Sam always said, 'Those people take chances and have money so I'm to go there, if they can help me out.' He did a lot of borrowing." He briefly returned to film producing, and

13685-487: The cast and the cinematography. At the box office, the film earned $ 12 million in distributor rentals from the United States and Canada. At the 34th Academy Awards , in 1962, the film received three Academy Award nominations for Best Art Direction—Color , Best Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture and Best Original Song for the "Love Theme From El Cid (The Falcon and the Dove)". The idea for 55 Days at Peking (1963)

13846-418: The centuries, the Dutch coastline has changed considerably as a result of natural disasters and human intervention. On 14 December 1287, St. Lucia's flood affected the Netherlands and Germany, killing more than 50,000 people in one of the most destructive floods in recorded history. The St. Elizabeth flood of 1421 and the mismanagement in its aftermath destroyed a newly reclaimed polder , replacing it with

14007-417: The concept of that ending." Both Bronston and Mann had Charlton Heston in mind to portray the lead role. Bronston also had envisioned Sophia Loren in the role as Rodrigo's wife, Chimene . Loren was hired for $ 1 million (equivalent to $ 10,299,213 in 2023), becoming the second actress to receive a one-million salary for a film (behind Elizabeth Taylor ). After being cast, Loren had read Yordan's draft but

14168-540: The country is for the most part flat, with the exception of foothills in the far southeast, up to a height of no more than 322 m (1,056 ft) at the Vaalserberg , and some low hill ranges in the central parts. Most of the areas below sea level are caused by peat extraction or achieved through land reclamation . Since the late 16th century, large polder areas are preserved through elaborate drainage systems that include dikes , canals and pumping stations. Much of

14329-627: The country was originally formed by the estuaries of three large European rivers: the Rhine ( Rijn ), the Meuse ( Maas ) and the Scheldt ( Schelde ), as well as their tributaries . The south-western part of the Netherlands is a river delta of these rivers, the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta . The European Netherlands is divided into north and south parts by the Rhine, the Waal , its main tributary branch, and

14490-613: The countryside was plundered for food. Although there were thousands of Dutch who risked their lives by hiding Jews from the Germans, over 20,000 Dutch fascists joined the Waffen SS . Political collaborators were members of the fascist NSB , the only legal political party in the occupied Netherlands. On 8 December 1941, the Dutch government-in-exile in London declared war on Japan, but could not prevent

14651-417: The defendants committed "oppression and fraud" in which Bronston's interest in the film rights that was submitted as collateral were sold without his knowledge. By January 1945, Bronston had withdrew from producing And Then There Were None (1945). A new production company Popular Pictures, Inc., which was headed by Harry Popkin and Edward J. Peskay, was formed to finish the project. Popkin and Peskay acquired

14812-583: The end of the Ice Age , the nomadic late Upper Palaeolithic Hamburg culture (13,000–10,000 BC) hunted reindeer in the area, using spears. The later Ahrensburg culture (11,200–9,500 BC) used bow and arrow . From Mesolithic Maglemosian-like tribes (c. 8000 BC), the world's oldest canoe was found in Drenthe . Indigenous late Mesolithic hunter-gatherers from the Swifterbant culture (c. 5600 BC), related to

14973-463: The extent of this decline, especially when considering the period up to the 1750s. In the 18th century the Dutch Republic had seen a state of a general decline, with economic competition from England and long-standing rivalries between the two main factions in Dutch society, the republican Staatsgezinden and the supporters of the stadtholder the Prinsgezinden as main political factions. With

15134-721: The film is not derived from a historical event. In 1961, Bernard Gordon thought of doing a large-scale "circus picture—not the standard story of the girl trapeze artist and the lion tamer—but one that would have a free form—the great circus moving all around the world wherever a colorful site could lend itself to a unique and daring stunt." The project passed from multiple directors including Nicholas Ray, Frank Capra , and then Henry Hathaway . The cast included John Wayne , Claudia Cardinale , Rita Hayworth , Lloyd Nolan , and Richard Conte . Principal photography began on September 29, 1963, and wrapped in February 1964. Bronston also arranged to have

15295-657: The film marketed and presented in Cinerama . Circus World was shot in 35 mm Technirama , and was then blown up to 70 mm for a curved projection using anamorphic lens. Because The Fall of the Roman Empire and Circus World had both gone over budget (costing a total of $ 24 million), Pierre S. du Pont III asked Bronston to sign him as the principal trustee, granting him control over Bronston's films. This way, Bronston could not proceed with any contractual or financial measure without du Pont's full approval. By 6 March 1964, du Pont III had acquired control over Bronston Productions. It

15456-459: The film was in development, with a British director in mind to helm the project. Alec Guinness was envisioned to portray one of the lead roles. Nicholas Ray, who was set to direct an epic retelling of the French Revolution , decided instead to direct 55 Days at Peking and Yordan (serving as a front for Gordon) was to write the script. In December 1961, both men persuaded Charlton Heston, who

15617-513: The film's completion. King of Kings was released in October 1961 and received mixed reviews from film critics. Bosley Crowther , in his New York Times review, felt the filmmakers had "missed or disguised certain happenings that were dramatic and important in Jesus' life. They have obfuscated the healings, avoided the miracles and skipped altogether the judgment of Jesus as a blasphemer and seditionist by

15778-411: The film, as part of a three-picture contract deal with Bronston. The two other projects were slated to be Son of Man , a religious biopic of Jesus , and The Story of Nelson . Before filming began, Robert Stack had been cast in the title role, with supporting roles filled by Macdonald Carey , Charles Coburn , Marisa Pavan , and Jean Pierre Aumont . Bette Davis made a cameo appearance as Catherine

15939-850: The film. Principal photography began in January 1958, with scenes shot in Versailles in France, Scotland , and Ostia , near Rome . Filming was also allowed inside the Royal Palace of Madrid by the Francoist Spanish government . However, casting an actor to portray George Washington proved difficult, which delayed filming of scenes featuring Washington. At one point, Farrow and Bronston sent one-dollar U.S. bills to casting agents, asking them to help select an appropriate actor that most resembled him. Farrow eventually selected American actor John Crawford , who

16100-402: The financier eventually settled with Bronston's creditors for twenty-five cents on the dollar, which reduced the debt considerably, although he paid out $ 13.5 million in legal fees. In April 1966, Bronston announced plans to produce a biographical epic about Isabella of Spain , with José María Pemán having written a script. He had secured financial backing from a pool of Spanish investors, and

16261-401: The idea of a biographical film of John Paul Jones , which he had earlier considered in 1946. When Bronston entered the United States as an immigrant, he studied American history in preparation for his citizenship test, and Jones's life resonated with him. In December 1955, Bronston announced he was developing the biopic, with John Wayne in mind to star. Jesse Lasky, Jr. had also been hired to

16422-718: The import of goods through the Netherlands proved essential to German survival until the blockade by the British Royal Navy in 1916. That changed in World War II, when Germany invaded the Netherlands on 10 May 1940. The Rotterdam Blitz forced most of the Dutch army to surrender. During the occupation, over 100,000 Dutch Jews were transported to Nazi extermination camps ; only a few survived. Dutch workers were conscripted for forced labour in Germany, civilians who resisted were killed in reprisal for attacks on German soldiers, and

16583-486: The leadership of studio president Spyros Skouras , had been long in development of The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), another religious biopic of Jesus. According to Variety , Skouras learned of the rival project, and he attempted to acquire the project from Bronston for $ 1 million. However, Bronston refused, stating: "I'm in the business of producing not of abandoning motion pictures. Too many people have invested too much effort into this venture." By 1959, Farrow exited

16744-578: The migration of Germanic tribes from the North. By the time this migration was complete, around 250 BC, a few general cultural and linguistic groups had emerged. The North Sea Germanic Ingaevones inhabited the northern part of the Low Countries . They would later develop into the Frisii and the early Saxons . The Weser–Rhine Germanic (or Istvaeones ) extended along the middle Rhine and Weser and inhabited

16905-551: The modern Netherlands. Spanish troops sacked Maastricht in 1579, killing over 10,000 civilians. In 1581, the northern provinces adopted the Act of Abjuration , the declaration of independence in which the provinces officially deposed Philip II. Against the rebels Philip could draw on the resources of the Spanish Empire . Elizabeth I sympathised with the Dutch struggle and sent an army of 7,600 soldiers to aid them. English forces faced

17066-554: The network. Another part of his studio was lent to Twentieth Century Fox, which used the facilities to shoot four films in Spain, which included 100 Rifles (1969) and Patton (1970). Philip Yordan also formed a production company called Scotia International after he purchased a terrain near Ajalvir . There, he used Bronston's studio facilities to film Battle of the Bulge (1965) and Krakatoa, East of Java (1968). Yordan, who had worked with Bronston, decided to remain uninvolved throughout Bronston's financial struggles. Eventually,

17227-482: The new republican-mercantile empire. Following the declaration of independence, the provinces of Holland , Zeeland , Groningen , Friesland , Utrecht , Overijssel , and Gelderland entered into a confederation . All these duchies, lordships and counties enjoyed a significant degree of autonomy and was governed by its own administrative body known as the States-Provincial . The confederal government, known as

17388-636: The north (i.e. the southern Netherlands and Flanders), who kept on speaking Old Frankish , which by the ninth century had evolved into Old Low Franconian or Old Dutch. A Dutch-French language boundary hence came into existence. To the north of the Franks, climatic conditions improved, and during the Migration Period Saxons , the closely related Angles , Jutes , and Frisii settled the coast. Many moved on to England and came to be known as Anglo-Saxons , but those who stayed would be referred to as Frisians and their language as Frisian . Frisian

17549-527: The north to create a strong country on the northern border of France. William Frederick raised this United Netherlands to the status of a kingdom and proclaimed himself as King William I in 1815. William became hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg in exchange for his German possessions. However, the Southern Netherlands had been culturally separate from the north since 1581, and rebelled . The south gained independence in 1830 as Belgium (recognised by

17710-505: The people", akin to Old Dutch Dietsch or Old English þeodisc , meaning "(of) the common ( Germanic ) people". At first, the English language used Dutch to refer to any or all speakers of West Germanic languages . Gradually its meaning shifted to the West Germanic people they had the most contact with. The oldest human ( Neanderthal ) traces in the Netherlands, believed to be about 250,000 years old, were found near Maastricht . At

17871-555: The person's legal name . The assumption in the Western world is often that the name from birth (or perhaps from baptism or brit milah ) will persist to adulthood in the normal course of affairs—either throughout life or until marriage. Some reasons for changes of a person's name include middle names , diminutive forms, changes relating to parental status (due to one's parents' divorce or adoption by different parents), and gender transition . The French and English-adopted née

18032-406: The population into submission. Alba boasted of having executed 18,600; this figure does not include those who perished by war and famine. The first great siege was Alba's effort to capture Haarlem and thereby cut Holland in half. It dragged on from December 1572 to the next summer, when Haarlemers finally surrendered on 13 July upon the promise that the city would be spared from being sacked. It

18193-455: The previous, this river forms a linguistic divide: people to the northeast of this river speak Dutch Low Saxon dialects (except for the province of Friesland , which has its own language). The Netherlands is mostly composed of deltaic , coastal and aeolian derived sediments during the Pleistocene glacial and interglacial periods. Almost the entire west Netherlands is composed of

18354-410: The project due to creative differences with the script. Screenwriters Alan Brown and Sonya Levien had been selected to rewrite Farrow's script. Nicholas Ray was then hired to direct for $ 75,000 (equivalent to $ 783,904 in 2023) for 24 weeks of work. Ray then asked Philip Yordan to write a new screenplay. Yordan was initially reluctant, but he agreed; he retitled the script to King of Kings . At

18515-516: The project in detail with Yordan while developing No Down Payment (1957) at Twentieth Century Fox; Wald had also wanted Guinness to star in his project as well. By April 1962, Wald's infringement complaint proved to be unsuccessful, and he began redeveloping his project into a television film for NBC . Wald however died three months later, on July 13. Principal photography began on July 2, 1962, again at Bronston's studios in Las Rozas. The production

18676-522: The province of Friesland . Dutch, English, and Papiamento are official in the Caribbean territories . Netherlands literally means "lower countries" in reference to its low elevation and flat topography, with 26% below sea level . Most of the areas below sea level, known as polders , are the result of land reclamation that began in the 14th century . In the Republican period , which began in 1588,

18837-585: The real estate was acquired by Spanish director Juan Piquer Simón , who shot Los Diablos Del Mar (translated into The Sea Devils , 1982). During the financial litigations, Jaime Prades, an associate producer on Bronston's films, arranged enough financing to produce small-scale films, such as Savage Pampas (1966), starring Robert Taylor . The film had been long in development since 1958, with Steve Barclay and Hugo Fregonese set to produce and direct, respectively. Plans were intended to shoot in Argentina . For

18998-572: The region called the Low Countries (Netherlands, Belgium , and Luxembourg ) all have comparatively the same toponymy . Place names with Neder , Nieder , Nedre , Nether , Lage(r) or Low(er) (in Germanic languages ) and Bas or Inferior (in Romance languages ) are in use in low-lying places all over Europe. The Romans made a distinction between the Roman provinces of downstream Germania Inferior (nowadays part of Belgium and

19159-599: The rivers Rhine and Meuse ) to refer to the Northern Dutch (Dutch living North of these rivers). In the Southern province of Limburg, the term is used for the Dutch from the other 11 provinces. The use of the term in this context by the Southern Dutch is in a derogatory fashion. Dutch is used as the adjective for the Netherlands, as well as the demonym . The origins of the word go back to Proto-Germanic *þiudiskaz , Latinised into Theodiscus , meaning "popular" or "of

19320-581: The same week, The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964) premiered and later became a financial failure. Undeterred, Paramount announced it was still releasing Circus World later that year, with its investment in the film left intact. Released in June 1964, Circus World received a mixed reception from film critics. A review in Time magazine stated: "Though likable enough, this least pretentious of Bronston spectaculars cannot compare to The Greatest Show on Earth . It's just

19481-485: The scale of Cleopatra and doubled it." By December 1963, Paramount Pictures agreed to distribute Bronston's next four films, for an investment of $ 40 million. Released in March 1964, The Fall of the Roman Empire received mixed reviews from film critics. Bosley Crowther of The New York Times was the sharpest, arguing: "There isn't a character in [the film] for whom you're made to care two hoots —or, indeed, made to feel

19642-488: The screen rights to Brown's novel for $ 15,000 (equivalent to $ 242,314 in 2023). Milestone also agreed to direct a film adaptation of Borrowed Night adapted from the Oscar Ray novel. In November 1944, United Artists cancelled two of Bronston's projects in development, which included a film adaptation of Edward Chodorov 's 1944 play Decision and Final Hour , an original film about munitions manufacturers. The former project

19803-792: The script, and agreed to star in 55 Days at Peking . In response, Bronston had the construction replica of the Roman Forum dismantled, and replaced with the Forbidden City sets. When 55 Days was completed, the replica set was rebuilt to the scale of 400 x 230 metres (1312 x 754 feet). Ben Barzman and Basilio Franchina, an Italian screenwriter, were selected to write the screenplay, while an ensemble cast included Stephen Boyd , Sophia Loren , Alec Guinness , Christopher Plummer , James Mason , Anthony Quayle , Omar Sharif , John Ireland , and Mel Ferrer . Similar to his earlier productions, Bronston refused to use miniatures or matte paintings , insisting

19964-514: The script, which had been written by Dudley Nichols . The principal cast, which had been hired, remained with the project. It was later distributed by Twentieth Century Fox. Bronston left Hollywood but nevertheless wanted to produce more films. During the late 1940s, he became the official photographer of the Vatican . There, he heard the Knights of Columbus were planning an ambitious project to photograph

20125-506: The script. To reestablish his dormant production company, the country of Spain was recommended to him for potential filming by Jose Maria Areilza , then- Spanish Ambassador to the United States , whom Bronston met at a dinner party in Washington, D.C. Bronston agreed and relocated his production studio near Las Rozas in Madrid . In October 1957, director John Farrow had signed on to direct

20286-455: The set be built to life-size scale, where he invited investors and international distributors to visit the set. During filming, in February 1963, Martin Rackin , then-head of production of Paramount Pictures , visited the set and was left impressed. He told the Los Angeles Times , "When 9,300 people reported for work, it was like D-Day . It took me 40 minutes just to drive around the set. They took

20447-459: The southern Scandinavian Ertebølle culture , were strongly linked to rivers and open water. Between 4800 and 4500 BC, the Swifterbant people started to adopt from the neighbouring Linear Pottery culture the practice of animal husbandry , and between 4300 and 4000 BC agriculture. The Funnelbeaker culture (4300–2800 BC) erected the dolmens , large stone grave monuments found in Drenthe . There

20608-530: The summer of 1944, he acquired the screen rights to Agatha Christie 's 1943 play And Then There Were None (which was also performed under the title Ten Little Indians ), with Clair hired to direct the film adaptation . Meanwhile, Bronston decided to produce a film adaptation of the 1944 book A Walk in the Sun by Harry Brown , after the Zeppo Marx Agency had sent him a copy. Bronston subsequently purchased

20769-532: The support of Manuel Fraga from the Ministry of Information and Tourism . In 1971, Bronston again announced his intentions to produce Isabella of Spain . The Los Angeles Times reported that Brosnan had cleared his "technical-legal monetary problems," and found new financing from Marion Harper, an advertising executive based in Madison Avenue . He had opened new production offices in London and Madrid, where filming

20930-571: The term z domu (literally meaning "of the house", de domo in Latin ) may be used, with rare exceptions, meaning the same as née . Netherlands – in Europe  (light green & dark grey) – in the European Union  (light green) The Netherlands , informally Holland , is a country in Northwestern Europe , with overseas territories in the Caribbean . It

21091-475: The term les pays de par deçà ("the lands over here") for the Low Countries. Under Habsburg rule , this became pays d'embas ("lands down-here"). This was translated as Neder-landen in contemporary Dutch official documents. From a regional point of view, Niderlant was also the area between the Meuse and the lower Rhine in the late Middle Ages. From the mid-sixteenth century, the "Low Countries" and

21252-769: The war film A Walk in the Sun (1945) and René Clair on the mystery film And Then There Were None (1945); however, Bronston went uncredited as he struggled to raise financing. Bronston left Hollywood, and worked as a photographer with the Vatican . There, he produced a total of 26 documentary films, exploring the Vatican archives. In 1955, he returned to Hollywood as an independent producer. He relocated Bronston Productions in Madrid , Spain , and raised financial capital by pre-selling his film projects to private investors, including financier Pierre S. du Pont III . In Madrid, Bronston spearheaded several productions of historical epics, including King of Kings (1961), El Cid (1961), 55 Days at Peking (1963), and The Fall of

21413-510: The wealthiest trading city in Amsterdam , and the first full-time stock exchange . The inventiveness of the traders led to insurance and retirement funds as well as phenomena such as the boom-bust cycle , the world's first asset-inflation bubble , the tulip mania of 1636–1637, and the world's first bear raider , Isaac le Maire . In 1672 – known in Dutch history as the Rampjaar (Disaster Year) –

21574-487: Was Gerolf of Holland , who assumed lordship in Frisia, and Viking rule came to an end. The Holy Roman Empire ruled much of the Low Countries in the 10th and 11th century but was not able to maintain political unity. Powerful local nobles turned their cities, counties and duchies into private kingdoms that felt little sense of obligation to the emperor. Holland , Hainaut , Flanders , Gelre , Brabant , and Utrecht were in

21735-833: Was a quick transition from the Funnelbeaker farming culture to the pan-European Corded Ware pastoralist culture (c. 2950 BC). In the southwest, the Seine-Oise-Marne culture —related to the Vlaardingen culture (c. 2600 BC)—survived well into the Neolithic period, until it too was succeeded by the Corded Ware culture. The subsequent Bell Beaker culture (2700–2100 BC) introduced metalwork in copper, gold and later bronze and opened new international trade routes, reflected in copper artefacts . Finds of rare bronze objects suggest that Drenthe

21896-566: Was a stipulation Don Fadrique was unable to honour, when his soldiers mutinied, angered over pay owed and the miserable conditions of the campaign. On 4 November 1576, Spanish tercios seized Antwerp and subjected it to the worst pillage in the Netherlands' history. The citizens resisted but were overcome; seven thousand were killed and a thousand buildings were torched. Following the sack of Antwerp , delegates from Catholic Brabant, Protestant Holland and Zeeland agreed to join Utrecht and William

22057-659: Was a trading centre in the Bronze Age (2000–800 BC). The Bell Beaker culture developed locally into the Barbed-Wire Beaker culture (2100–1800 BC) and later the Elp culture (1800–800 BC), a Middle Bronze Age culture marked by earthenware pottery. The southern region became dominated by the related Hilversum culture (1800–800 BC). From 800 BC onwards, the Iron Age Celtic Hallstatt culture became influential, replacing

22218-500: Was a weak kingdom and subject to numerous partitions and annexation attempts by its stronger neighbours. It comprised territories from Frisia in the north to the Kingdom of Italy in the south. Around 850, Lothair I of Middle Francia acknowledged the Viking Rorik of Dorestad as ruler of most of Frisia. When the kingdom of Middle Francia was partitioned in 855, the lands north of the Alps passed to Lothair II and subsequently were named Lotharingia . After he died in 869, Lotharingia

22379-417: Was alarmed when Heller & Co. withdrew its financial backing. By this point, the project was $ 45,000 in debt, to which Milestone deferred $ 30,000 of his own salary to secure the deficit. Bronston then tried to re-negotiate with Heller & Co, but they later withdrew their offer. Bankrupt, Bronston withdrew from his producing duties on A Walk in the Sun . Milestone flew to Chicago and successfully negotiated

22540-438: Was also separately reported half of the 40-person staff at Bronston Productions' New York office had been laid off with no warning. By 25 March, feeling shut of his own studio, Bronston challenged the trusteeship by hiring Louis Nizer as his attorney. In response, du Pont III hired Thomas Dewey , the former Governor of New York and two-time Republican presidential nominee in the 1944 and 1948 elections , as his attorney. During

22701-441: Was an active film producer. In 1969, he was charged with two federal counts of perjury for denying he had a Swiss bank account and denying he retained an interest in a potential Spanish Symphony film for the Spanish government. On October 7, Bronston pled not guilty on both counts in a federal court. In February 1971, a jury found Bronston guilty on one count of perjury. A sentence hearing was set for March 16, in which Bronston faced

22862-400: Was beset with numerous difficulties, including an unfinished shooting script, which Ray was dissatisfied with. Having pre-sold his film to international distributors, Bronston was pressed to have the film ready for its established release date. During filming, Bronston had heated discussions with Ray over the project, which resulted in Ray suffering a heart attack months into shooting. Guy Green

23023-405: Was conceived during a story conference between Philip Yordan and Bernard Gordon . Yordan was initially reluctant to adapt the historic 1900 international siege stemming from the Boxer Rebellion into a film, but warmed up to the idea after a vacation cruise. Bronston agreed to produce the event into a historical epic due to his support for international unity. In September 1961, Bronston announced

23184-438: Was displeased with her dialogue. She recommended Ben Barzman , a blacklisted screenwriter, to rewrite it. During a flight trip to Madrid, Mann flew Barzman and handed him the latest shooting script; during the flight, Barzman read it and agreed to rewrite a new screenplay. Before the film's premiere, Bronston paid Barzman a $ 50,000 bonus and purchased his wife Norma a mink coat she did not ask for. Before principal photography

23345-416: Was dropped due to opposition from the United States Office of War Information (OWI) as the story concerned a returning U.S. war veteran who discovers fascism rampant at home. That same month, Duvivier sued Bronston for $ 395,000, alleging a breach of contract on his two-picture deal. Duvivier had been set to direct Decision , in which Bronston agreed to modify the adaptation treatment to secure approval from

23506-405: Was forced to abdicate on 1 July 1810. The Emperor sent in an army and the Netherlands became part of the French Empire until November 1813, when Napoleon was defeated in the Battle of Leipzig . William Frederick , son of the last stadtholder, returned to the Netherlands in 1813 and proclaimed himself Sovereign Prince . Two years later, the Congress of Vienna added the southern Netherlands to

23667-483: Was fought over in the Hook and Cod Wars between 1350 and 1490. The Cod faction consisted of the more progressive cities, while the Hook faction consisted of the conservative noblemen. These noblemen invited Duke Philip the Good of Burgundy to conquer Holland. Most of the Imperial and French fiefs in what is now the Netherlands and Belgium were united in a personal union by Philip the Good in 1433. The House of Valois-Burgundy and their Habsburg heirs would rule

23828-453: Was found to have committed perjury. He was convicted on one count of perjury, but was later acquitted in a prominent case before the U.S. Supreme Court , which set a major precedent for perjury prosecutions. In 1994, Bronston died in Sacramento, at the age of 85. Bronston (né Bronstein) was born on 7 August 1908, in Kishinev , Bessarabia , Russian Empire (present day Moldova ) to a Jewish family. His father, Abraham Bronstein, worked as

23989-415: Was hired as a vice president for Samuel Goldwyn Productions , a position he held for six months. In 1939, Roosevelt formed his production company, Globe Productions, to produce penny arcades . In April 1940, the Los Angeles Times reported both Roosevelt and Bronston partnered to produce three prospective film projects: The Bat with Alfred Hitchcock attached as director; Pot o' Gold , adapted from

24150-473: Was hired to direct the remaining scenes between Heston and Ava Gardner , while Andrew Marton directed the remaining sequences, including the beginning and opening scenes. Principal photography ended on November 15, 1962. Released in May 1963, 55 Days at Peking received mixed reviews from film critics, who praised the production design, but were not impressed with the script. By January 1964, 55 Days at Peking had earned $ 5 million in distributor rentals from

24311-404: Was important that the man playing Christ have memorable eyes." Principal photography began on April 24, 1960, and ended on October 4. For King of Kings (1961), Bronston continued his pre-selling financial method, in which financing of the film was provided by private investors. Pierre S. du Pont III contributed $ 1.375 million of the film's $ 7 million production budget, according to Variety . After

24472-420: Was independently producing El Cid after he had purchased the rights to screenwriter Fredric M. Frank 's 140-page film treatment . In July 1960, Bronston next hired Anthony Mann to direct the film and Philip Yordan to write the final script. A known Hispanophile, Mann expressed excitement at the project: "The reason I wanted to make El Cid was the theme 'a man rode out to victory dead on his horse.' I loved

24633-613: Was last credited on Fort Saganne (1984), a French film starring Gérard Depardieu and Catherine Deneuve . Bronston was first married to Sarah Bogatchek (1911–1990), who was a concert pianist. They had one son, William , and one daughter Irene. In 1947, he met his partner Robert Haggiag 's wife, Dorothea Robinson, in New York. Years later, they divorced their respective spouses, and were married in Mexico on July 14, 1953. The two had three children: Andrea, Phillip, and Kira. On January 12, 1994, Bronston died from pneumonia secondary to Alzheimer's disease in Sacramento, California , at

24794-453: Was partitioned, into Upper and Lower Lotharingia , the latter comprising the Low Countries that became part of East Francia in 870. Around 879, another Viking expedition led by Godfrid, Duke of Frisia , raided the Frisian lands. Resistance to the Vikings, if any, came from local nobles, who gained in stature as a result, and that laid the basis for the disintegration of Lower Lotharingia into semi-independent states. One of these local nobles

24955-622: Was questioned under oath at a creditors ' committee meeting about the production company's overseas financial assets. It included the following exchange between Bronston and one of the lawyers for his creditors: Q. Do you have any bank accounts in Swiss banks , Mr. Bronston? A. No, sir. Q. Have you ever? A. The company had an account there for about six months, in Zürich . Q. Have you any nominees who have bank accounts in Swiss banks? A. No, sir. Q. Have you ever? A. No, sir. The creditors' attorneys later discovered that Bronston indeed had an active personal bank account in Geneva while he

25116-417: Was scheduled to begin. Ronald Neame was hired to direct and John Peebles had written a script. Glenda Jackson had signed to portray the title role while John Philip Law was to play Ferdinand II . However, by June 1971, plans had been halted, and an auction, ordered by the El Banco Español de Crédito , was in order to sell everything within Bronston's studios from waste baskets to antique sets. Proceeds of

25277-517: Was set to star The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964), to star in their film, following the premiere of El Cid . Weeks after his announcement, Bronston faced another infringement complaint, this time from producer Jerry Wald who went public about his in-development project, tentatively titled The Hellraisers . Wald told Variety he had filed an infringement complaint with the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and his project once had similar talent behind it. In 1956, Wald claimed he discussed

25438-399: Was spoken along the entire southern North Sea coast. By the seventh century, a Frisian Kingdom (650–734) under King Aldegisel and King Redbad emerged with Traiectum ( Utrecht ) as its centre of power, while Dorestad was a flourishing trading place. Between 600 and around 719 the cities were often fought over between the Frisians and the Franks. In 734, at the Battle of the Boarn ,

25599-412: Was to begin, Bronston was faced with an infringement lawsuit from Cesáreo González 's Aspa Films, who had earlier announced his El Cid project in 1956. By August 1960, Bronston negotiated to have Aspa Films and Robert Haggiag 's Dear Film involved in his production, making El Cid an American-Italian-Spanish co-production. Principal photography began on November 14, 1960, where interior scenes were shot

25760-400: Was vacationing in Madrid at the time. During shooting, Farrow had Crawford deliver his dialogue with his back turned to the camera. Filming wrapped on August 5, 1958. John Paul Jones was released in June 1959 to mixed reviews from film critics. James Powers of Variety wrote in his review: " John Paul Jones has some spectacular sea action scenes and achieves some freshness in dealing with

25921-443: Was vital because Holland could no longer produce enough grain to feed itself. Land drainage had caused the peat of the former wetlands to reduce to a level that was too low for drainage to be maintained. Under Habsburg Charles V , all fiefs in the current Netherlands region were united into the Seventeen Provinces , which included most of present-day Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of France and Germany. In 1568, under Phillip II,

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