Zander the Great

George William Hill was an American film director and cinematographer. He began his film career at age 13 as a stagehand with director D. W. Griffith. A cinematographer of silent films known for his skill in lighting female stars, he worked on a series of independently produced features for Mae... Marsh and others in the postwar WWI years and was eventually recruited by the burgeoning major studios to be a director, beginning in 1920. Hill directed The Midnight Express , which the New York Times noted was "a far better production than one is apt to gather from the title..." and also that "...the story is unfolded with skill and imagination." Through the following years, Hill's directing career began to gain serious traction and his assignments allowed him access to top stars such as Marion Davies and Jackie Coogan. Hill directed Lon Chaney's biggest money-maker, Tell It to the Marines . Four years later, Wallace Beery headed the cast of one of Hill's most memorable films, The Big House , a stark prison drama that is regarded by critics as a major achievement in early sound film artistry.
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