Known as the "French Griffith," in 1936 this director made The Lives and Loves of Beethoven, though later films like The Battle of Austerlitz and Cyrano and D'Artagnan revealed that his best works were behind him.  
Known as the "French Griffith," in 1936 this director made The Lives and Loves of Beethoven, though later films like The Battle of Austerlitz and Cyrano and D'Artagnan revealed that his best works were behind him.  These earlier successes included 1922's The Wheel, in which he is said to have used the freeze-frame technique for the first time to show death; and 1919's J'Accuse, a searing condemnation of French participation in World War I, which is notable for using real soldiers, many of whom died in combat before the film's release.  Best known for a massive 1927 biopic, FTP, name this director most famous for his Napoleon.
Known as the "French Griffith," in 1936 this director made The Lives and Loves of Beethoven, though later films like The Battle of Austerlitz and Cyrano and D'Artagnan revealed that his best works were behind him.  
Abel Gance