Anecdotes

Buchowetzki began work at MGM on Love with Greta Garbo and Ricardo Cortez. However, producer Irving Thalberg was unhappy with the early filming, and replaced Buchowetzki with Edmund Goulding, cinematographer Merritt B. Gerstad with William H. Daniels, and Cortez with John Gilbert.

Initially Buchowetzki studied law. Later he starred in a number of silent films, mostly playing antagonistic characters.

Pola Negri, whom Buchowetzki had directed in the German-made Sappho (1924), invited him to Hollywood, where he directed her in a series of erotic melodramas, including Men (1924), Lily of the Dust (1926), and The Crown of Lies (1926).

He made first cinematical experiences in Russia as well when he appeared in small roles in "Stantsionnyy smotritel" (1918) and "Lojak" (1919).

Because his last movies were not as successful as expected the production companies did no longer support him.

Despite his success in Germany he went to the USA on the request of the actress Pola Negri. There they worked together again.

With the outbreak of the October revolution he had to leave his home country and he went via Poland to Germany. There he became established as a movie director and he realised the productions "Anita Jo" (1919), "Danton" (1921), "Sappho" (1921), "Othello" (1922), "Peter der Grosse" (1922) and "Das Laster des Spiels" (1923). Some of these movies went into the German film history.

The director Dimitri Buchowetzki began his artistic career in Moscow where he was active both as a stage actor and director.

He was a Russian film director, screenwriter, and actor in Germany, Sweden, United States, United Kingdom, and France.

Besides his activity as a director Dimitri Buchowetzki also wrote the screenplays for most of his movies.