Otto Preminger was born 100 years ago, yesterday. The Austrian-born director was both a notable and antagonizing filmmaker, which made him the perfect name to be tattooed on a certain guerrilla auteur's arm many years later. His acerbic manner is probably why he also excelled in some acting roles, most notably as one of the three men to play Mr. Freeze on the sixties Batman series, and as a German warden of a POW camp in the darkly comedic drama, Stalag 17.

Edward Copeland, a blogger we've mentioned before, has put up his own look at Preminger's films. While it's not a comprehensive list, it serves as a good reminder for Preminger fans into the filmmaker's triumphs and flops, as well as a great starting point for the Otto oblivious. There is love for the noir bits like Jean Simmons as a femme fatale in Angel Face and Where the Sidewalk Ends, which isn't a place for soft grass and children, but for gambling and drama. And, we can't forget his most recognized and remembered work, Anatomy of a Murder.

Copeland also managed to teach me a little about my beloved Twin Peaks . I had no idea the television show had nods to Preminger's Laura, from the name to the pet bird named Waldo and the vet named Dr. Lydecker. Obviously Lynch is a fan, and I now wonder if Angel Face also inspired the naming of Ian Buchanan's character, Dick Tremayne.

[via GreenCine Daily]