Lengyel, born Menyhért Lebovics, embarked on a remarkable journey as a correspondent for Hungarian newspapers in Switzerland, eventually becoming a renowned journalist, author, and critic in Germany and Austria. His impressive portfolio included numerous plays, with which he established lasting friendships with esteemed German theater greats, such as Ernst Lubitsch. The duo would later collaborate on projects in Hollywood.
In 1921 and 1924, Lengyel made two visits to the United States, where he maintained a diary of American theater life and had the opportunity to meet the legendary playwright Eugene O'Neill, whose work he would later produce in Germany. As a correspondent for the Budapest "Pesti Naplo", he relocated to England in 1933 before joining Lubitsch in America in 1935. His travels continued, with a move to Italy in 1960, followed by a return to Hungary in 1970, where he eventually passed away at the age of 94.
Throughout his illustrious career, Lengyel's credits include Typhoon, Silk Stockings, the Czarina, Angel, which he directed and produced, Antonia, co-directed with George Cukor, and the quadruple Oscar-nominated "Ninotchka", for which he received a nomination for Best Original Screenplay. Although he lost to the iconic "Gone With the Wind", his work on "Ninotchka" has left a lasting impact on the world of cinema.
The theme of "Ninotchka" has been reimagined in various forms, including MGM's Comrade X (1940),featuring Clark Gable and Hedy Lamarr, and The Iron Petticoat (1956),starring Katharine Hepburn and Bob Hope, both set in the Soviet Union and London, respectively. Moreover, the storyline served as the foundation for the Broadway stage musical Silk Stockings, later adapted into a 1957 film version by director Rouben Mamoulian, starring Cyd Charisse and Fred Astaire.
Less well-known is Lengyel's work on the libretto for Bartók's The Miraculous Mandarin and To Be or Not to Be, which Lubitsch transformed into a classic film comedy.
