[1] His two best known films are Jew Süss (1934) and The Man Who Could Work Miracles (1936), both productions for British studios.

After Adolf Hitler came to power, Mendes, who was Jewish, traveled to Britain to work at Gaumont-British Pictures, directing films with Michael Balcon producing.

His last British film was Moonlight Sonata aka The Charmer and starred the piano legend Paderewski as himself; it contains rare performance footage of the legendary pianist.

[4] His last feature films were based on patriotic World War II themes with such stars as Rosalind Russell as a Navy reconnaissance pilot who must fly one more mission before getting married in Flight for Freedom (1943) and Edward G Robinson as a man who may or may not have married a spy in Tampico (1944).

"A competent, dependable director," commented film historian Larry Langman, "he never achieved the critical success in America that came to some of his compatriots.