Director Of The Week: Franklin J. Schaffner

Franklin J. Schaffner, born May 30th, 1920, in Tokyo, Japan, has a long and diverse resume dating back to his earliest work on television.

Raised in Tokyo by his missionary parents, he eventually moved to the United States, where he ended up studying law at Columbia University in New York.  Before graduation, he was drafted into the US Navy during WWII.  Upon return from the war, he shifted careers, and began work in television.  There he had a highly successful run, winning several awards.  Most notably, he directed the teleplay of 12 Angry Men in 1954, which predated both the stageplay and film.

His first theatrical film was The Stripper (1963), which was decently received, though taken out of his hands and re-edited.  Next was The Best Man (1964), a political film based on a play by Gore Vidal.  But, a mere three films later, he created the first truly epic, highly-merchandised sci-fi film franchise.

Planet Of The Apes (1968), based on a novel by Pierre Boulle, with a script by Rod Serling, involved the adventures of a team of astronauts on a world turned upside down;  one in which Apes were the dominant species, not man.  Charlton Heston, who had previously worked with Schaffner on The War Lord, got him on board the picture.  Combine this with the musical genius of Jerry Goldsmith (His work here was arguably the best score of his career) and make-up fx by John Chambers, and you have the makings of a masterpiece.  Both a wonderful, Twilight Zone-esque thriller, and a biting political satire, Planet Of The Apes has endured for decades, followed by several sequels, TV series, and a Tim Burton remake.

Not one to rest on his laurels, Schaffner again knocked one out of the park with Patton (1970), which ended up sweeping the Academy Awards, including Best Director.  The opening scene with George C. Scott as Patton, delivering the speech in front of a giant American flag, has become one of the most parodied and referenced of all time.

Other significant works include the historical romance Nicholas and Alexandra (1971); Steve McQueen prison break film Papillon (1973); and the bizarre Hitler-clones horror film The Boys From Brazil (1978).  Schaffner died in 1989, aged 69.  He will be remembered as a director who could capture the epic and the intimate all in one story, and had an intense ferocity in his action scenes which predated such directors as Michael Bay and Paul Greengrass.

ESSENTIAL FILMS:  Planet Of The Apes, Patton

YOU CAN SKIP:  Welcome Home

Director Of The Week: Bill Condon

Bill Condon was born Oct 22, 1955 in New York, New York.  Early in his life, he developed a love of musical theater and philosophy.  He went to a Jesuit all-boys school before attending Columbia University, where he earned a philosophy degree.  After moving to Los Angeles in 1976, he wrote some freelance articles for various film magazines, before becoming noticed by a film producer.  He then began his career as a screenwriter.

He started by writing the horror movies Strange Behavior (Which is indeed quite strange!) and Strange Invaders, the first two parts of a loosely connected trilogy that died with the second film.  After that, he got his first opportunity to direct, and made the Southern Gothic thriller Sister Sister (1987), which he also co-wrote, starring Eric Stoltz and Jennifer Jason Leigh.  This ended up being a commercial and critical failure, so he spent the next few years carving out a successful career as a director of TV movies.  He was again given a chance to direct a feature film with Candyman 2: Farewell To The Flesh (1995), the sequel to the modest Clive Barker written Bloody Mary homage.  Again, this didn't light the world on fire, but it did lead to Condon and Barker's next collaboration;  Gods and Monsters.

Barker and Condon have two major things in common;  both are openly gay, and both are huge fans of horror.  So it was only natural that they would want to make a film together (Barker producing, Condon writing and directing) about the life of James Whale, the openly gay filmmaker who directed such masterworks as Frankenstein and The Invisible Man.  Gods and Monsters (1998), based on the novel Father Of Frankenstein by Christopher Bram, is the fictional story of James Whales relationship with his gardener in his final days.  The gardener, portrayed by Brendan Fraser, is fascinated by Whale's career and life, but uncomfortable with his sexuality.  Ian McKellen, also openly gay, is superb in the role of James Whale.  The movie ended up winning numerous awards, most notably Condon's win at the Academy Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay.

In between directing gigs, Condon wrote the script for the movie adaptation of Chicago (2002).  His next time in the directors chair was for Kinsey (2004), which told the life story of famous sex researcher Alfred Kinsey.  Liam Neeson took the lead role, and the film was as critically well received as it was controversial.  Condon made a very frank film, which directly addressed Kinsey's bisexuality, which is a sexual orientation that is often ignored or dismissed in both the straight and gay communities.  At it's heart, though, it's really a love story between Kinsey and his wife, played by Laura Linney.  With a score by Coen Bros regular Carter Burwell, and photography by Frederick Elmes, this was leaps and bounds a superior technical achievement to the rather modestly budgeted Gods and Monsters.

Next was Dreamgirls (2006), based on the 1981 Broadway musical, which tells the thinly-veiled story of The Supremes.  Jamie Foxx, Beyonce Knowles and Eddie Murphy were the big names in this 70 million dollar production, but first time actress Jennifer Hudson stole the movie, and won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.



His current project is the most highly anticipated of his career yet;  the two film adaptation of the final book in the teen vampire Twilight series, Breaking Dawn.  While his high society fan-base may scoff at this choice, I imagine that he'll be having the time of his life bringing a vampire story to the big screen, as they are creatures that combine his two most prominent obsessions;  fear and sex.  I, for one, am looking forward to it.

ESSENTIAL FILMS:  Kinsey, Dreamgirls, Gods and Monsters

YOU CAN SKIP:  Candyman 2: Farewell To The Flesh

Director Of The Week: Charles Laughton

Born: July 1st, 1899, in Scarborough, Yorkshire, England.

Died: December 15th, 1962 in Hollywood, California

Some great directors are extremely prolific; John Ford directed over 140 films in the course of his career.  Others are a bit more sparse; Terrence Malick took a 20 year break between Days Of Heaven and The Thin Red Line.  And sometimes, as in the case of Charles Laughton, they just do one.

One movie!  Why have a Director Of The Week who's only done one movie?!  Well, I'm interested in directors of all types, so if you've done at least one film, you qualify for a week of remembrance.  Secondly, the one movie he directed just happens to be one of my favorite films of all time.

Charles Laughton had a long and distinguished career as an actor on both the stage and screen, having played such characters as Quasimodo, Henry the VIII, Captain Bligh, and Inspector Javert.  Not having the dashing good looks of someone like Cary Grant, he was often cast in either villainous or comedic roles, but he came to be known as a scene stealer.  His wife from nearly the beginning of his career to the end of his life was Elsa Lanchester, a well respected actress in her own right, who was immortalized when she played the Bride Of Frankenstein.

Robert Mitchum, lookin' creepy.

Laughton's one and only directorial effort, The Night Of The Hunter, was released in 1955, and tells the story of Reverend Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum), a sadistic murderer and self-appointed man of god, who seeks out a stash of stolen money that he learned about from his cellmate in prison.  Convinced that the cellmate revealed the location of the money to his family, Powell seeks them out; the man's wife (Shelley Winters), and two young children (Billy Chapin and Sally Jane Bruce).  At first he plays the kindly, loving preacher with them, but when they don't tell him what he wants to hear, he begins to get dangerous.

At times it feels like a lyrical children's tale, at other times an intense thriller, and always featuring the blackest of humor.  Predating Stanley Kubrick (Especially his eventual use of Shelley Winters as a haggard housewife), this satire of religious fervor in the south will leave you constantly on edge, never knowing whether to laugh or cringe, much like one must feel being around Reverend Powell.  He's funny, and charming. . .  but is he to be trusted?

It ultimately proved to be too unique for it's own good.  The Night Of The Hunter opened to bad business and reviews, and Laughton was never offered another chance to direct.  In recent years, it has come to be thought of as a masterpiece by both modern critics and filmmakers, and has been referenced in movies as diverse as Do The Right Thing, Raising Arizona and The Devil's Rejects.

Essential Film: The Night Of The Hunter

You Can Skip:  Nothing!  Watch this immediately!

The Night of the Hunter (Criterion Collection)
The Night of the Hunter (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

Director Of The Week: John McNaughton

Getting a shave from Henry star Michael Rooker

Born:  January 13th, 1950, in Chicago, Illinois

Studied sculpture and painting at the University of Illinois - Champaign-Urbana, and received a Major in Still Photography from Columbia College.  Following school, he worked in an ad agency; as a construction worker; as a silversmith; as a sailboat builder; and as a circus barker.  But it was as a bartender that he met Malik and Waleed Ali, two men determined to become movie producers.  They gave him $100,000 to make what would become the infamous Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer.


Henry, based loosely on the life of real life serial killer Henry Lee Lucas, revolves around a woman named Becky (Tracy Arnold), who has moved to Chicago to stay with her brother, Otis (Tom Towles).  Otis' roommate Henry (A then unknown Michael Rooker), who he met in prison, immediately develops a rapport with Becky.  Unfortunately, Henry is, as you may guess, slightly deranged, and pretty soon he's sucked Otis and Becky into his mad little world.

The movie was finished in 1986, but the Alis' didn't end up liking the finished product, so it took quite some time to find a willing distributor.  It also didn't help that after being submitted to the MPAA, it was slapped with an "X" rating.  Finally, in 1990, it was released unrated.  Polarizing due to its extreme violence and subject matter, but ultimately very well received in the film community.  Roger Ebert gave it a glowing review, and it has since become a classic of both the horror and independent film scenes.

McNaughton has yet to reach that level of praise since.  Mostly working in the margins, he's since made the "alien head-snatcher" movie The Borrower; underrated crime comedy Mad Dog and Glory, starring Robert DeNiro as a cop, and Bill Murray as a gangster (?!); and showed us Kevin's Bacon in the ridiculously awesome erotic thriller Wild Things.

McNaughton brings a cool, detached eye to the proceedings.  Henry is so effectively creepy because it seems to be told from Henry's point of view;  murder is his day to day business, and he doesn't see anything odd about it.  He also works really well with actors;  in Mad Dog, Robert DeNiro, who is usually great, gives one of his best, most natural performances, and Bill Murray is equally amazing in his against-type role.  McNaughton's use of violence is also so squirm inducing because he uses a lot of natural lighting to give you a strong sense of being grounded in reality.  You're enjoying your time with his collection of murders, but you're unsure if he's ever going to let you leave.

Essential Films: Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer, Mad Dog and Glory

You Can Skip: Firehouse

Director Of The Week: Kathryn Bigelow

KATHRYN BIGELOW


Born:  November 27th, 1951 in San Carlos, California

An American filmmaker best known as a director of intense action/thrillers, who has recently been thrust into the limelight following her Best Director Oscar win for The Hurt Locker.  The Hurt Locker also won Best Picture over likely favorite Avatar, which was directed by her ex-husband James Cameron, who was also nominated in the director category.

Often accused of favoring style over substance, she truly embodies the spirit of pure cinema in that the style often IS the substance.  Throwing caution and logic to the side, the action scenes of "camp" classic Point Break are exhilarating and guaranteed to leave you breathless.  Though the story feels false, the presentation makes it seem completely true; a celebration of movement and action.  Likewise, in the critically acclaimed The Hurt Locker, she manages to maintain an almost constant, nearly unbearable, level of tension throughout, giving modern horror films like Paranormal Activity a run for their money.

Originally intending to be a painter, she ended up bringing a strong visual sense to her films; take a freeze-frame from any of her movies, and you could most likely hang it on a wall.  Even with the handheld work in The Hurt Locker, the editing and framing ends up giving it a sense of controlled chaos, particularly compared to similar work by Paul Greengrass in Green Zone.

Respected in genre circles for years due to her contributions to horror, sci-fi and action, she now is given the clout to play in the sandbox of her choosing.  Here's hoping that she doubles her output, while keeping the same level of quality she's brought to the game so far.

Essential Works:  The Hurt Locker, Near Dark, Point Break

You can skip:  K-19: The Widowmaker