Cool News
British Auteur Director John Schlesinger has Died in Palm Springs
Father Geek here with sad news... John Schlesinger, director of the multiple
Oscar-winning X-rated modern classic
"Midnight Cowboy" as well as "Darling", "Billy Liar" and edge-of-your-seat thrillers like "The Falcon and the Snowman", "Marathon Man", and "Pacific Heights," that explored the lives of lonely losers trapped in a complex and rapidly changing society, died Friday in Palm Springs at the age of 77. When ol' Father Geek was in Film School in the late 60's and early 70's working directors like Kubrick, Fellini, Kurosawa, Wilder, Truffaut, Bunuel, Hawks, and John Schlesinger were held up as the examples for us to follow... They're all gone now and sadly their footsteps were never really filled. Oh, we've got plenty of "Good" directors out there, but "Great Artiste" with something important to say and the "cajones" to let it all hang out, I'm afraid not. The bottomline and blockbuster mentality has done them in, in the good old USA at least... and we're all much poorer for it. I'll miss you John!
Here's just a little of what the "AP Wire" had to say...
Here's just a little of what the "AP Wire" had to say...
Schlesinger broke ground with 1969's "Midnight
Cowboy," which starred Jon Voight as a
naive native Texan who turns to male prostitution to survive in
New York and Dustin Hoffman as the
scuzzy, ailing vagrant Ratso Rizzo.
The film's homosexual theme was regarded as scandalous, but the tale of
underdogs trying to survive in a merciless metropolis was embraced by
critics and Hollywood despite its shocking sequences.
Based on a novel by James Leo Herlihy, "Midnight Cowboy" was nominated
for seven Academy Awards and won three — best
director, best picture and best adapted screenplay. It was the only X-rated
film ever to win the Oscar for best picture; reflecting changing standards.
After "Midnight Cowboy" he explored homosexuality again in his next
project with 1971's "Sunday Bloody Sunday," which starred Peter Finch and
Glenda Jackson as acquaintances who each reluctantly share a love for the
same young man. The director received another Oscar nomination for the
film.
The characters in Schlesinger's films often struggled with their place in the
world, and he depicted them as lonely, disenchanted and sometimes
forgotten. In 1975, he directed an adaptation of the Nathanael West novel
"The Day of the Locust," about young wannabe-stars who find only
disappointment in Hollywood.
He wasn't above directing commercial films, like his 1975 thriller
"Marathon Man." That teamed him again with Hoffman, who played an
innocent man tortured for information by Laurence Olivier, a hiding
Nazi war criminal with a penchant for drilling teeth.
That turned Schlesinger toward more thrillers, including the 1985 tale of
true-life spy skullduggery "The Falcon and the Snowman," starring Sean
Penn and Timothy Hutton as two young Americans convicted
of spying for the Soviet Union.
Schlesinger established himself as one of England's most promising young
directors in 1962 with "A Kind of Loving," which starred Alan Bates as a man who marries his pregnant lover only to find himself ill-prepared for
commitments.
He followed that with 1963's "Billy Liar," about a lazy young man who hides
from responsibility by daydreaming — one of his dreams is about a young
woman played by then-newcomer Julie Christie.
Christie worked with Schlesinger again on his next film, "Darling," which
won her an Academy Award for best actress in 1965 for her role as a
ruthless model who bullies her way to success. Schlesinger was nominated
for best director.
His other films included 1987's "The Believers," starring Martin Sheen
as a psychiatrist fighting a voodoo cult, and 1988's "Madame
Sousatzka," which featured Shirley MacLaine as an eccentric piano
teacher who befriends a 15-year-old student but clashes with him over
whether he should try to earn money from his talent.
He started the 1990s with a story about how little neighbors can know
about each other — "Pacific Heights," with Michael Keaton
playing a malicious tenant who starts out charming but begins to terrorize
his landlords, Matthew Modine and Melanie Griffith.
His last film was the 2000 comedy "The Next Best Thing" — about a
straight woman (Madonna) who decides to have a child
with her gay friend (Rupert Everett).
-
+ Expand All
-
Jul 27, 2003 1:17:31 PM CDT
Well, I guess it's ironic since "The Next Best Thing" killed his
by cooldan989
But seriously, he was a great director for a while. Then Madonna came along. Is it just me, or does Madonna ruin the career of almost every movie director she works with?
-
He will be missed.
-
Any cool class mates?
-
They don't get much cooler than Tsui Hark and Tobe Hooper...
-
Well, we still have David Lynch and Quentin Tarantino and some Oliver Stone among those who are uninhibited arTISTES. But anyway, I don't feel that Father Geek made a fair assessment about today's batch of filmmakers being watered down. And if this article's here to honor John Schlesinger's work, then what about his stuff that was non-controversial and still good like Cold Comfort Farm?
-
In response to a colleague who spoke earlier, "Next Best Thing" did indeed suck, a vanity project that truly was 98% vanity and 2% garbage. But John Schlesinger's "Midnight Cowboy" and "Marathon Man" are giants, two brilliant films. That's the good thing about brilliant films; nothing can take away their brilliance. Even if the director made 10 "Eye for an Eye" trashheaps, they would not detract from his best works. I wish someone would tell Mariah Carey this, before she goes nuts. No matter what bombs or disasters she suffers, nothing will take away that 1990 - 1995 pinnacle, it stays untouched. Notch out.
-
...but I'm stunned it took this long for something about Schlesinger's passing to be posted on this site. The latter chunk of John's career may not have been the best, but the greatness of his 60s & 70s work simply cannot be denied. To have waited two days to post something is more than a bit of a snub. Had it been someone like Monte Hellmann this joint would have been on top of it within minutes. Depressing.
-
i was waiting for you guys to mention JS's passing - better late than never. IMO Billy Liar is one of the best British films ever made.
-
"Midnight Cowboy" - a great movie with great actors from a great director. And we have "Tomb Raider", "Spy Kids" and "Bad Boys"!?! Sad, truly sad! Godspeed John Schlesinger!
-
The guy made some truly great stuff early in his career, and then trod water for the remainder of it. Nothing against COLD COMFORT FARM, but it ain't MIDNIGHT COWBOY. I too am surprised you guys took so long to post news of his death, however.
-
So, you were in film school around that time. Jesus! Tobe Hooper, you say? Christ! If this is a sore spot, I apologise, but how'd you fare after school? Would naming films give your identity away, or something?
-
Jul 27, 2003 8:00:43 PM CDT
I wonder what Johnny would have thought of Batman: Dead End
by boris the blade
...."I can see his nipples." Dead.
-
One of the great 70s films - often overlooked and forgotten, even within Schlesinger's filmography. I sincerely hope with his passing that Paramount gets off their collective duffs and releases the damn thing on WS DVD. Hell, it was never even available in its correct aspect ratio on LD! Seriously folks, for those of you who've not seen it, you simply must. One of the great movies ever made about Hollywood and people who seek fame and what that town is able to do to people. And Donald Sutherland plays Homer Simpson. I kid you not.
-
It is just you. She has worked with many talented directors, so they must see something in her that a lot of fanboys don't.
"The Next Best Thing" wasn't that bad. Not saying she has been robbed of an oscar,but she is better than people give her credit for. People just hate her voice.
"The Next Best Thing" is underrated because of people's hatred of her. If it was Meg Ryan, the movie would be considered a classic. lol. Of course it is going to be bad if you go in with the attitude that Madonna is going to suck. John Schlesinger is a talented director and although this movie isn't up there with some of his stuff of the 60's and 70's, it is still a good movie, damn it! -
Jean Luc Godard...probably the single most influential director of the French Nouvelle Vague. I'm anxious to see his new film In Praise of Love, I believe it's coming on DVD later this month......It's a pity about John Schlesinger, Midnight Cowboy was one of the highlights of the 60's.
-
I had found out about three months ago that there was a planned musical version of "Midnight Cowboy" to play on Broadway. We don't need it. The film stands on its own as well as a great director's work.
-
This year has been horrible for movie greats, this must be the 20th death of a prized member of the film industry, it's shocking.
-
and enjoying The Falcon and the Snowman. The next day I found out that the film's director had just died. This sucks. God bless you, John.
-
"Is it safe?" "Yes, it's very safe." "Is it safe?" "No, it's not safe. It's dangerous. Stay away." "Marathon Man," baby! My teeth ache just thinking about it. P.S. I personaly watched Schlesinger on the set of "Day of the Locust." He held together: (a) hundreds of extras on a giant fake set of Hollywood Boulevard and Graumann's Chinese Theater, (b) celebrity lookalikes of Clark Gable, Joan Crawford, et al getting out of a limo for a "fake" movie premiere, (c) the supervision of a lifelike dummy of child actor Jackie Earle Hayley for Donald ("Homer Simpson") Sutherland to stomp on, and (d) the riot of hundreds of extras who "killed' Sutherland after he "killed' the child star dummy. All this Schlesinger supervised without batting an eyelash. He was a hell of a director.
-
Jul 28, 2003 12:14:33 AM CDT
In regards to AlexClock, CoolDan, and The Next Best Thing
by hardcorerocker
Um, AlexClock, I saw The Next Best Thing. It WAS that bad. Really. Meg Ryan would not have made it good (keep in mind people have called Meg Ryan on shit movies several times, i.e. Addicted to Love). Even the lauded Julia Roberts couldn't have saved it. It was slow, it was pretentious, it was poorly acted by EVERYONE (not just Madonna!), and it was all-out shit on every level. CoolDan may have a point, because I have no alternative to present regarding her films within the past few years. Until next time, I remain rocking hardcore. My reviews of films at www.rockithardcore.com.
-
It's not shocking, Magnus... we're just getting old.
-
Watched Midnight Cowboy on the Sunday evening ,read this on the Monday morning.
Nobody makes films like this now because nobody can. It is not the same cultural climate.
-
John Schlesinger was one of the great directors. I agree that his career took a turn for the worse in later years. I don't understand why but the amazing talent of those early years just didnt seem present. It was nice to finally see COLD COMFORT FARM as a highlight among movies that fell far below those of earlier achievements. Unfortunately in hindsight that success seems like an aberration. In spite of this, he has always been a favorite director of mine. Years ago I used to scour through books trying to hunt down the title of every film he made just so I could hopefully see them one day. SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY is a masterpiece. A film many years ahead of its time. MIDNIGHT COWBOY, DAY OF THE LOCUST, and MARATHON MAN, all superb examples of solid filmmaking at it's best. BILLY LIAR is another great film from his early career. These kind of movies are simply not being made anymore. Great stories with interesting characters and solid performances told in an inventive and convincing way. You look at the movies being churned out and they all look like cartoons with nothing to them but explosions and actors trying to look stylish. The blockbuster mentality has ruined the quality of films. I think some of it has to do with the fact that most filmmakers are using other movies for inspiration. They simply haven't lived enough to inform their work. Too much reliance on what they've been brought up with and seen on television. It's pretty sad when you have directors trying to live out dreams of a 10 year old. American films need to grow up and maybe the audience does too. The kind of talent that brought us those great films will be sorely missed.
-
Oh, come on now, that really is reaching quite a bit. Two lonely drifters on the skids turn to each other for compassion and support and that makes them closet queers? Don't think so. Having said that I think it's an absolutely wonderful film, and the book it's based on is superb. The characterisation of Joe Buck as some kind of man-child idiot saint is sensitive and moving. I love 'Falcon and the Snowman' too. The factual story behind it is pretty arresting; lots of food for thought there. And I'd say with David Lynch kicking around it's a bit too early to declare that the true artists have all gone by-the-by.
-
...one of the best and most evocative of its time British films around (and that saying something.) Shame. On another note, like a previous TBer some time ago, I can never get over someone called PumpyMcAss posting their condolances. Kinda incongrous.
-
Indeed, Godard is great. And others are left: Marker and Resnais and Varda and Rivette are all still alive (and still making great films! "Va savoir" was by far my favorite film in 2002). Bergman's still alive, and, amazingly, still working (as are Ullmann and Nykvist and Sydow). Much of the incredible filmmakers of the 50s and 60s had careers through the 70s, 80s, and 90s, and produced great works. As for Godard's "
-
Another true legend passing today...I was expecting to see that at the top of this site. Bob and John, you'll be missed dearly.
-
Jul 28, 2003 12:20:07 PM CDT
All the greats are now leaving us. Hepburn, Schlesinger, and no
by bregalad_
And when Hope has left us, you know things are truly bad.
-
He was my mother's cousin, I believe, so I'm very sad I never got the chance to meet him, especially now that I'm just starting to discover his work. Still, it's nice to see all the tributes - Midnight Cowboy is one of the most moving films I've seen.
-
and I had no idea. The local rag isn't giving it much coverage...
-
except for some late-career stumbles, his body of work is admirable. He's from a time when there were a lot of talented directors working. now, there's a bunch of "talented" directors hacking. rent his movies on DVD this weekend and enjoy this man's greatness.
Readers Talkback
User Login
Top Talkbacks
- Whitney Houston 1963 - 2012 -- 439 total posts 159 posts
- WTF HOLLYWOOD: SOLARBABIES -- 144 total posts 142 posts
- Herc’s Seen Tonight’s Return Of THE WALKING DEAD!! Discuss Also DOWNTON ABBEY, FEAR FACTOR, PAN AM, ONCE, SIMPSONS, DYNAMITE, LUCK, SHAMELESS, BAIT CAR, THE GRAMMYS And More!! Sunday Is Sweeps Day 11!! -- 155 total posts 140 posts
- Avid Comic Reader Hercules Does Battle With Tedium During Kevin Smith’s COMIC BOOK MEN! -- 55 total posts 45 posts
- There's a STAR TREK video game that is going to lead into JJ's STAR TREK 2 apparently... -- 196 total posts 45 posts
- I am The Behind the Scenes Pics of the Day! No, I’m the Behind the Scenes Pic of the Day! -- 35 total posts 35 posts
- If the Behind the Scenes Pics of the Day drops her pen, pick it up, but don’t look at her legs or else it will be on your record. -- 60 total posts 34 posts
- New JUDGE DREDD post production footage pops up -- 127 total posts 32 posts
- To Commemorate The 3D Release Of STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE, George Lucas Wants You To Know...Greedo Shoots First!! -- 513 total posts 29 posts
- The Sensorties Revisit The Friday Docback (And Still Smell)!! DOCTOR WHO Story #7 Again, The Coming Of Season/Series 7, And More!! -- 118 total posts 27 posts