Month: January 2018

Film Directors: A sort-of A-Z: J

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I had some in mind for ‘J’, as I expected it might be a difficult letter. So I will go with those anyway, and hope that you come up with some good choices of your own.

By the way, there is no entry for the letter ‘I’, as I could only think of James Ivory.

Irish director Neil Jordan makes films full of atmosphere, and deals with some unusual story-lines too. I first saw his work in the film ‘Angel’ (1982) which was about sectarian violence in Northern Ireland. It was set around events encountered by a travelling showband, and didn’t try to search for any answers, or provide a happy ending to a situation that didn’t have one. He followed that with the amazing ‘The Company of Wolves’, (1984) one of the few Gothic fantasy films I have ever really enjoyed.
In 1986, Bob Hoskins delivered one of his best performances, in Jordan’s British crime thriller, ‘Mona Lisa’. After that, the successes just kept on coming. ‘The Crying Game’ (1992), ‘Interview With The Vampire’ (1994), the historical epic ‘Michael Collins’ (1996), and the gruelling murder drama ‘The Butcher Boy’ (1997). In 2007, he directed Jodie Foster in ‘The Brave one’, and in 2012 made the dark horror film, ‘Byzantium’. He is still working today, and his films have won many awards.

Norman Jewison is a Canadian director who made some memorable films. He is still alive, now 91 years old, and many of his films will immediately be familiar to you, even if you do not recognise his name. The brilliant ‘The Cincinnati Kid’ (1965), with a cast including Steve McQueen, Karl Malden, Edward G. Robinson, and the lovely Ann-Margret. ‘In The Heat Of The Night’ (1967), with Sidney Poitier as Tibbs, the black detective, and a memorable turn from Rod Steiger as a racist cop. ‘The Thomas Crown Affair’ (1968), using split-screen techniques, and stylish direction too. ‘Moonstruck’ (1987), bringing Cher and Nicholas Cage together, in a delightful romantic comedy. I have left many films off of the list of course, but you can see that he is a worthy inclusion in this series.

French film-maker Jean-Pierre Jeunet has only directed seven films in his career so far. But he established a distinct look to them from the start, and added a style and quirkiness that makes his work immediately recognisable. Often using lurid colours, and surreal locations, there really has never been anyone else like him. For a taste of the unusual, I recommend ‘Delicatessen’ (1991), and ‘The City Of Lost Children’ (1995). His comedy romance ‘Amelie’ (2001) is a complete delight, and his historical drama ‘A Very Long Engagement’ (2004) is a beautifully filmed and tender love story. (He also directed ‘Alien Resurrection’ (1997), but we won’t mention that one… )

Today’s choice is a film director and artist who divided opinion, with his completely radical artistic tastes and styles, and his habit of taking liberties with time and place in his films. His own homosexuality influenced many of his films, and the often abstract images made them into a very unusual cinema experience. The ideas were always different too. In ‘Jubilee’ (1977) the Queen of England is transported into a dystopian future, where the country is ruled over by Punks. His adaptation of ‘The Tempest’ starred Punk Rock singer Toyah Wicox as Miranda, and Jarman controversially removed much of Shakespeare’s original text.
The amazing ‘Caravaggio’ (1986) saw the film debut of Tilda Swinton, in a completely fictional account of the life of the famous painter. The film has nudity, bisexuality, and murder among its themes, and Jarman famously played with time and place once again, by including objects such as an electronic calculator and a typewriter. Some cast members are also seen to be smoking cigarettes, and all this in a film set in the 16th century! If this all sounds too strange, I should add that the film is just sumptuous to behold, with many scenes recreating the light and imagery of the painter’s work to perfection.
This trailer is in English, but has Italian subtitles.

Things I never expected to buy

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In between my draft posts that I have been putting up lately, this thought occurred to me, and generated a post that is not about films, for a change.

When I was younger, and living in the biggest city in Britain, there were certain things that were never really thought about. Things that I never expected to own, let alone have to buy at some stage. Moving to the countryside, and of course getting older at the same time, changed the everyday requirements of living, especially where clothing and footwear was concerned. Living in a place that is always much colder than London also brought about changes, and I recently had cause to consider some of the things I now own, that I had never imagined I would.

For most of my life, I had never possessed a ladder. When I had a house, I would pay someone else to clean the windows, make repairs to the roof, or paint where necessary. If I needed to get into a loft, I would stand on a stool or chair, and haul myself up through the hatch. For routine jobs, I had some small steps, allowing me to get up high enough to change a light bulb, or paint a ceiling. Once I moved to flats instead, routine maintenance was always done by someone else, provided by landlords. When I came to Norfolk to live in a bungalow, I didn’t need a ladder to clean windows, which are all at ground level. But I discovered that I also had to clear leaves from gutters, and that I could no longer physically drag myself up into the loft. So the ladder was purchased, and is now used all the time.

Houses and flats in cities are rarely that cold. The close proximity of other buildings and efficient central heating ensures that bedtime is rarely a chilly experience. But out here, our house is detached, touching no other buildings. All four walls are exposed to the elements, and the outside temperature is normally some five degrees less than it would be in London anyway. So we had to buy a much thicker duvet. For the first time, I now own a fifteen-tog heavyweight duvet, which is the minimum winter weight required, to feel cosy in bed.

I had never needed rubber boots, called Wellingtons here. The small city gardens of my past were easily managed without them, and even walking dogs I used to own was done on paved areas, or in manicured parks. We would rarely venture into the countryside on wet days, or in winter, so I was sixty years old before I realised that I would have to buy such boots, and have to wear them almost every day for six months of the year too. Not only that, I learned that I would have to have more than one pair. Lightweight ones for the spring rains, and heavy-duty lined ones for all of the winter. Then I had to get something called a boot-bag, for taking them out with me in the car.

The first bad winter here also made me worry about being stranded in the car. So I bought a tiny shovel, which I was sure would be needed at some stage. It never was though, so it was removed from the car and now hangs in the shed, looking as good as new. That set a trend for buying items that have yet to be used. With no gas in Beetley, we bought a portable gas-canister cooker, in case the electricity failed. Then added a hand lantern, for the same reason. All this new stuff had to be stored somewhere, so the useful shed outside became chock-full of ‘essential items’ that do little more than occupy space on shelves. A leaf-blower that just blew leaves around, but I still had to bend down to pick them up. A rough saw for trimming trees, that I then discovered I wasn’t allowed to cut.

I won’t bore you further with the list of white elephants that I had never thought I would need, and in most cases didn’t. But if you ever find yourself in a similar situation, think carefully about what you need, and what you buy.

Film Directors: A sort-of A-Z: H

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There are some very big name directors in ‘H’, some of the most famous indeed. I will be featuring two foreign directors, and two American directors, leaving all the others for you to choose from.

Working from 1916 until 1970, Howard Hawks directed some great films, including many regarded as classics of cinema. Before you say to yourself “Howard who?”, take a look at some of the titles, which you will surely have heard of, even if you haven’t seen them. ‘Scarface’ (1932), the original, starring Paul Muni. ‘Bringing Up Baby’ (1938), the comedy starring Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn. ‘His Girl Friday’ (1940), again starring Grant. This was followed in 1942 with two films starring Gary Cooper, ‘Sergeant York’, and ‘Ball of Fire’. As if that wasn’t enough, he went on to direct all of these too. ‘To Have and To Have Not’ (1944) with Humphrey Bogart in the lead. Bogart again, in ‘The Big Sleep’ (1946), the western ‘Red River’ (1948), ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’ (1953), ‘Rio Bravo’ (1959), and ‘Rio Lobo’ (1970), his final film. And I left a lot out!

Walter Hill is another American director who made some of my favourite modern films, and he is still active today. I first noticed his name in 1978, after seeing ‘The Driver’, a taut thriller that gave Ryan O’Neal one of his best roles. Two years later, I went to see his amazing western epic, ‘The Long Riders’, and started to look for his name as a recommendation. Sure enough, the following year saw me rushing to the cinema to see his latest film at the time, ‘Southern Comfort’. He followed that with a comedy vehicle for Eddy Murphy, ’48 Hours (1982), going on to direct Murphy again, in ‘Brewster’s Millions’ (1985). He was never stuck in a genre, or distinct style, but his films are no less memorable for that.

Michael Haneke is an Austrian film-maker who always challenges his audience, in every way imaginable. I first saw his work in the disturbing film ‘Benny’s Video’ (1992). This film about a troubled boy, and his possession of a humane-killer bolt gun, allied to an obsession with graphic video images, is one you will never forget. The next film of his I watched was the equally disturbing. ‘Funny Games’ (1997), where apparently polite and respectable young men invade the home of a normal and respectable family, submitting them to various forms of abuse and torture, most of which is unseen by the viewer. Despite the worrying theme, the performances are exceptional, and compulsive to watch. He moved on to great critical acclaim with the psychological thriller ‘The Piano Teacher’ (2001), generating an unforgettable performance from French actress Isabelle Huppert. Then in 2005, he won seven awards with the thriller ‘Cache’ (‘Hidden’) again in French, and starring Daniel Auteuil, and Juliette Binoche. His historical drama, ‘The White Ribbon’ (2009) racked up no less than ten awards, followed by the touching film about old age and love, ‘Amour’ (2012) which gained a staggering twenty-seven awards, including the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.
He may well be the best director you might never have heard of.

My top pick today was always going to be my choice for the letter ‘H’. Werner Herzog is still working, aged 75. The German director has delivered some truly wonderful films, and I have seen most of them. His collaborations with the actors Klaus Kinski and Bruno S are film legends in themselves, and he has also worked on many documentaries, and films in English. I prefer his earlier films in German, and he has undoubtedly made some poor choices, when working in the USA. To keep the post short, I will only mention three of his most famous films, but I do urge you to try to see them, as they are all just tremendous. ‘Aguirre: The Wrath of God’ (1972) sees Klaus Kinski in suitably manic form as a crazed conquistador, leading his men into the depths of South America, searching for the legendary city of El Dorado. The cinematography and direction in this film is simply breathtaking. I saw it at the cinema, and I was overwhelmed, I assure you. A very diffferent theme, but still lovingly made, ‘The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser’ (1974) tells the story of a strange young man, found wandering and lost in a German village in the early years of the nineteenth century. It may not sound like much, but Bruno S delivers a performance that will break your heart to watch. Herzog’s most famous film is also one of his best. ‘Fitzcarraldo’ (1982) finds Kinski on the borders of insanity once again, trying to get a riverboat across the Amazon jungle, to make his fortune in Rubber, and bring Opera to a remote town. Sound crazy? It is, but it is also fantastic. Here’s a trailer for ‘Aguirre’. You will get the idea.

Film Directors: A sort-of A-Z: G

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‘G’ is a difficult letter at first sight, but think about it for a while, and you may well be surprised by how many you know.

Back to the silent era to begin, and the films of D.W. Griffith. If you have never even heard of him, you should really try to see at least two of his epics, ‘Intolerance’ (1916), and the American Civil War epic from the year earlier, ‘Birth of A Nation’. Also know as ‘The Clansman’ this film received criticism for its apparent admiration for the Ku Klux Klan. But as an epic production, it has few equals. Remarkably, he made over 500 films; including ‘Broken Blossoms’ (1919), with the divine Lilian Gish in the lead, and ‘Orphans of The Storm’ (1921) again with Lilian Gish, and her sister, Dorothy.

Yilmaz Guney was a Turkish film-maker who considered himself to be a Kurd, and an anarchist. As a result, he spent most of his life in prison, unbelievably making some of his films whilst incarcerated, by sending his scripts and direction ideas to colleagues. Before his long imprisonment, he made a large number of films, until he was finally arrested for preaching anarchist philosophies to his students. During the 1970s, he directed a series of films that earned him worldwide acclaim, including ‘Umut’ (1970), ‘The Hopeless’ (1971), and ‘Agit’ (1972. His most effective film outside Turkey was undoubtedly ‘Yol’ (1982), which won the Palme D’Or at the Cannes festival that year. I really hope that more of you can get to see that simply marvellous film.

French director Jean-Luc Godard is a name that is synonymous with modern cinema, and he was one of the leading figures in the ‘New Wave’ school of film-making during the 1960s. His influence is nothing short of legendary, and his films have a huge following all over the world. To list all his highly-acclaimed films would require a post in itself. However, I will try to do him justice, by naming some of his best titles. ‘A Bout De Souffle’ (1960) was known outside France as ‘Breathless.’ Starring Jean Seberg, and Jean-Paul Belmondo, this gritty crime drama was later remade in America in 1983, with Richard Gere in the lead role. The drama ‘Band of Outsiders’ (1964) was so well received, that Quentin Tarantino adopted the French title ‘Bande Apart’ as the name of his production company. If you add ‘Alphaville’ (1965), and ‘Pierrot Le Fou’ (1965) you are still just scratching the surface of a prolific director who continues to work to this day.

My top pick in this letter is the British director, Peter Greenaway. He is a ‘love it or hate it’ film-maker, and I am firmly in the love it category, with one his films featuring in my all-time top ten. His films are always complex and challenging for the viewer, and he has worked with some of the great modern actors, including Helen Mirren, Michael Gambon, Janet Suzman, Ralph Fiennes, and Juliet Stephenson. He often writes the films, as well as directing them, and the musical scores from the talented Michael Nyman are works of art in themselves. You may not recognise some of the titles, ‘A Zed and Two Noughts’ (1985), ‘The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover’ (1989), and ‘Prospero’s Books’ (1991). But I urge you to seek them out, and allow yourself to be dazzled by a an extraordinary film-maker, with a unique style. As for that film that made it into my top ten, ‘The Draughtsman’s Contract’ (1982) is a simply superb historical drama, concealing a murder mystery.
As an example of that genre, it has no equal.

Just been watching…(53)

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The Danish Girl (2015)

***This is based on a true story, so spoilers do not apply***

Einar Wegener was an accomplished landscape painter living in Copenhagen, during the 1920s. He was happily married to another painter, Gerda, but his work was far more popular than the portraits she specialised in. A novel was published in 2000 by David Ebershoff, based on their life together, and this was adapted into the film directed by Tom Hooper, starring Eddy Redmayne, and Alicia Vikander, who won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role.

This film sets the scene very well. The happy couple enjoy some success, and have a wide circle of artistic friends. Denmark in the 1920s is nicely rendered, with both scenery and costumes establishing the era well. As historical dramas go, this is one that is very nice to look at.

When one of her female sitters is late for an appointment, Gerda asks Einar to wear her shoes and stockings, so that she can paint the legs of the ballet star. She also drapes a dress over him, to get the overall effect. It is immediately apparent that Einar feels comfortable in this female attire, and when Gerda suggests that he pose as a woman to attend the Artist’s Ball, he goes along with the ruse, which is intended to shock their friends. However, once wearing a wig, make up, and learning to walk and behave as a woman, Einar realises that he has always felt more like a woman inside. At the ball, he is attracted to a man, Henrik. Posing as Lili, Einar goes off with him, and ends up kissing him passionately.

That accelerates Einar’s desire to live as a woman, and he begins to dress as Lili most of the time, wandering around the city, and visiting Henrik at his home. Challenged by his wife, Einar tells her that he no longer wants to live as a man, and confesses to the relationship with Henrik. Gerda still loves him, and for a time they continue to live happily enough, with Gerda painting him as Lili, and finally achieving recognition in her own right, and success that leads the couple to live in Paris for a while.

Einar/Lili tries to consult various doctors for advice and help. But most consider him to be perverted or insane, and he has to escape potential confinement in a psychiatric hospital. Now living most of the time as Lili, he eventually meets a sympathetic German doctor who offers him experimental reconstructive surgery to become a woman. He cautions Einar though, telling him that the surgery is both painful, and potentially fatal. Despite this, Einar is determined to go ahead, and travels to Germany for the first of two operations, becoming one of the first people to ever undergo gender reassignment surgery.

I didn’t warm to this film as much as I had expected to. Although nice to look at in the main, it is by nature of the story often claustrophobic in feel. Redmayne looks the part of a woman in the 1920s, but I was never really convinced that so many others would readily accept that he was female. (Though his lover Henrik actually knew he was really Einar.) But the film is worth watching for Vikander. This talented actress inhabits the part of the disappointed yet dedicated wife so well, and she is completely convincing as a Bohemian painter too. Here’s the trailer.

Film Directors: A sort-of A-Z: F

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I will let you know from the start that I am not including John Ford, but there are lots of famous film-makers to choose from in ‘F’.

I am starting with Bob Fosse. The famous choreographer was also a screenwriter and actor, as well as a film director. He made three of my favourite films, including two musicals that I love. In 1972, ‘Cabaret’ made the transition from stage to screen, starring Liza Minnelli as Sally Bowles. That wonderful musical gained a number of Oscars, including Best Actress for Minnelli, and Fosse did the choreography too. Five years later came ‘All That Jazz’, with one of Roy Scheider’s best performances, playing a thinly-disguised version of the director himself, and including some memorable dance routines and songs. Fosse went on to make the powerful biopic, ‘Lenny’ in 1974, eliciting a standout performance from Dustin Hoffman, as the troubled American comedian, Lenny Bruce.

American John Frankenheimer had a long career, and made many memorable films during it. He specialised in thrillers, and I am sure that the titles of many of his films will be familiar to you. Working with some of the biggest stars of the time, he directed ‘The Birdman of Aclatraz’ 1962), a true story, starring Burt Lancaster. And released the same year, ‘The Manchurian Candidate’, with Frank Sinatra, and Lawrence Harvey. They were followed by two more films starring Lancaster, the cold war political thriller, ‘Seven Days In May’ (1964) and the WW2 resistance film, ‘The Train’ (1964). Later films included ‘Black Sunday’ (1977) and ‘Ronin’ (1988), with Robert De Niro in the lead role.

English director Stephen Frears may not be a name that is immediately familiar to you. But once I start to list some titles from his varied catalogue of films, I am sure the penny will drop. During a long career in film and television, his success had hardly diminished, with his latest film ‘Victoria and Abdul’ only released in 2017. But I haven’t seen that, so can’t comment. However, I have seen the fantastic ‘The Grifters’ (1990), which is one of the best modern crime dramas ever made, in my opinion. Also ‘Dangerous Liaisons’ (1988), ‘Prick Up Your Ears’ (1987), and ‘My Beautiful Laundrette’ (1985), a gay love story starring a young Daniel Day Lewis. Add ‘High Fidelity’ (2000), and the superb Helen Mirren as Elizabeth II in ‘The Queen’ (2006), and you can see why Frears has featured here.

For my top pick, I had to wrestle with a choice between Frederico Fellini, and Rainer Werner Fassbinder. One Italian, one German, and both exceptional and influential film-makers. But because he made one of my favourite films in a foreign language, I decided to go with Fassbinder today. Although he died young, aged just 37, he left behind a legacy of exceptional and often thought-provoking films.
‘The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant’ (1972) is the story of a successful female fashion designer who falls for a young model, a decision that will ultimately ruin her life. His most successful film was ‘The Marriage of Maria Braun’ (1979) starring the incomparable Hannah Schygulla as a lonely wife in post-war Germany, who falls for a black G.I. When her soldier husband returns from captivity as a POW, Maria has a difficult decision to make. Fassbinder’s themes of weak men and powerful women permeated many of his films, as did his homosexuality. But in his finest film he featured none of these, instead looking at the problems of an interracial marriage between an elderly German widow, and a much younger Arab man. The marvellous ‘Fear Eats The Soul’ (1974) is a heartbreaking drama, and has an amazing performance from Brigitte Mara, as Emmi.

Thinking Aloud on a Sunday

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The wisdom of age

I have been thinking about age this morning, and how it has often been associated with wisdom. When you get older, you begin to think a lot about age, believe me. Or perhaps it is only me?

In your seventh decade, you might be expected to have learned from mistakes in the past. Not only your own, but those of others around you. All those jobs, the relationships, friendships, and the thousands of people you have encountered in passing. That should all have rubbed off on you by now, surely? You should be mellow, enjoying some contentment, and spreading the wisdom of that experience far and wide.

But in some cases, certainly mine, emotions overwhelm commonsense. You continue to make all the same mistakes, the bad choices, and the wrong decisions. As the numbers of birthdays grow, some strange mixture of nostalgia and desperation often prevents you from accessing that wisdom, even though you know it is there, deep inside. The tolerance you were developing in middle age is harder to maintain, and the temper of your wilder youth seems to be trying to make a comeback.

You might well try to impart some of your knowledge and wisdom to the younger generations, but there is every chance they won’t want to hear it, and consider it to be little more than the babbling of an old bore. There is a place in the social structure that you are supposed to inhabit, and still your brain is telling you that it is not time for you to go there. Not just yet. Better to look back to when you thought everything was better, and in the process foolishly trying to recapture some of that youthful spirit.

Remember when you had ideals, dreams, and aspirations? That doesn’t go away. But the frustration of never having realised most of them comes along too. Grumpiness can become the default condition of old age, and wisdom will take a back seat once that takes hold. When you are young, you look ahead to times when you are sure everything will be good. Leaving school or college, owning your first car, getting married, travelling to that place you always wanted to see, or maybe buying your own home. As you tick off those milestones in life, you conveniently ignore the fact that it wasn’t quite as exciting as you had expected it to be. You reach out to the next ones instead. Children, a good career, grandchildren, then retirement on a comfortable pension.

On the way, wise old heads tell you it is not going to be what you expect, but you ignore them. What do they know? You will do it differently, and you will make it all work. They are just old and bitter after all, resenting your youth and vitality. When you are older, you are never going to be like that. Then one day, you realise that you are no different to them, and that everything they told you was true. But you refuse to accept it of course. It feels similar, but you know you were different. Your time was the real golden age, and you will be sure to be wiser than them, when your time comes.

But it wasn’t, and you won’t.

Film Directors: A sort-of A-Z: E

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There are surprisingly few to choose from in the letter ‘E’. Because of that, I will only feature two film-makers in today’s post, hopefully leaving out enough for you to add your choices.

Sir Richard Eyre is a man of many talents. This English director is known for his work in stage productions, Opera, and television, as well as films. Highly regarded, he has won many awards, and received both a C. B. E. and a Knighthood for his achievements. Although he has not made many films, they have all been powerful dramas, and well-worth watching. The superb ‘The Ploughman’s Lunch’ (1983) looks at the machinations of the British media, during the heyday of Margaret Thatcher. ‘Iris’ (2001) told the true story of the life of the writer Iris Murdoch, and her battle with Alzheimer’s Disease, with a memorable performance by Judi Dench in the title role. Eyre worked with her again, in the 2006 psychological thriller ‘Notes On A Scandal’, where she starred alongside Cate Blanchett. He gets in close to his actors, and really manages to work with them to achieve standout performances.
Worth investigating, if you have never seen his films.

Back to my youth, and my early days of going to the National Film Theatre in London, where I developed my love of foreign films. The films of Russian director Sergei Eisenstein have become part of the very fabric of cinema. With their innovative techniques, and huge scope, they have generated endless imitators, and inspired film-makers all over the world too. You may not know his name, but you might have heard of his films. Following the turmoil of the Russian Revolution, he documented events in an often startling fashion, at a time when most films were still silent. ‘Strike’ (1925), ‘Battleship Potemkin’ (1925), and the wonderful ‘October: Ten Days That Shook The World’ (1927). He later went on to make the famous historical epics ‘Alexander Nevsky’ (1938) and ‘Ivan The Terrible’ (1944).
Here is a taste of his style, with the famous ‘Odessa Steps’ scene.

Six a day

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The last time I wrote about the band Jamiroquai on this blog was in August, 2017. Since publishing this original post about them https://beetleypete.wordpress.com/2016/09/04/whatever-happened-to-jamiroquai/ in 2016, it has become one of the most-read posts ever on this blog, and one of the most popular too.

Since then, I have posted no less than twelve more posts about this blogging phenomenon, and its continuing success on my blog. (Sorry, Sarah) I know that many of you will be sick to death of it by now, and groaning at the thought of yet another post about about it. However, it just never goes away, and I feel that some extra information is in order.

Despite trying not to notice, I cannot help the fact that my attention has been drawn to the fact that never a day goes by, without views of this post. Even though the band resurfaced, and actually released an album in 2017, the thirst for news about them has never diminished. A quick look through the recent stats shows me that even two years after publication, that original post never gets less than six views a day, every day of every week. It has become the bread and butter post on this blog, and even on my quietest days for views, it still attracts attention.

I was sure (some of) you would want to know. 🙂

Film Directors: A sort-of A-Z: D

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Continuing with this series of posts that I had in drafts, we are up to ‘D’. I will leave you the obvious ‘D’ (Walt) and feature some different choices. Please continue to offer your own selections in the comments.

One name that may not come to mind straight away is that of Edward Dmytryk. This Canadian director was responsible for some excellent films though, and most may sound familiar, once you hear the titles. From 1935 until 1976, he directed more than fifty feature films, many starring the big names of the day. One of his entries in the film noir genre was ‘Crossfire’ (1947), a classic ‘B’-film thriller with a cast including Robert Mitchum, Robert Young, and Gloria Grahame. It doesn’t get much better than this, and the film rightly received five Oscar nominations. Dmytryk was also famous for his war films ‘Back To Bataan’ (1945) starring John Wayne, and ‘The Young Lions’ (1958), with Marlon Brando, and Montgomery Clift. Later on, he worked with Robert Mitchum again, on the war epic, ‘Anzio’ (1968).

Brian De Palma (Yes, the De counts as ‘D’) has had a long career, with over fifty years in the film industry. Perhaps best known for his often lurid psychological thrillers, his distinct style has often been copied, but rarely bettered. But did you know he also directed ‘Carrie’ (1976), the great adaptation of the Stephen King novel? After that, his film credits are too numerous to list here, but I am sure that most of you have seen and enjoyed many of his films. Here are just some that you will know, even if you never knew (nor cared) who directed them. ‘Dressed To Kill’ (1980), ‘Blow Out’ (1981), with John Travolta starring in a very gripping thriller. Al Pacino’s over the top gangster in ‘Scarface’ (1983), ‘The Untouchables’ (1987), ‘Carlito’s Way’ (1993), and ‘The Black Dahlia’ (2006). Just a selection of his body of work, and he still continues to direct today.

My next choice is Terence Davies, an English film-maker who may not be that well known to many readers. However, I respectfully suggest that you explore his work, and seek out some of his outstanding dramas.
He is most famous for his two autobiographical dramas set in the 1940s and 1950s. ‘Distant Voices, Still Lives’ (1988) is a beautifully-filmed nostalgic story of family life in Liverpool. It feels completely authentic, and the whole cast is never less than totally convincing in their roles. ‘The Long Day Closes’ (1992) is set in post-war Britain too, and shows the life of a young boy at the time, unflinching in its portrayal of working class life in the 1950s.

Someone else whose name gets into ‘D’ by virtue of its foreign origin is Guillermo Del Toro. He also gets today’s top spot. Guillermo is currently being lauded in the Oscar nominations for his new film ‘The Shape of Water’, which I haven’t seen. But I was always going to include this Mexican film director for other films I have already enjoyed. Leaving out his unseen (by me) blockbuster films like ‘Pacific Rim'(2013), and the ‘Hellboy’ franchise, I have chosen this film-maker for just three films. Not many, to include someone in such articles, I agree. But each one had such a profound affect on me, I just had to put him in.
‘Cronos’ (1993) is a Spanish-language horror film with a difference. With minimal shocks, and a creeping sense of menace, it delivered just the right combination of B-film scares, alongside some superb casting, and a great atmospheric feel. I really recommend that one. Two of his films were set during and after the Spanish Civil war, using fantasy and child actors to portray the confusion of war, and their escape through surreal worlds and ghostly happenings. ‘The Devil’s Backbone'(2001) was also produced by Pedro Almodovar, and the combined talents of the two resulted in a powerful and often spine-tingling film, with tremendous performances from the mainly young cast. The third, and by far the best, film that gets Del Toro into this list is ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’.(2006) This is just a stunning fantasy, with the unforgettable performance of a young actress (Ivana Baquero) in the lead. It would need its own post to fully describe just how good this film is, so I will leave you with the American trailer instead.