The Directors on Sky Arts - Series 6

 Episode 1   Spike Lee

Stephen Armstrong called him a revolutionary film maker. I thought I had not seen a single film directed by Spike Lee, but there was one later on. He was born in Atlanta, Georgia on 1956 but the family moved to Brooklyn when he was still quite young. He attended NY Tisch School of Arts to study film and his first effort there was co-directed with Ang Lee. While there he won a student Oscar and went on to make his first feature in 1986 called She's Got To Have It, shot in twelve days. 

This was followed by 1988's School Daze and Do The Right Thing the following year. This was nominated for a best screenplay Oscar. Mo' Better Blues came in 1990 and Jungle Fever in 1991. At last Lee had a decent budget for 1992's successful Malcolm X that Neil Norman described as a great biopic. Crooklyn in 1994 was partly autobiographical then Clockers the following year was a first thriller with Harvey Keitel as the detective. 

Get on the Bus was a small movie in 1996 followed by Summer of Sam in 1999, Lee's first non black movie with an American/Italian story about a serial killer. In 2002 came 25th Hour with Edward Norton and then the one film I have seen, the big blockbuster thriller that was Inside Man with Clive Owen and a well known cast. 

Miracle at St Anna came in 2008, a WW2 story about black soldiers. Then Chi-Raq in 2015 was an audacious Chicago story. Lee followed this with 2018's BlacKkKlansman that Stephen Armstrong called a very important movie. It won an Oscar for best screenplay having been nominated in six categories.  The latest film was the Vietnam movie Da 5 Bloods that was released in 2020. Stephen Armstrong said that his movies always had moral complexity. I will seek out BlacKkKlansman.

Episode 2  Mike Nicholls 

Mike Nicholls was "the most sophisticated and intelligent of  comedy directors according to Neil Norman. And "at his best there was no-one to touch him". His output is so prolific, the programme dashed through some of his movies, so this post seems more like a list. Nicholls was born in 1931 in Berlin., although his ancestors were Russian. The family fled to America in 1939. He attended Chicago University and joined the drama department. It was in Chicago sometime later that Nicholls joined an acting group and then formed a double act with Elaine May.

It was when they broke up that Nicholls took to directing plays and those on Broadway gained Nicholls a couple of Tony Awards. Through his career he gained six of these. His successes led him to Hollywood and the opportunity to direct Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor in 1966's Whose Afraid of Virginia Woolf. The following year came The Graduate with Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft, and in only this, his second film , he won the Oscar for best director. Neil Norman told us how Nicholls came to choose the music and the specially composed "Mrs Robinson". Of all the Simon and Garfunkel songs on the soundtrack, I always loved "The Sound of Silence", not at the end, but the opening credits at the airport. 

On to 1970 and Catch 22 that was described by Neil Norman as "an enormous project" and an "extraordinary film and cast". Just how did Nicholls get hold of 17 B52 bombers? In 1971 came Carnal Knowledge with Jack Nicholson and Anne Margaret. Then The Day of the Dolphin followed by The Fortune in 1975. Jack Nicholson again and Warren Beatty. However it was not well received and there was an eight year gap (including directing back in the theatre) before the next movie.

That was Silkwood in 1983 with Meryl Streep and this was followed by Heartburn with Streep again. In 1988 came Biloxi Blues with Mathew Broderick and in the same year Nicholls released the smash hit Working Girl with Melanie Griffith and Sigourney Weaver. It was called a great comedy drama. 1990 saw Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine in Postcards from the Edge  followed by Harrison Ford in Regarding Henry. The programme missed 1993's The Remains of the Day, that superb adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's book starring Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thomson, but Nicholls was only a producer. Then in 1994 came a surprising change in direction with the satirical horror Wolf with Jack Nicholson again. I always though it was a very decent story. Robin Williams starred in The Birdcage in 1996 that was followed by another  success in 1998 with Primary Colours with John Travolta. I had never heard of 2000's What Planet Are You From.

But I did see 2004's Closer, that highly theatrical four hander with a star cast. In 2007 came Nicholls' final film in Charlie Wilson's War with Tom Hanks. Another movie I really enjoyed. Nicholls left us with a wonderful set of movies, Ian Nathan called him "at heart a comedian .... a genius". Neil Norman said he was an actor's director which is so true.

Episode 3  Ron Howard 

This episode was notable for the introduction of a new presenter. Wendy Mitchell has joined Ian Nathan, Neil Norman and Stephen Armstrong. Ron Howard is another director whose films are quite familiar, as the programme said, " a great body of films". Neil Norman said that he "understands drama comes from people" and Ian Nathan added he was "one of America's premier directors".

Howard was born in 1954 in Duncan, Ohio. He came from an acting family, not stars but jobbing actors in small films and the theatre. And so from the age of five, he became a child actor on TV. He then went to Southern California University of Dramatic Arts, already experienced in his field. He was cast in the TV hit show Happy Days and played Richie Cunningham from 1974 to 1980

Ian Nathan then explained how he did a deal with Roger Corman. He would act in Eat My Dust if he could direct Grand Theft Auto. This 1977 picture was a success and Neil Norman thought he did a fantastic job at the young age of 22. However, Howard was back at Happy Days for another three years before he had another opportunity to direct, this time Night Shift in 1982. This was such a success that Howard was given the opportunity to direct  1984's Splash with Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah followed by Cocoon in 1985. We were told it may be a silly story, but the mature actors gave it so much heart.

The comedy Gung-Ho was followed by the big hit  Willow in 1988 and the family comedy Parenthood in 1989. A big change of direction came in 1991 with Backdraft, the firefighting action picture. The staging of the fire, we were told by Wendy that it  was "an impressive technical achievement". Then in 1992 came Far and Away, a historical epic with Tom Cruise and Nicol Kidman, so again something different. Another switch came in 1994 with The Paper where Howard had carried out huge research to make the film authentic. Howard was even more successful with his next movie. Apollo 13 in 1995 was called "his epic" by Ian Nathan and Stephen Armstrong applauded it's "amazing realism". Then came Ransom in 1996, a film noir with Mel Gibson. This kidnap drama was another big hit. 

ED tv and The Grinch who stole Christmas were glossed over. But then in 2001, Howard gained "enormous critical success" with A Beautiful Mind starring Russell Crowe.  This saw a best director  Oscar for Howard. It was back to the wild west for 2003's The Missing and then the director was re-united with Russell Crowe for 2005's boxing drama  The Cinderella Man. Next up was Howard's most financially successful movie with  The Da Vinci Code.in 2006. Then in 2008 came Frost/Nixon that was one of his most critically successful films. Starring the actors who played in the original stage version, Michael Sheen and Frank Langella,  

The following year, Howard directed Angels and Daemons and then in 2013 came Rush. All the contributors were impressed by this  F1 motor racing drama about the rivalry between James Hunt and Nicki Lauda. Neil Norman called it "hugely exciting". The programme then only mentioned in passing the later films that were In the Heart of the Sea, Solo, a Star Wars Story and Hillbilly Elegy and didn't even mention Inferno. However, overall, this was a huge body of work for one man. To conclude, Wendy Mitchell said he had " a lot of heart" and Stephen Armstrong added that he directed "some of the finest mainstream pictures of the time".

Episode 4  William Friedkin

Ian Nathan said this was a director who "thrives at the extremes" and Stephen Armstrong added that he was "almost an investigative film maker". Wendy Mitchell thought there was an "energy to his films" and Neil Norman thought they had "gritty authenticity". William Friedkin was born in 1935 and came from a Jewish immigrant family. He was not an academic but loved films and started work in the mail room of a TV company. He graduated to make documentaries and when he was thirty he moved to Hollywood where he got to direct an episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. 

He made his first feature film in 1967 when he was sharing the same agent as Sunny and Cher who wanted to make a film about themselves with a plot and their music. Then in 1967 he made a film adapting Harold Pinter's The Birthday Party with Robert Shaw, Sidney Tafler and Patrick McGee. (I think my father knew the second of these very talented actors). The following year he directed The Night They Raided Minsky's and in 1970 came The Boys in the Band, another adaptation of a play. 

Then suddenly, out of the blue, his documentary experience brought him the opportunity to direct 1971's blockbuster The French Connection with Gene Hackman. This tribute to the dark side of New York and that unforgettable car chase (it was real) brought the Oscars for best director and best picture. This was a huge critical and commercial success after those small theatrical movies. Friedkin followed this with another huge hit in 1973's The Exorcist. Neil Norman said this "changed the face of horror films for ever". Wendy thought it was "so scary". The film brought another Osar nomination.

Then in 1977 came Sorcerer (new to me) that Stephen Armstrong said was "biblical" and "phenomenal". But it was not a success. Next came a crime comedy in 1978's The Brink's Job. And then one of his most controversial films in 1980's Cruising starring Al Pacino. But a movie about a gay serial killer was poorly received. Then The Deal of the Century in 1983 was followed by a return to success and critical acclaim with 1985's To Live and Doe in LA featuring another great car chase. 1987's Rampage had a difficult time and all through the 1990's his films were not great.

But in 2000 came Rules of Engagement with Samuel L Jackson and Tommy Lee Jones that saw Friedkin back to form. And a TV version of Twelve Angry Men was well received. In 2003 came The Hunted in 2006 Bug. The Director's next film was five years later with the dark comedy Killer Joe starring Mathew McConaughey "giving an extraordinary performance".

The presenters concluded that Friedkin was "one of Hollywood's greatest realists" (Neil Norman) and Ian Nathan said "when he's at his best he's unstoppable".

 Episode 5   Kathryn Bigelow

It was Wendy Mitchell who introduced this episode by saying Kathryn Bigelow was one of her favourite directors and a "rule breaker". Neil Norman thought she was "fearless". She was born in 1951 in San Carlos, California and quite shy as a girl. But she loved art. This led her to the San Francisco Institute to study art and then to Columbia University to study film. She started to make short films and in 1981 she made The Loveless with Willem Defoe (who co-directed) and help from the Museum of Modern Art, quite an artsy film.

It was not until 1987 that Bigelow directed Near Dark, that Wendy called a "vampire western" and Neil Norman said it was "truly bloodthirsty". Then in 1990 came the police thriller  Blue Steel with Jamie Lee Curtis and the following year her first big box office success that was Point Break with Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze. A surfer/heist film that is now an iconic movie, using hand held cameras to great effect. In 1995 Bigelow directed one of my favourite films of the time Strange Days with Ralph Fiennes. A sci-fi film rooted in reality that Neil Norman said was "extraordinary in every respect". A high tech thriller when it was too early for that description.

I had not heard of  The Weight of Water from 2000, a much smaller film that moves back and forth from modern day to 1800. Then in 2002 came K-19: The Widow Maker with Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson. Another great movie with a $100 Million budget. Almost a disaster picture about a Russian submarine and it's crew. But it had a disappointing box office. So it was six hears before Kathryn directed again, but what a film to wait for. The Hurt Locker in 2008 deservedly won her the Oscar for best director, the first woman to do so. It also won the Oscar for best picture. The thriller with Jeremy Renner about bomb disposal in Iraq was actually shot in Jordan. The tension is incredible.

In 2012 came Zero Dark Thirty with Jessica Chastain which I liked more than the presenters. Neil Norman said it was a "very controversial movie" and Wendy added it was "well crafted". It did gain critical and financial success. Then in 2017 Bigelow directed Detroit about the 1967 riots which was called an "angry film". Wendy thought it was a "very important" movie, again shot like a semi-documentary with trademark hand held cameras. 

Stephen Armstrong concluded that she "tells the stories of our time" and Neil Norman said she was "fearless" and her films were entertaining and action packed. Ian Nathan thought she was a "true artist"

Episode 6   Quentin Tarantino

Stephen Armstrong introduced this episode with the words that Tarantino was "America's foremost post modern film maker" while Neil Norman said that he "brought independent film making into the mainstream". Tarantino was born in 1953 in Knoxville, Tennessee, his mother was only sixteen. His mother remarried to a musician who taught Quentin lots of contemporary stuff. Tarantino worked in a video store for five years. He became hugely knowledgeable about movies and came to the notice of director Roger Avery to work as a production assistant. Avery introduced him to producer Laurence Bender who encouraged Tarantino to start writing film scripts.

In 1992, it was Harvey Keitel who was impressed with his script for Reservoir Dogs and put up some of the money needed to film this low budget movie. It seems more like a theatrical piece, filmed almost entirely in one location and reliant on never ending dialogue. Wendy Mitchell said "he had all these films in his head " that were bursting to come out. His script for True Romance was filmed from an original draft for My Best Friend's Birthday that was never completed in 1987. Tony Scott directed True Romance with "his veneer on top".

In 1994 came Pulp Fiction which Neil Norman said was "beautifully structured" and wendy thought that it cemented his style. That great cast, the separate but interwoven stories with superb dialogue helped it win the Palme d'Or at Cannes and an Oscar for best original screenplay. (This must have been the award Tarantino loved most as a conformation of his writing skills). There was also a nomination at the Oscars for best director. 

Next came a contribution to a segment of Four Rooms and then his old script for From Dusk Till Dawn was directed by collaborator Robert Rodriguez and released in 1996. The following year Tarantino released Jackie Brown with a comeback for Pam Grier. But it was not until six years later in 2003 that Kill Bill Volume 1 was shown with Volume 2 the year after. Wendy said he was "revelling in the films he loved, even Japanese anime. Neil Norman loved the final climatic scene which was "just two people talking in a room". Death Proof in 2007 starring Kurt Russell was another collaboration with Robert Rodriquez as a pastiche of cheap grindhouse movies, complete with bits of celluloid floating around the screen. 

 Then in 2009 came Inglorious Basterds with great cast that Stephen Armstrong (and I) called a "great film". It contains one of my favourite scenes of all time set to David Bowie's Cat People. But 2012's Django Unchained was quite controversial being a period slavery fantasy. But it did have a great modern soundtrack that said it was not serious. Then The Hateful Eight in 2015 has echoes of Reservoir Dogs again very stagey and crammed with trademark Tarantino dialogue. Ian Nathan called it a "combination of Agatha Christie and Bonanza". It was shot in full blown 70mm film as a reaction against all things digital. It looked beautiful and the scenery was excellent.

Then in 2019 came my favourite Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. A recognition of the work of Sergio Leone set in 1959 Hollywood. Ian Nathan liked the "life in LA" and Neil Norman said it was his "most mature film" and "such a fantastic piece of work". It also has a wonderful soundtrack and the episode included the superb "Out of Time" by Chris Farlowe. The film has huge sections without any violence, notably when Brad Pitt visits the Spahn Ranch and Julia Butters in a long conversation with Leonardo DiCaprio. Maybe producer David Heyman (Harry Potter fame) helped, cutting down a huge script to something manageable. I always remember him saying on that first visit to Tarantino's home to read it he shooed away the director when he was already two hours through.

Wendy Mitchell concluded the was a "genuine auteur of modern film making" and Ian Nathan liked his movies so much he has written a book. Definitely one of my favourite directors, mainly because his films are packed with great dialogue that he writes himself. There are not many who can do that. It's the writing that counts for me.

Episode 7   J Lee Thomson

I didn't recognise the name of this director, though I probably should have. I probably gave no thought to who was directing in the 50's and 60's. As Stephen Armstrong said "possibly one of the most underrated directors that BRITISH cinema ever produced". Neil Norman thought he was "the most extraordinarily prolific film maker" who was certainly versatile. He was born in Bristol in 1914 to a theatrical family, so he was drawn to acting and joined Nottingham Rep and then Croydon Rep. His talent for writing plays got him a job as a screenwriter at British International Pictures that became Associated British Pictures. By 1938 he was working as a dialogue coach for Alfred Hitchcock. At ABP he was contributing writing to all sorts of films.

Then in WW2 Thomson was actually a tail gunner. The programme missed out that his play The Human Touch ran for more than 100 performances at the Savoy Theatre in 1949. So we were onto his first directing credit in 1950 that was an adaptation of his play Murder Without Crime followed by The Yellow Balloon. In 1954 he directed a young Dirk Bogarde in For Better For Worse, a romantic comedy. Then came As Long As They're Happy, An Alligator Named Daisy and The Weak And The Wicked. It was in 1956 he directed Yield To The Night that Neil Norman said that it was "the most significant film of the period" and "an absolutely extraordinary piece of work". It starred a best ever performance from Diana Dors committing a murder and won the film a nomination for the Palme d'Or at Cannes. Neil Norman added that the (opening) cinematography was amazing".

In 1957 came Woman In A Dressing Gown that was called a marital drama and Stephen Armstrong said that it's "portrayal of working class was revolutionary". The following year came one of Thomson's big successes with Ice Cold In Alex with Sylvia Simms, John Mills and Anthony Quale. I agreed when it was described as "one of the great British war films". John Mills starred again in 1959's Tiger Bay with his daughter,  a very young Hayley that won the BAFTA for best film The same year came North West Frontier, an epic historical adventure. Even better was to come in 1961 with The Guns of Navarone. Neil Norman said this was his "biggest film to date, replacing the original director". It was also described as "a magnificent war film", and "highly successful". Not for just the action, but the conflicts between the various characters on the team. It became a "phenonium" and Thomson was nominated for a best director Oscar. It must have had more repeats on UK tv than any other movie.

Thomson was now regarded as a big shot in Hollywood and 1962 he directed Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum in Cape Fear. Next came a pair of epic movies with Kings Of The Sun (?) and Taras Bulba, Thomson then made a big change in direction with 1964's What A Way To Go, a "very funny" black comedy with an all star cast led by Dean Martin and Shirley MacLaine. The latter starred again in John Goldfabb Please Come Home that was not successful.

So it was back to British cinema with Return From The Ashes and 1966's Eye Of The Devil, a dark gothic movie starring David Niven that Stephen Armstrong thought was a "very good film". 1969's McKenna's Gold was the last of Thomson's big Hollywood films, this time with Gregory Peck and a "really big cast". Ian Nathan loved it being "old fashioned entertainment". It cost too much but was a big hit. Peck starred for the last time with Thomson in 1969's The Chairman which Stephen Armstrong said was like an episode of Mission Impossible. 

Then, incredibly (perhaps for the money) in 1973 Thomson was engaged to direct the sequel to the highly successful Planet Of The Apes called Conquest... and also the follow-up 1973's Battle For The Planet Of The Apes. The final part of Thomson's career saw a number of his films that were not named (except 1984's The Ambassador with Robert Mitchum)  and NINE action films with Charles Bronson. It was left for Stephen Armstrong to tell us that Thomson was "a name you might not be aware of " "but whose films you do know". (That's me). And Neil Norman added "in many ways one of the most unacknowledged film makers" "who deserves to ne reassessed". 

Episode 8   Rob Reiner

Of course this episode started with a clip from This Is Spinal Tap. Neil Norman said that he was " a man of many talents" and a "dynamic and exciting director". Wendy Mitchell added that he "made a string of classic films". Rob Reiner was born in 1947 in The Bronx, New York City. His family was in showbiz and his father (Carl Reiner) was big in TV and then movies. When the family moved to LA, the house was often filled with comedians. After Rob attended UCLA he started working as a performer, in comedy on TV but his always wanting to direct was inspired by his mother.

The idea for This is Spinal Tap came from a 1978 sketch in a comedy programme called "The TV Show". Reiner worked with Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer to develop the idea of a parody rock band. They first shot a 20 minute demo for the film they wanted to make with director Reiner appearing as the narrator. Here he tells the camera that watching the band he was "knocked out by their exuberance, their raw power and their punctuality". When funding was thus secured, the movie was shot in five weeks with all those above taking roles and co-writing the script. It coined the word Rockumentary and was, and still is, highly successful. It is semi-improvised, has lots of jokes. It was Mark Kermode who said "When ever someone says Rockumentary, immediately you think is it as good as This is Spinal Tap and the answer is No".

The success of this movie led Reiner on to direct 1985's The Sure Thing, discovering a young John Cusack along the way. Ian Nathan called it a "great cult comedy". Then in 1986 came Stand by Me that Wendy said Ron Reiner "brings so much warmth to it". 1987 saw Reiner direct The Princess Bride that Neil Norman described as a film "impossible to define" and "a superbly funny film". But next came a huge success in 1989's When Harry Met Sally with Meg Ryan. Wendy called it "one of the best romantic comedies ever made". Reiner's next film went in a completely different direction. Misery from 1990 was from the book by Stephen King. Ian Nathan said "the shock and tension is startling". 

In 1992 came A Few Good Men with a young Tom Cruise and Demi Moore. Another different kind of movie that Neil Norman said "the ride was tremendously exciting". However Reiner's next film North in 1994 was a failure. So it was the next year before Reiner had more success with The American President. This had a Aaron Sorkin screenplay and starred Michael Douglas and Annette Bening in a type of rom com that inspired the writer to start The West Wing. In 1996 came Ghosts of Mississippi with Alec Baldwin and Whoopi Goldberg.  This was followed by The Story of Us in 1999 with Bruce Willis. Almost the opposite in tone  to When Harry Met Sally it was not a success. Ian Nathan called it a "depressing" film.

The programme then glossed over another two rom coms, Alex and Emma (2003) and Rumour Has It (2005) before settling on 2007's The Bucket List starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. Neil Norman told us "the two stars are so wonderful together". The film was a huge hit. The episode seemed to run out of time as Reiner's last six films of his later career were ignored, Except for LBJ with Woody Harrelson that Wendy called "a solid bio pic". It was left to Stephen Armstrong to sum up his career with "you leave his films happier ..... time after time". Ian Nathan said he should be compared with the great directors and that "he made more favourite films than any other director". His was a huge body of work that Wendy said should "stand the test of time".

Episode 9    Stephen Frears

Neil Norman said that Stephen Frears was "a throwback to the directors who came out of Ealing Studios". Wendy Mitchell added that he was "one of the great British film makers of our time" and that he was "versatile. Frears was born in Leicester in 1941. His father was a GP and an accountant. After a independent boarding school, he found himself at Trinity College, Cambridge where he worked with the Footlights Review as a stage manager. Then working at the Royal Court Theatre before becoming assistant director on Lindsay Anderson's 1968 film If. 

His first debut feature as director came in 1971 with Albert Finney in Gumshoe. Wendy thought the film worked as Liverpool film noir. But then Frears moved to the BBC for the next 13 years working on programmes such as the successful Play For Today series. Back to feature films came in 1984 with The Hit starring Terence Stamp as a supergrass that Wendy called "a stylish crime thriller". However, the big break for Frears came with 1985's success My Beautiful Laundrette. Set in 1980's London, it made Daniel Day Lewis into a star and received Oscar and BAFTA nominations. 

This was followed by 1987's Prick Up Your Ears, a collaboration with Alan Bennett, with Gary Oldman and Alfred Molina as joe Orton and Kenneth Halliwell, where their relationship came to a violent end. Next came his first American feature that was 1988's Dangerous Liaisons with an all star cast. It won three of it's seven nominations at the Oscars and two of it's ten nominations at the BAFTAS. Frears returned to crime drama with 1990's The Grifters with John Cusack, Annette Benning and Angelica Houston. this earned Frears an Oscar nomination for best director, and Ian Nathan said that it was "his best film" and a "great modern noir". In 1992 Frears directed Dustin Hoffman in Accidental Hero. This was his first big budget Hollywood movie and Ian Nathan thought he was not very comfortable directing this kind of film. It was not at all successful.

We were told that the rest of the 1990's proved a challenging time for Frears, Mary Reilly in 1996, his next major film was a critical and commercial failure, unlike The Hi-Lo Country in 1998 that at least gained some critical acclaim. But then his next film was a great success. 2000's High Fidelity, again with John Cusack, was very popular. an Americanisation of the Nick Hornby novel that Wendy thought was a "note perfect adaptation". Frears' next two films were social dramas: Liam and Dirty, Pretty Things in 2002. Stephen Armstrong liked the way it portrayed London as third world city. 

In 2005 came The Queen with helen Mirren, one of Frears' big hits. Then Cheri in 2009 that I did not know. Two comedies were glossed over: Tamara Drewe (I thought it was OK) and Lay The Favourite (also unknown to me). However in 2013 came the great Philomena with Judy Dench and Steve Coogan. Wendy thought it was a "wonderful film". Next up came 2015's The Programme about Lance Armstrong and the following year Florence Foster Jenkins with Meryl Streep and High Grant. The programme did not get as far as 2017's Victoria and Abdul, again with Judy Dench. To sum up, Wendy thought that Stephen Frears was a very versatile director and Stephen Armstrong said he could "create classic cinema". 

Episode 10   John Carpenter

Stephen Armstrong introduced this episode by telling us that John Carpenter "does everything .... writes, directs, (produces), even composes the music" and that his were "ground breaking films". Ian Nathan added that he was "hugely influential on other careers". He was born in 1948 in Carthage, new York. His father was a musician and John learnt to play the violin and piano. But it was his mother who took him to the movies that inspired him to attend the University of Southern California to study film. Stephen Armstrong told us "that was all he ever wanted to do".

His first short film was The Resurrection of Broncho Billy that actually received an Oscar award for best live action short film in 1970 when Carpenter was only 22. Also while at University, he started work on his first feature Dark Star that was released in 1974. Wendy Mitchell said that this was "not the most auspicious start"..... "but impressed people what he could do on a very low budget". Next came Assault on Precinct 13 in 1976. Neil Norman said it was "an urban modern thriller" and "makes the most of very little" and that it was "enhanced by Carpenter's own score".

But then in 1978 came his first big success with Halloween and a young Jamie Lee Curtis. Wendy thought this was "one of the most successful independent movies of all time" and Stephen Armstrong added that "the opening sequence is a work of art". (Well it was ground breaking. The eerie music by Carpenter helped). That same year, Carpenters' screenplay for The Eyes of Laura Mars was also a success. In 1980, Carpenter directed The Fog, another hit, then the TV movie documentary Elvis The Movie. 

In 1981 came Carpenter's first big collaboration with Kurt Russell in Escape From New York. Neil Norman thought the action never stops, a rescue mission in a future prison that is Manhattan. Then in 1982 Carpenter released The Thing with Kurt Russell. (Did we see a clip from the 1951 movie The Thing From Another World in Halloween? We did.) Ian Nathan called this his first proper studio movie that I thought was full of claustrophobia and paranoia. Those amazingly horrible special effects by 22 year old Rob Bottin were without any CGI. Glad I didn't see it on the big screen. Carpenter then became involved with two sequels to Halloween before directing Christine in 1985 from the Stephen King story. Stephen Armstrong thought that "the effects are phenomenal". 

The following year came Oscar nominated Jeff Bridges in Starman, a romantic sci fi? In 1986 Carpenter re-united with Russell in Big Trouble in Little China, a comedy, action, sci fi, kung fu, thriller, fantasy! Then in 1987 came Prince of Darkness, a pretty crazy horror film and then 1988's They Live. The programme glossed over Memoirs of the Invisible Man and 1994's In The Mouth of Madness. His later career included the sequel Escape From LA, with again Kurt Russell, and Vampires which I thought quite a reasonable film of it's type. I had never heard of the next movies Ghosts of Mars and The Ward.

It was left to Stephen Armstrong to reiterate how John Carpenter had influenced other careers and for Ian Nathan to say how "in his early career he made some important genre films that have lasted". So many future directors owe him a lot.