| Made in the UK | |
 |
Film directors From Brief Encounter to Trainspotting, British directors have made some of the world’s most cherished films. Ed Colley profiles the UK's greatest film-making talents |
| Compared to Hollywood in Los Angeles and Bollywood in Mumbai, the UK's
film industry is by no means the biggest, but the strength of its film talent
and its international success have shown that it is indeed one of the best. From the highly-skilled technicians who run the world-famous Pinewood and Elstree studios, to the celebrated actors who take plum roles in films such as Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, the British film industry‘s pedigree is second to none. In the area of film direction in particular, the UK boasts many major figures who are hugely respected by their contemporaries and worldwide audiences, as well as the emerging UK talents who are destined for similar international success. Part of the strength of British directors is the wider UK education that they have received. Many figures in the industry have benefited from an academic background in the arts and humanities, the influence of which can be seen in the films they make, the way they make them and their reasons for choosing to direct films in the first place. Below we profile four established directors and four emerging directors who reflect the UK’s excellence in film-making and its ability to nuture talent behind the camera, and not just in front of it. |
 |
Ridley Scott Born 30 November 1937, South Shields (near Newcastle) Educated West Hartlepool College of Art and London’s Royal College of Art Debut film The Duellists, 1977 Most recent film Currently in post-production with Crusader epic Kingdom of Heaven, starring young heart-throb Orlando Bloom and fellow Brits Jeremy Irons and Liam Neeson Best known for Alien, Blade Runner, Thelma and Louise and Gladiator: four wildly different but equally iconic movies Has worked with Most people you can think of, including Sigourney Weaver, Harrison Ford, Brad Pitt and Russell Crowe |
| Awards Best Picture for Gladiator at the 73rd Annual Academy Awards in 2001.
Scott was knighted in the 2003 New Year’s Honours List What others say ‘He’s a wonderful storyteller and a very bold director. He really does take chances. He picks material that is original and fresh and difficult.’ Harrison Ford introducing the Ridley Scott instalment in the American Film Institute series, The Directors In their own words ‘The key... is to step back and be your own biggest critic’. |
|
 |
Anthony Minghella Born 6 January 1954, Isle of Wight Educated A student and then lecturer at the Drama Department of the University of Hull Debut film Truly Madly Deeply, 1991 Most recent film Minghella is currently in production with The Assumption Best known for Classy, richly textured and hugely popular screen adaptations of famous novels, including The English Patient, The Talented Mr Ripley and Cold Mountain Has worked with Jude Law, Matt Damon, Nicole Kidman and Renée Zellweger |
| Awards Best Film and Best Director Oscars for The English Patient in 1997. Minghella
has also been awarded a CBE and an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Hull What others say ‘You are brilliant – thank you for making me better as an actress.’ – Renée Zellweger accepting her Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Cold Mountain in 2004 In their own words ‘I have always believed that there is a need for life-affirming films. Especially in the late ‘70s and ‘80s, affirmation was considered naive and unsuitable. But to write a genuinely affirmative plot is very difficult and demanding.’ |
|
 |
Mike Leigh Born 20 February 1943, Manchester Educated A scholarship at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art was followed by spells at Camberwell Art School, the Central School of Art and Design and the London Film School Debut film Bleak Moments, 1971 Most recent film Vera Drake, a moral drama set in 1950s England Best known for Extensive rehearsals and improvisations weeks before filming starts Has worked with Jim Broadbent, David Thewlis and Brenda Blethyn Awards National Society of Film Critics Best Picture award for Life is Sweet,1991, Best director at Cannes for Naked, 1993 and Palme d’Or for Secrets and Lies, 1996 |
| What others say ‘Leigh has an uncanny gift for creating characters who are... reflections
of the way the British think and talk.’ – Kathleen Carroll, Daily News (USA) 1991 In their own words ‘People say, “But audiences just want to escape.” I think that if people see a film like Secrets and Lies, where the stuff going on relates to things they really care about, then it’s more of an escape.’ |
|
 |
Mike Newell Born 28 March 1942, St Albans Educated Cambridge University, where he studied English Debut film The Man in the Iron Mask, 1977 Most recent film Newell has been given the tricky task of directing Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Will the production suffer the same growing pains as young Harry, or will it be a monumental smash hit like its predecessors? Best known for Ably helming a variety of films including Donnie Brasco, Mona Lisa Smile, and the most popular British film ever, Four Weddings and a Funeral Has worked with Hugh Grant, Al Pacino and Julia Roberts |
| Awards French Academy of Cinema Award in 1994 for Best Foreign Film (Four Weddings
and a Funeral) What others say ‘Mike Newell was from another world, really, in terms of the environment of the film. But he educated me, actually. He knew what he wanted and he went after it.’ – Al Pacino on working with the director on Donnie Brasco In their own words ‘One of the reasons to do [the Goblet of Fire] is that the way you literally make a film is that you take a subject and you hone it and you hone it and you hone it until it is an arrow, and it goes as straight as you can make it to the middle, if you can manage it, of the target.’ © Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment |
|