Idiosyncratic film director Nicolas Roeg, whose odd but compelling films included Performance and The Man Who Fell To Earth, has died. He passed away on Friday night of undisclosed causes at age 90, according to his son.
Roeg’s work, which was often opaque and non-traditional, influenced a generation of filmmakers, but wasn’t widely accepted at first. Performance was almost not released, and later re-cut by Warner Bros., whose executives found it almost incomprehensible. It is now considered a classic, decades later.
Before directing, Roeg had built a solid reputation as a cinematographer, winning acclaim for his work on Far From The Madding Crowd and Fahrenheit 451, among others.
But it was his work on Performance that caused a stir. Co-directed with Donald Cammell, its non-linear narrative and dark tones recalled such auteurs as Jean-Luc Godard and Richard Lester. It became a signature piece, leading to such stylized and arty...
Roeg’s work, which was often opaque and non-traditional, influenced a generation of filmmakers, but wasn’t widely accepted at first. Performance was almost not released, and later re-cut by Warner Bros., whose executives found it almost incomprehensible. It is now considered a classic, decades later.
Before directing, Roeg had built a solid reputation as a cinematographer, winning acclaim for his work on Far From The Madding Crowd and Fahrenheit 451, among others.
But it was his work on Performance that caused a stir. Co-directed with Donald Cammell, its non-linear narrative and dark tones recalled such auteurs as Jean-Luc Godard and Richard Lester. It became a signature piece, leading to such stylized and arty...
- 11/24/2018
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
News and portrait photographer with an eye for the unexpected and the authentic
Michael Ward, who has died after a long illness, aged 82, was a news photographer for almost 40 years and once calculated that his archive of prints and negatives covered 5,500 assignments, mainly though not exclusively for the Sunday Times. And yet he came late to his career and never felt confident that he completely understood it. Towards the end of his life, after half a century with a camera, he wrote that he knew "as much or as little about the processes of photography as a decent amateur". Technically, he knew he was far from accomplished. Aesthetically, he was never sure what separated a good picture from an indifferent one.
He had several exhibitions – the venues included the National theatre and the National Portrait Gallery – but he always remained suspicious about photography's claim as art. Nevertheless, many of his pictures are sympathetic and memorable.
Michael Ward, who has died after a long illness, aged 82, was a news photographer for almost 40 years and once calculated that his archive of prints and negatives covered 5,500 assignments, mainly though not exclusively for the Sunday Times. And yet he came late to his career and never felt confident that he completely understood it. Towards the end of his life, after half a century with a camera, he wrote that he knew "as much or as little about the processes of photography as a decent amateur". Technically, he knew he was far from accomplished. Aesthetically, he was never sure what separated a good picture from an indifferent one.
He had several exhibitions – the venues included the National theatre and the National Portrait Gallery – but he always remained suspicious about photography's claim as art. Nevertheless, many of his pictures are sympathetic and memorable.
- 5/18/2011
- by Ian Jack
- The Guardian - Film News
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