fbpx
Wikipedia

Karel Reisz

May 14, 2023

Karel Reisz (21 July 1926 – 25 November 2002) was a Czech-born British filmmaker and film critic, one of the pioneers of the new realist strain in British cinema during the 1950s and 1960s. Two of the best-known films he directed are Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960), a classic of kitchen sink realism, and the romantic period drama The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981).

Karel Reisz
Reisz in 1966
Born(1926-07-21)21 July 1926
Ostrava, Czechoslovakia
Died25 November 2002(2002-11-25) (aged 76)
Camden, London, England[1]
Spouse(s)Julia Werthimer
(m. 1953; div. 1963)
​
(m. 1963)​
Children3

Early life

Reisz was born in Ostrava, Czechoslovakia of Jewish extraction.[2] His father was a lawyer. He was a refugee, one of the 669 rescued by Sir Nicholas Winton.[3][4]

He came to England in 1938, speaking almost no English, but eradicated his foreign accent as quickly as possible.[5] After attending Leighton Park School, he joined the Royal Air Force toward the end of the war; his parents were murdered at Auschwitz.[6][7] Following his war service, he read Natural Sciences at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and began to write for film journals, including Sight and Sound. He co-founded Sequence with Lindsay Anderson and Gavin Lambert in 1947.

Career

Free Cinema

Reisz was a founder member of the Free Cinema documentary film movement. His standard textbook The Technique of Film Editing was first published in 1953.

His first short film Momma Don't Allow (1955), co-written and co-directed with Tony Richardson, was included in the first Free Cinema program shown at the National Film Theatre in February 1956.[8]

He produced Every Day Except Christmas (1957) directed by Lindsay Anderson and Band Wagon (1958).

Reisz and Anderson produced and directed March to Aldermaston (1959), then Reisz alone directed We Are the Lambeth Boys (1959), a naturalistic depiction of the members of a South London boys' club, unusual in showing the leisure life of working-class teenagers as it was, with skiffle music and cigarettes, cricket, drawing and discussion groups.[9] The film represented Britain at the Venice Film Festival. (The BBC made two follow-up films about the same people and youth club, broadcast in 1985.) He produced I Want to Go to School (1959) directed by John Krish.

Early features

His first feature film Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960) was based on the social-realism novel by Alan Sillitoe, and used many of the same techniques as his earlier documentaries. In particular, scenes filmed at the Raleigh factory in Nottingham have the look of a documentary, and give the story a vivid sense of verisimilitude.[10] The film won the Grand Award for Best Feature Film at the 1961 Mar del Plata International Film Festival.[11] It was successful at the box office and made a film star of Albert Finney.

Reisz directed a TV series Adventure Story (1961). He produced Anderson's feature directorial debut This Sporting Life (1963), then he and Finney reunited on Night Must Fall (1964).

Reisz directed Morgan – A Suitable Case for Treatment (1966) adapted by David Mercer from his 1962 television play.

His fourth feature as director was Isadora (1968), a biography of dancer Isadora Duncan, with a screenplay by Melvyn Bragg that starred Vanessa Redgrave.

Hollywood

Reisz's first film shot in America was The Gambler (1974) with James Caan.[12][13]

He did Who'll Stop the Rain (1978) with Nick Nolte and Tuesday Weld.[14] He was meant to follow it with an adaptation of Brian Moore's novel The Doctor's Wife based on a script by Joe Eszterhas, but the film was never made.[15]

Back in London, he directed The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981), which was probably the most successful of his later films.[16] Adapted from the John Fowles novel by Harold Pinter, it starred Jeremy Irons and Meryl Streep. In 1982 he directed John Guare's Gardenia Dreams on stage in Boston.[17]

He did Sweet Dreams (1985), based on the life of country singer Patsy Cline, starring Jessica Lange. After it he did a script about Libby Holman for Ray Stark but it was never made.[18]

Later career

Reisz's last feature was Everybody Wins (1990), with a screenplay by Arthur Miller and based on his play.

From 1991 to 2001, Reisz focused on theatre directing in London, Dublin and Paris.[19] He directed an adaptation of The Deep Blue Sea (1994) for British TV. In 1995, he directed Moonlight by Harold Pinter with Jason Robards and Blythe Danner. At a Beckett festival at Lincoln Center in 1996, he directed Happy Days. In 1999, he did Pinter's Ashes to Ashes, with Lindsay Duncan and David Strathairn at the Roundabout Theater Company. At the Pinter Festival at Lincoln Center in 2001, he staged A Kind of Alaska and Landscape. When the Gate Theater filmed all Beckett's stage plays, Reisz did Act Without Words I (2001).

Personal life

 
Reisz and Blair in 1966

Reisz had three sons by his first wife Julia Coppard, whom he later divorced.[20] Reisz wed Betsy Blair, former wife of Gene Kelly, in 1963 and remained married until his death.

Filmography

Films

Short films

  • Momma Don't Allow 1955 (documentary)
  • Every Day But Christmas 1957 (documentary about Covent Garden Market)
  • We Are the Lambeth Boys 1958 (documentary)
  • March to Aldermaston 1959 (documentary) about the first of the Aldermaston Marches

Television

  • Adventure Story (1961) (6 episodes)
  • Performance (TV series) (1 episode) (1994)

Book

  • Reisz, Karel (1953). The Technique of Film Editing. London: Focal Press. ISBN 0240521854.

References

  1. ^ Deaths England and Wales 1984–2006
  2. ^ Milne, Tom; "Obituary: Karel Reisz" Guardian.co.uk, 28 November 2002 (Retrieved: 3 July 2009)
  3. ^ Gardner, Colin (2006). Karel Reisz. Oxford Road, Manchester: Manchester University Press. p. 13. ISBN 0719075483.
  4. ^ Latynski, Maya (1992). Reappraising the Munich Pact: Continental Perspectives. Washington, D. C.: The Woodrom Wilson Center Press. p. 6. ISBN 0943875390.
  5. ^ "Karel Reisz". London: telegraph.co.uk. 28 November 2002. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
  6. ^ Newsmakers: the people behind today's headlines 2004 "After the war's end, the boys learned that both parents had died at Auschwitz, the German-run concentration camp"
  7. ^ Peter Worsley. An academic skating on thin ice, Page 52, 2008. "My best friend at College, Karel Reisz, a Czech, never told me what I only learned from his recent obituary – that both of his parents had been killed at Auschwitz."
  8. ^ Aufderheide, Patricia (2007). Documentary Film, A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University.
  9. ^ Hill, John (1986). Sex, Class and Realise: British Cinema 1956 - 1963. London: British Film Institute. p. 128. ISBN 0851701337.
  10. ^ Rule, John (1994). Saturday night and Sunday morning: time and the working classes. Southampton: University of Southampton. ISBN 0854325247.
  11. ^ "Mar del Plata Awards 1961". Mar del Plata. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  12. ^ Karel Reisz Gambles on Las Vegas By A. H. WEILER. New York Times 8 April 1973: 171.
  13. ^ "Karel Reisz: From Viewer to Doer in the World Cinema," Warga, Wayne. Los Angeles Times, 20 October 1974: q30.
  14. ^ 'We wanted to connect with British life in the way American cinema connected with American life. Politically our films were tangential.' Karel Reisz, his new film opening on Thursday, talks to Clancy Sigal The Guardian 16 December 1978: 13.
  15. ^ KAREL REISZ: 'Dog Soldiers' Dedicated Director Thomas, Kevin. Los Angeles Times 30 May 1977: g8.
  16. ^ Welsh, Jim (1982). "The Man Who Made the French Lieutenant's Woman". Literature Film Quarterly. 10 (1).
  17. ^ John Guare play; Gardenia Drama by John Guare. Directed by Karel Reisz.Beufort, John. The Christian Science Monitor, 6 May 1982.
  18. ^ "Karel Reisz and His Three-Year Itch", Mann, Roderick. Los Angeles Times, 15 September 1985: 18.
  19. ^ "Karel Reisz", Milne, Tom. The Guardian (1959-2003); London (UK) [London (UK)]28 Nov 2002: 26.
  20. ^ Vallance, Tom; "Karel Reisz: Director of 'Saturday Night and Sunday Morning'"[dead link] Independent.co.uk, 28 November 2002 (Retrieved: 18 March 2009)

External links

May 14, 2023
karel, reisz, july, 1926, november, 2002, czech, born, british, filmmaker, film, critic, pioneers, realist, strain, british, cinema, during, 1950s, 1960s, best, known, films, directed, saturday, night, sunday, morning, 1960, classic, kitchen, sink, realism, ro. Karel Reisz 21 July 1926 25 November 2002 was a Czech born British filmmaker and film critic one of the pioneers of the new realist strain in British cinema during the 1950s and 1960s Two of the best known films he directed are Saturday Night and Sunday Morning 1960 a classic of kitchen sink realism and the romantic period drama The French Lieutenant s Woman 1981 Karel ReiszReisz in 1966Born 1926 07 21 21 July 1926Ostrava CzechoslovakiaDied25 November 2002 2002 11 25 aged 76 Camden London England 1 Spouse s Julia Werthimer m 1953 div 1963 Betsy Blair m 1963 wbr Children3 Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 2 1 Free Cinema 2 2 Early features 2 3 Hollywood 2 4 Later career 3 Personal life 4 Filmography 4 1 Films 4 2 Short films 4 3 Television 5 Book 6 References 7 External linksEarly life EditReisz was born in Ostrava Czechoslovakia of Jewish extraction 2 His father was a lawyer He was a refugee one of the 669 rescued by Sir Nicholas Winton 3 4 He came to England in 1938 speaking almost no English but eradicated his foreign accent as quickly as possible 5 After attending Leighton Park School he joined the Royal Air Force toward the end of the war his parents were murdered at Auschwitz 6 7 Following his war service he read Natural Sciences at Emmanuel College Cambridge and began to write for film journals including Sight and Sound He co founded Sequence with Lindsay Anderson and Gavin Lambert in 1947 Career EditFree Cinema Edit Reisz was a founder member of the Free Cinema documentary film movement His standard textbook The Technique of Film Editing was first published in 1953 His first short film Momma Don t Allow 1955 co written and co directed with Tony Richardson was included in the first Free Cinema program shown at the National Film Theatre in February 1956 8 He produced Every Day Except Christmas 1957 directed by Lindsay Anderson and Band Wagon 1958 Reisz and Anderson produced and directed March to Aldermaston 1959 then Reisz alone directed We Are the Lambeth Boys 1959 a naturalistic depiction of the members of a South London boys club unusual in showing the leisure life of working class teenagers as it was with skiffle music and cigarettes cricket drawing and discussion groups 9 The film represented Britain at the Venice Film Festival The BBC made two follow up films about the same people and youth club broadcast in 1985 He produced I Want to Go to School 1959 directed by John Krish Early features Edit His first feature film Saturday Night and Sunday Morning 1960 was based on the social realism novel by Alan Sillitoe and used many of the same techniques as his earlier documentaries In particular scenes filmed at the Raleigh factory in Nottingham have the look of a documentary and give the story a vivid sense of verisimilitude 10 The film won the Grand Award for Best Feature Film at the 1961 Mar del Plata International Film Festival 11 It was successful at the box office and made a film star of Albert Finney Reisz directed a TV series Adventure Story 1961 He produced Anderson s feature directorial debut This Sporting Life 1963 then he and Finney reunited on Night Must Fall 1964 Reisz directed Morgan A Suitable Case for Treatment 1966 adapted by David Mercer from his 1962 television play His fourth feature as director was Isadora 1968 a biography of dancer Isadora Duncan with a screenplay by Melvyn Bragg that starred Vanessa Redgrave Hollywood Edit Reisz s first film shot in America was The Gambler 1974 with James Caan 12 13 He did Who ll Stop the Rain 1978 with Nick Nolte and Tuesday Weld 14 He was meant to follow it with an adaptation of Brian Moore s novel The Doctor s Wife based on a script by Joe Eszterhas but the film was never made 15 Back in London he directed The French Lieutenant s Woman 1981 which was probably the most successful of his later films 16 Adapted from the John Fowles novel by Harold Pinter it starred Jeremy Irons and Meryl Streep In 1982 he directed John Guare s Gardenia Dreams on stage in Boston 17 He did Sweet Dreams 1985 based on the life of country singer Patsy Cline starring Jessica Lange After it he did a script about Libby Holman for Ray Stark but it was never made 18 Later career Edit Reisz s last feature was Everybody Wins 1990 with a screenplay by Arthur Miller and based on his play From 1991 to 2001 Reisz focused on theatre directing in London Dublin and Paris 19 He directed an adaptation of The Deep Blue Sea 1994 for British TV In 1995 he directed Moonlight by Harold Pinter with Jason Robards and Blythe Danner At a Beckett festival at Lincoln Center in 1996 he directed Happy Days In 1999 he did Pinter s Ashes to Ashes with Lindsay Duncan and David Strathairn at the Roundabout Theater Company At the Pinter Festival at Lincoln Center in 2001 he staged A Kind of Alaska and Landscape When the Gate Theater filmed all Beckett s stage plays Reisz did Act Without Words I 2001 Personal life Edit Reisz and Blair in 1966 Reisz had three sons by his first wife Julia Coppard whom he later divorced 20 Reisz wed Betsy Blair former wife of Gene Kelly in 1963 and remained married until his death Filmography EditFilms Edit Saturday Night and Sunday Morning 1960 Night Must Fall 1964 Morgan A Suitable Case for Treatment 1966 Isadora 1968 The Gambler 1974 Who ll Stop the Rain 1978 The French Lieutenant s Woman 1981 Sweet Dreams 1985 Everybody Wins 1990 Short films Edit Momma Don t Allow 1955 documentary Every Day But Christmas 1957 documentary about Covent Garden Market We Are the Lambeth Boys 1958 documentary March to Aldermaston 1959 documentary about the first of the Aldermaston MarchesTelevision Edit Adventure Story 1961 6 episodes Performance TV series 1 episode 1994 Book EditReisz Karel 1953 The Technique of Film Editing London Focal Press ISBN 0240521854 References Edit Deaths England and Wales 1984 2006 Milne Tom Obituary Karel Reisz Guardian co uk 28 November 2002 Retrieved 3 July 2009 Gardner Colin 2006 Karel Reisz Oxford Road Manchester Manchester University Press p 13 ISBN 0719075483 Latynski Maya 1992 Reappraising the Munich Pact Continental Perspectives Washington D C The Woodrom Wilson Center Press p 6 ISBN 0943875390 Karel Reisz London telegraph co uk 28 November 2002 Retrieved 28 June 2010 Newsmakers the people behind today s headlines 2004 After the war s end the boys learned that both parents had died at Auschwitz the German run concentration camp Peter Worsley An academic skating on thin ice Page 52 2008 My best friend at College Karel Reisz a Czech never told me what I only learned from his recent obituary that both of his parents had been killed at Auschwitz Aufderheide Patricia 2007 Documentary Film A Very Short Introduction Oxford University Hill John 1986 Sex Class and Realise British Cinema 1956 1963 London British Film Institute p 128 ISBN 0851701337 Rule John 1994 Saturday night and Sunday morning time and the working classes Southampton University of Southampton ISBN 0854325247 Mar del Plata Awards 1961 Mar del Plata Retrieved 25 November 2013 Karel Reisz Gambles on Las Vegas By A H WEILER New York Times 8 April 1973 171 Karel Reisz From Viewer to Doer in the World Cinema Warga Wayne Los Angeles Times 20 October 1974 q30 We wanted to connect with British life in the way American cinema connected with American life Politically our films were tangential Karel Reisz his new film opening on Thursday talks to Clancy Sigal The Guardian 16 December 1978 13 KAREL REISZ Dog Soldiers Dedicated Director Thomas Kevin Los Angeles Times 30 May 1977 g8 Welsh Jim 1982 The Man Who Made the French Lieutenant s Woman Literature Film Quarterly 10 1 John Guare play Gardenia Drama by John Guare Directed by Karel Reisz Beufort John The Christian Science Monitor 6 May 1982 Karel Reisz and His Three Year Itch Mann Roderick Los Angeles Times 15 September 1985 18 Karel Reisz Milne Tom The Guardian 1959 2003 London UK London UK 28 Nov 2002 26 Vallance Tom Karel Reisz Director of Saturday Night and Sunday Morning dead link Independent co uk 28 November 2002 Retrieved 18 March 2009 External links EditKarel Reisz at IMDb Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Karel Reisz amp oldid 1147586489, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.