Hugh Hudson

Infobox Actor
name = Hugh Hudson
birthdate = birth date and age|1936|8|25
birthplace = London, England
spouse = Maryam d'Abo (2003-)
yearsactive = 1967 - present
occupation = director, producer, screenwriter

Hugh Hudson (born 25 August 1936) is an British Academy Award-nominated film director.

Biography

Hudson was born in London, the only son of Michael Donaldson-Hudson and his second wife Jacynth Ellerton from a family of Shropshire landowners, with West coast Scottish connections . He was sent to boarding school at the age of about 7 and thereafter he was educated at Eton.

In the sixties, after three years editing documentaries in Paris, Hudson headed a documentary film company with partners Robert Brownjohn and David Camell, producing, amongst others, award winning documentaries "A for Apple" and "The Tortoise and the Hare". He then embarked on a rewarding career in advertising, producing and directing , alongside fellow British director Ridley Scott, many prizewinning adverts. This allowed him entrance to the world of film-making; his first job was as a second-unit director on Alan Parker's "Midnight Express".

In 1973-1975 he wrote and directed "Fangio . A life at 300 Kms per Hour" . A seminal film about motor racing seen through the eyes of Juan Manuel Fangio - 5 times world Formula 1 Champion , and considered by the sport to be the greatest driver of all time.

In 1979-1980 Hudson directed what is now regarded as his most accomplished and well-known film, "Chariots of Fire" (1981), the story of two British track runners, one a devout Christian and the other an ambitious Jew, in the run-up to the 1924 Olympic Games. The film is said to have revitalized the fading British film industry, and it won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture; Hudson earned a nomination for Best Director. His old friend and colleague Vangelis produced an Academy award winning score for the film. Vincent Canby of New York Times wrote in 1981 ..."Chariots of Fire is a celebration of a number of things, not the least of which is a kind of highly committed, emotionally involving drama that knows the difference between sentiment and sentimentality. It's to the credit of Mr Hudson that Chariots of Fire is simultaneously romantic and commonsensical, lyrical and comic .... David Watkin's photography is very fine, and the track sequences - even to someone who has no real interest in track - are charged with poetry ... It's an exceptional film about some exceptional people "

After this success, Hudson's later productions included "Greystoke - The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes" (1984), and "Revolution" (1985), which depicted the American War of Independence, and which jeopardised what could have been a prosperous career in Hollywood for Hudson.

In 1988 he directed a 2½ minute advert for British Rail, a parody of the Post Office Film Unit's 25 minute documentary, 'Night Mail', made in 1936. The much loved poet W. H. Auden wrote his famous verse specifically to fit the film's footage, that cleverly showed the enormous scale of BR's daily operation and the structure of the 'sectorised' business . The opening sequence features the northbound Travelling Post Office with Auden's original verse, narrated by Sir Tom Courtenay. Music by Vangelis. Other famous advertisments made by Hudson are the British AIrways "Face" seen in over 70 countries round the world , Fiat Strada " Figaro" and Benson & Hedges " Swimming Pool" . These adverts are frequently voted among the best adverts of all time .

Hudson's next theatrical feature film was Lost Angels (1989) an American based drama dealing with disaffected youth in California . Then at the end of 1990's he directed I Dreamed of Africa (2000), and My Life so Far (1999) . Jean Claude Carriere wrote of this film ..." Hugh Hudson's film My Life so Far is a delightful bittersweet film, which covers the start of a boy's life during the first part of the 20th century - from his last baby's bottle to his first cigar. A film which sadly is not known as well as it should be. It's a variation on a universal theme which will never end . There will always be men and women, old people and youngsters, horses and dogs. "

In 2008 Hudson re-edited Revolution giving the film a narration spoken by Al Pacino , and finally creating the film that was envisioned by Hudson and Pacino 20 years earlier. It had been forced into distribution before it was finished - much against the wishes of its star and its director.

The London Observer film critic Philip French writing about the new version says ... "Revolution was misunderstood and unjustly treated on its first appearance twenty years ago. Seeing it again in the director's slightly revised version it now strikes me as a masterpiece - profound, poetic and original. Hudson's film should take it's place among the great movies about history and about individual citizens living in times of dramatic social change. One hopes it will finally find the wide audience it deserves"

In 2006 he was reported to be working , together with producer John Heyman , on an historical epic based on the life of the monotheistic Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten and his wife Nefertiti . [ [http://ahmedosman.com/film_overview.html Film Overview ] ] The film centres around their tempestuous relationship.

He was planning to direct an adaptation of Haruki Murakami's book "Norwegian Wood" in the near future.Fact|date=June 2007 However, it was announced in July 2008 that French-Vietnamese film-maker Tran Anh Hung would direct an adaptation of the novel. [Jason Gray (2008). [http://www.screendaily.com/ScreenDailyArticle.aspx?intStoryID=40092&str Tran to adapt Norwegian Wood for Asmik Ace, Fuji TV] , Screen Daily.com article retrieved August 1, 2008.]

He is in active development of a film adaptation of George Orwell's "Homage to Catalonia", to star Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Gerard Depardieu

He is also in development of "A Bend in the River" a screen adaptation of Nobel Prize winner V.S.Naipaul's book of the same name.

His first marriage was with painter Susan Michie at the Chelsea Register Office on 25th August 1977.In November 2003, he married actress Maryam d'Abo.

August 2007: in Nimes, France, “Un Realisateur dans la Ville”, a festival created by Gerard Depardieu and Jean Claude Carriere to showcase the work of one director, featured the work of Hugh Hudson, showing eight films over 5 days and premiered an Al Pacino narrated version of “Revolution” called “Revolution Re-visited”

In October 2008 at the Dinard Festival of British Film his work was honored . As a tribute five of his films were shown , with My Life so Far opening the festival. Revolution Re-visited was be subject to a Q&A by the director.

He is to be on the International jury of the Sao Paolo Film Festival in October and the Marrakesh Film Festival in November.

Filmography as director

* "Revolution Revisited (2008)
* "Silverjet Advert (2007), a direct parody of his own 1989 British Airways Advert. The film clip on Youtube includes footage of Hugh speaking directly on camera.
* "I Dreamed of Africa" (2000)
* "My Life So Far" (1999)
* "Lumière et compagnie" / "Lumière and Company" (1995) (one of 41 directors)
* "Lost Angels" (1989) aka The Road Home
* "British Airways Advert" 1989 The Face Advert
* "British Rail Corporate Advert" (1988)
* "Kinnock - The Movie" an election broadcast for the British Labour Party (1987)
* "Revolution (1985 film)" (1985)
* "" (1984) also producer
* "Chariots of Fire" (1981)
* "Fangio" (1975) - also writer
* "The Tortoise and the Hare" (short) (1967) also writer

References

External links

*imdb name|id=0399853|name=Hugh Hudson