JOHN SCHLESINGER, R.I.P.
I wouldn't call John Schlesinger one of my favorite directors, but the fact that he directed a few of my favorite movies makes me sad that he died yesterday. He was also a good queer role model.
My first Schlesinger movie, Marathon Man, was written by an idol, William Goldman, about whom I wax in a post below. With Dustin Hoffman, Laurence Olivier, and a dreamy Roy Scheider, the movie rules in the thriller department. I remember being impressed by how quiet this disquieting movie was. Minimal music, minimal ambient noise, just the sounds you needed to hear to understand that something not quite right was going on. It was pretty clear that Schlesinger was, like Sidney Lumet, a director of actors.
I don't remember the first time I saw Midnight Cowboy, and I don't remember that much about it, but I remember feeling naughty that I was watching it. I must have rented it from the video store back when you could rent Beta movies (doh!) and then watched it when my mom wasn't around.
I'm a big fan of The Falcon and the Snowman, but it hasn't aged well. I'm an even bigger fan of the underrated The Believers, which also hasn't aged well, but is still well-acted and creepy, kind of like The Changeling is well acted and creepy.
Schlesinger kind of lost me with Madame Sousatzka -- a hole in my memory, save Shirley MacLaine's performance, or whatever she was doing.
I remember enjoying Pacific Heights because Michael Keaton was hot off of Batman and I absolutely HAD to be shagged by Matthew Modine. With a little Melanie Griffith thrown in, per demographic demands. I think it was a dumb movie, utterly implausible, but I just don't remember well enough to care.
The rest of his resume? Not familiar with it. But I will say this, when Schlesinger and Rene Auberjonois appeared in front of the camera as gay older men in The Lost Language of Cranes (a seminal gay movie experience for me), I couldn't breathe. The combination of the subject matter with the cameo of this director, whose movies I so enjoyed at the time, left a crystal clear memory of the late director's importance to my development.
It has something to do with pride.
My first Schlesinger movie, Marathon Man, was written by an idol, William Goldman, about whom I wax in a post below. With Dustin Hoffman, Laurence Olivier, and a dreamy Roy Scheider, the movie rules in the thriller department. I remember being impressed by how quiet this disquieting movie was. Minimal music, minimal ambient noise, just the sounds you needed to hear to understand that something not quite right was going on. It was pretty clear that Schlesinger was, like Sidney Lumet, a director of actors.
I don't remember the first time I saw Midnight Cowboy, and I don't remember that much about it, but I remember feeling naughty that I was watching it. I must have rented it from the video store back when you could rent Beta movies (doh!) and then watched it when my mom wasn't around.
I'm a big fan of The Falcon and the Snowman, but it hasn't aged well. I'm an even bigger fan of the underrated The Believers, which also hasn't aged well, but is still well-acted and creepy, kind of like The Changeling is well acted and creepy.
Schlesinger kind of lost me with Madame Sousatzka -- a hole in my memory, save Shirley MacLaine's performance, or whatever she was doing.
I remember enjoying Pacific Heights because Michael Keaton was hot off of Batman and I absolutely HAD to be shagged by Matthew Modine. With a little Melanie Griffith thrown in, per demographic demands. I think it was a dumb movie, utterly implausible, but I just don't remember well enough to care.
The rest of his resume? Not familiar with it. But I will say this, when Schlesinger and Rene Auberjonois appeared in front of the camera as gay older men in The Lost Language of Cranes (a seminal gay movie experience for me), I couldn't breathe. The combination of the subject matter with the cameo of this director, whose movies I so enjoyed at the time, left a crystal clear memory of the late director's importance to my development.
It has something to do with pride.
posted by Andrew @ 4:52 PM
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