Mike Hodges: Difference between revisions
No edit summary |
This is a fuller account of my professional life. |
||
| Line 9: | Line 9: | ||
| occupation = Film director, screenwriter |
| occupation = Film director, screenwriter |
||
}} |
}} |
||
'''Mike Hodges''' (born 29 July 1932, [[Bristol]], [[England]]) is an |
'''Mike Hodges''' (born 29 July 1932, [[Bristol]], [[England]]) is an English screenwriter, film director, playwright and novelist. His films as writer/director include Get Carter (1971), Pulp (1972), The Terminal Man (1974) and Black Rainbow (1989); as director his films include Flash Gordon (1980), Croupier (1998) and I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead (2003). His theatre plays include Soft Shoe Shuffle (1985) and Shooting Stars and Other Heavenly Pursuits (2000) which was also adapted for BBC radio. Other radio plays include King Trash (2004). His first novel, Watching The Wheels Come Off, was published in 2010 by John Blake Publishing. |
||
== Life and work == |
== Life and work == |
||
After qualifying as a Chartered Accountant and serving out his two years’ National Service on the lower deck of a Royal Navy minesweeper, Hodges managed to get a job in British television as a Teleprompter operator. This allowed him to observe the workings of the studios and time to start writing scripts. One of these was Some Will Cry Murder for ABC’s Armchair Theatre series. Although never performed it served to get him enough writing commissions to quit his job as a technician. After that he quickly gravitated to producer/director status with series like Sunday Break (ABC Television), World In Action (Granada Television), the arts programmes Tempo and New Tempo (Thames Television). Again for Thames Television he wrote, directed and produced two filmed thrillers, Rumour (1969) and Suspect (1970). These films formed the basis for the creation of Euston Films; the influential television production company that continued into the 1980s. These two films also led to his being asked to write and direct Get Carter, which along with Flash Gordon, has enjoyed cult status ever since. Interspersed with his cinema work are some interesting and critically successful television films including The Manipulators (1973), Squaring The Circle (1984; scripted by Tom Stoppard), Dandelion Dead (1993; scripted by Michael Chaplin), and The Healer (1994; scripted by GF Newman). |
|||
Hodges began his career as a current affairs producer for [[Granada Television]]'s ''[[World in Action]]'' series before moving into feature films. |
|||
Hodges often works within easily identifiable genres (crime thrillers, science fiction), but has enjoyed a varied career. His work has latterly undergone critical re-examination, partly due to good reviews and box-office performance of ''[[Croupier (film)|Croupier]]'', and to the ongoing cult and critical success of his 1971 film ''[[Get Carter]]''. |
|||
==Selected filmography== |
==Selected filmography== |
||
| Line 20: | Line 18: | ||
*''[[Suspect]]'' (1970 - for television) |
*''[[Suspect]]'' (1970 - for television) |
||
*''[[Get Carter]]'' (1971) |
*''[[Get Carter]]'' (1971) |
||
*''[[ |
*''[[The Manipulators]]'' (1972 - for television) |
||
*''[[ |
*''[[Pulp]]'' (1972) |
||
*''[[ |
*''[[The Terminal Man]]'' (1974) |
||
*''[[ |
*''[[Damien: Omen II]]'' (1977 - screenplay) |
||
*''[[Flash Gordon]]'' (1980) |
|||
*''[[And The Ship Sails On]]'' (1983 - English version of Fellini's film) |
|||
*''[[Squaring The Circle]]'' (1984 - for television) |
|||
*''[[Florida Straits]]'' (1986 - for television) |
|||
*''[[Morons from Outer Space]]'' (1985) |
*''[[Morons from Outer Space]]'' (1985) |
||
*''[[W.G.O.D.]]'' (1985 - for television) |
|||
*''[[A Prayer for the Dying]]'' (1987) |
*''[[A Prayer for the Dying]]'' (1987) |
||
*''[[Black Rainbow]]'' (1989) |
*''[[Black Rainbow]]'' (1989) |
||
*''[[ |
*''[[Dandelion Dead]]'' (1993 - for television) |
||
*''[[The Healer]]'' (1994 - for television) |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
*''[[Croupier]]'' (1998) |
|||
*''[[Murder By Numbers]] (2001 - documentary) |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
==External links== |
==External links== |
||
Revision as of 10:40, 13 October 2011
Mike Hodges | |
|---|---|
| Born | Michael Tommy Hodges 29 July 1932 |
| Occupation(s) | Film director, screenwriter |
Mike Hodges (born 29 July 1932, Bristol, England) is an English screenwriter, film director, playwright and novelist. His films as writer/director include Get Carter (1971), Pulp (1972), The Terminal Man (1974) and Black Rainbow (1989); as director his films include Flash Gordon (1980), Croupier (1998) and I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead (2003). His theatre plays include Soft Shoe Shuffle (1985) and Shooting Stars and Other Heavenly Pursuits (2000) which was also adapted for BBC radio. Other radio plays include King Trash (2004). His first novel, Watching The Wheels Come Off, was published in 2010 by John Blake Publishing.
Life and work
After qualifying as a Chartered Accountant and serving out his two years’ National Service on the lower deck of a Royal Navy minesweeper, Hodges managed to get a job in British television as a Teleprompter operator. This allowed him to observe the workings of the studios and time to start writing scripts. One of these was Some Will Cry Murder for ABC’s Armchair Theatre series. Although never performed it served to get him enough writing commissions to quit his job as a technician. After that he quickly gravitated to producer/director status with series like Sunday Break (ABC Television), World In Action (Granada Television), the arts programmes Tempo and New Tempo (Thames Television). Again for Thames Television he wrote, directed and produced two filmed thrillers, Rumour (1969) and Suspect (1970). These films formed the basis for the creation of Euston Films; the influential television production company that continued into the 1980s. These two films also led to his being asked to write and direct Get Carter, which along with Flash Gordon, has enjoyed cult status ever since. Interspersed with his cinema work are some interesting and critically successful television films including The Manipulators (1973), Squaring The Circle (1984; scripted by Tom Stoppard), Dandelion Dead (1993; scripted by Michael Chaplin), and The Healer (1994; scripted by GF Newman).
Selected filmography
- Rumour (1969 - for television)
- Suspect (1970 - for television)
- Get Carter (1971)
- The Manipulators (1972 - for television)
- Pulp (1972)
- The Terminal Man (1974)
- Damien: Omen II (1977 - screenplay)
- Flash Gordon (1980)
- And The Ship Sails On (1983 - English version of Fellini's film)
- Squaring The Circle (1984 - for television)
- Florida Straits (1986 - for television)
- Morons from Outer Space (1985)
- W.G.O.D. (1985 - for television)
- A Prayer for the Dying (1987)
- Black Rainbow (1989)
- Dandelion Dead (1993 - for television)
- The Healer (1994 - for television)
- Croupier (1998)
- Murder By Numbers (2001 - documentary)
- I'll Sleep When I'm Dead (2003)
External links
 | This article about a British film director is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |