Stephen Frears Overview

Many British directors have, by choice or necessity, turned to Hollywood. Filmmakers from Ridley Scott to Alan Parker and David Puttnam left their native land for the financing that would land their most ambitious visions on screen. Some might call this... [more]

Many British directors have, by choice or necessity, turned to Hollywood. Filmmakers from Ridley Scott to Alan Parker and David Puttnam left their native land for the financing that would land their most ambitious visions on screen. Some might call this a sell-out, but it's arguable that some of these Brit-Hollywood hybrids -- "Chariots of Fire," "Blade Runner," "The Killing Fields," "Midnight Express," "Local Hero" -- have maintained a distinctly independent agenda. Stephen Frears has played both sides of the fence in multiple ways: independent and Hollywood, small story and big story, contemporary setting and period piece. Frear's career began in British television ("the least worst television in the world," as Milton Schuman tagged it). TV has traditionally been a driving force in British entertainment, and Frears found himself rising quickly through the ranks as an original young voice. In 1985 he made "My Beautiful Laundrette" for the small screen, but its surprise success earned it a cinema release in the U.S. and an Academy Award nomination. Frears was on his way. But rather than rush to Hollywood, he opted to collaborate a second time with Hanif Kureishi (screenwriter for "Laundrette") on another racial and cultural exploration called "Sammy and Rosie Get Laid." A third feature, "Prick up Your Ears," chronicles the life of Joe Orton, London playwright and outsider. Finally a big-budget project came along that lured Frears into the American studio system: the impeccable and sinister "Dangerous Liaisons" (1988), which earned several Academy Awards. Shot exquisitely in the elegant, geometrical world of eighteenth-century France, the film boasts a tension-filled sexual duel worthy of Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. Frear nailed the film's polished, understated tone as precisely as he captured the energy of London's streets. His versatility caught the eye of Martin Scorsese, who went on to produce his next effort, "The Grifters" (1990). Based on Jim Thompson's classic Noir novel, the film captures the walk and the talk of small-time American con artists. It also won Frears an Academy Award nomination for Best Director. Since then, Frears has alternated between Hollywood and London. A 1992 star vehicle titled "Accidental Hero" was one of his less successful efforts. In its aftermath he returned to the independent world with "The Snapper" and "The Van," both made for British TV. In between came "Mary Reilly," a retelling of the Jekyll/Hyde story with Julia Roberts as an unsuspecting British housemaid. The controversy surrounding Frears' "High Fidelity" (2000) reflects his double life. With this film, he took a novel by British writer Nick Hornby and agreed to move its setting from London to Chicago. While the storyline remains the same, the British element is stripped completely away; the film is tranformed into a story about American pop music. Although the film was an American success, critics contend that once again a British director has fallen prey to the big money wash-out of Hollywood. Despite the controversy, Frears' films reach beyond their locales in their exploration of the human spirit. Frears has captured the spirit of England, America, and even France by focusing on tight renditions of his films' human elements. At once taut and comic, stylish and sarcastic, Frears' films have shown that he is a director of major importance and originality. [show less]