Tony Richardson: biography, movies, photos

Tony Richardson is a famous British director, producer and screenwriter. In 1961, he received the BAFTA award, and in 1963 he won the Oscar.

Biography

Tony Richardson, whose biography is not so rich in facts, was born on 05/05/1928 in Yorkshire in the UK, in the small town of Shilli. Tony is an abridged version of the name Cecil Antonio. About the director's childhood nothing is known.

Student years Tony held at Oxford University. After finishing his studies, Richardson went to work on television as a producer and director in the theater.

Tony chose a career on television not for the sake of money, he was really interested in the future development of cinematography in the UK.

In the 50's, he and his friends founded the Free Film movement, which defended an independent approach to documentary films.

Another interesting fact in the director's biography - he was a sponsor of the escape from Britain, George Blake, who was sent to prison and sentenced to 42 years in prison in 1961 for espionage in favor of the Soviet Union.

Movement "Free cinema"

The movement was founded by young filmmakers Lindsay Anderson, Tony Richardson, Karel Reish and Lorenz Mazzetti. The films they shot were non-commercial, so the directors did not have enough money to organize their rental.

Lindsay, Tony, Lorentz and Karel decide to organize the rental of their work together. They write a manifesto, which outlines the main ideas of the organization "Free cinema". This attracts the attention of the press and viewers to the documentary films of young filmmakers. Over the next three years, five more shows of "independent films" were organized. The sponsors of the motion were the company Ford Motor and the Foundation for Experimental Cinema of the British Film Institute.

Although the last official show of "Free Cinema" was released in 1959, until 1963, films were released for hire, which, according to style and format, are referred to this movement.

Career

After "Free Film" Tony Richardson, whose photo is already flickering in the press, becomes a fairly well-known director. He has the necessary experience and connections in the cinema. Back in the 1950s, Richardson, along with John Osborne, a playwright and screenwriter, organized Woodfall Film Productions to produce and produce his own films.

In 1958, the television version of the play of John Osborne with Richard Barton in the title role "Look Back in Anger."

The play in three acts of director Tony Richardson up to this point has already been shown on the stage of the Royal Court Theater and on Broadway. The theatrical version of the play was nominated for the Tony Award three times in the categories "Best Play", "Best Actress" (Mary Yur).

The television version of the play, though it did not receive the same warm reviews from critics, as a Broadway production, but it deserved a lot of film awards. She was nominated for Golden Globe in the category "Best Actor", for the BAFTA in the categories "For the Best Film", "For Best Actor", "For the Best Scenario of the British Film" and was among the five best foreign films of the National Year Council of Film Critics USA.

The film "Tom Jones"

Tony Richardson's films are mostly based on classical literary works. He filmed works by Shakespeare, Nabokov, Fielding, John Irving and other recognized masters of literature.

The painting "Tom Jones", in which Tony took the role of both director and producer, is a film adaptation of Fielding's comedy "The Story of Tom Jones, The Foundling." The film features actors Albert Finney, Hugh Griffith, Suzanne York, Edith Evans, Diane Silento and others.

As a result, the audience and critics of the film met with warmth. First he was nominated for the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, and the award was given for Best Actor. Then there were the awards of the British Academy, the Golden Globe and the Oscar.

The film received four Oscars, including Best Picture, and was nominated in six other categories of this prestigious award. "Golden Globe" picture was immediately three, including "Best Film", and in four categories was nominated.

"Tom Jones" was the most successful work in Richardson's entire career.

Personal life and death

From 1962 to 1967, the director was married to an actress named Vanessa Redgrave. From this marriage Tony Richardson has two daughters - Natasha and Joel Richardson. Both of them decided to become actresses.

Tony openly acknowledged his bisexuality when doctors diagnosed him with HIV infection.

November 14, 1991 at the age of 63 years in Los Angeles, USA director Tony Richardson died.

Filmography

For almost forty years of his creative activity, Richardson did not shoot a lot of films.

In 1955 - "Othello" and the film adaptation of "Look Back in Anger".

In 1960 - the screen version of "Comedian" and "Saturday night, Sunday morning."

In 1961 - "The taste of honey."

In 1962 - "The loneliness of a long-distance runner".

In 1963 - a picture of "Tom Jones", which brought the director of "Oscar".

In 1965 - "Unforgettable."

In 1967 - the film "Sailor from Gibraltar."

In 1969 - the tape "Laughter in the Dark" by the work of V. Nabokov and "Hamlet".

In 1974 he won the favorit.

In 1977 - the painting "Joseph Andrews."

In 1982 - the "Border".

In 1984, the Hotel New Hampshire.

In 1990 - the picture "Ghost in opera."

In 1991 - the "Blue Sky".