Nicholas Ray

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Nicholas Ray (* 7. August 1911 in Galesville , Wisconsin as Raymond Nicholas Kienzle Jr. , † 16th June 1979 in New York City ) was an American film director and actor . In Hollywood in the 1950s, Ray was considered an outsider with his films, and his works were only recognized later. His best-known film as a director is the youth drama ... Because They Don't Know What They're Doing (1955).

Life

Nicholas Ray was already noticed during his high school days for his rebellious behavior and had to change schools twice. But his passion for writing and creating radio programs enabled him to be admitted to the University of Chicago in 1932 . There he initially studied theater studies, but after a year he switched to studying architecture under Frank Lloyd Wright . But even this did not last him long and so he moved to New York City in 1934 , where he worked as an actor and was active in the left-wing theater scene. There he met his mentor Elia Kazan , in whose theater debut he took on a role. During the Second World War he worked for the Office of War Information , where he was responsible for the production of the radio show "The Voice Of America". The office was headed by the later film producer John Houseman , who discovered Ray's talent and gave him the chance to direct a film in 1947. He had his first film experience in 1945 as an assistant to Elia Kazan in his film debut A Tree Grows in Brooklyn . He had also made a cameo there .

In Nicholas Ray's first film as a director, the road movie You Live by Night , the characters that will later become his trademark are already present - the social outsiders and the rebellious young people who are alienated from society. The film, produced by Houseman, was made in 1947, but was not released until two years later due to the lengthy takeover of RKO Pictures by Howard Hughes . From 1949 to 1953 Ray worked in various positions at RKO. In addition to helping out with the productions of other directors, he also took on the directing of several films and television series on a commissioned basis. His most important work during this time was probably the dark film noir Ein Einsamer Ort (1950) with Humphrey Bogart in the lead role. Although Ray was active in left-wing radical groups, his collaboration with Hughes protected him from the “blacklisting” that began in Hollywood, the ban on politically left filmmakers from working. He worked with the screenwriter Philip Yordan in the 1954 western Johnny Guitar - When Women Hate from 1954, where Joan Crawford plays a saloon owner who fights herself and her friends against the ranchers Defend the authorities of a small town. The film was panned by critics in the USA, Milton Luban of the "Hollywood Reporter" described it as "one of the most confused and talkative films in a long time". However, it was celebrated in France by the film critics of the Cahiers du Cinema , who voted it Best Western in 1966.

A year later, Ray returned to the subject of his first film and filmed with ... because they do not know what they are doing the story of the alienated youth Jim Stark, played by James Dean . Where Johnny Guitar - When Women Hate still had his weaknesses in editing and camera work, Ray was able to win over the experienced cameraman Ernest Haller and the award-winning editor William H. Ziegler , who guaranteed professional work. So … because they don't know what they are doing, it became a huge success, especially with a young audience. Ray received an Oscar nomination for best screenwriter the following year . This success allowed him to pursue more personal projects. With A Handful of Hope from 1956, for example, he commented on the careless use of medicines in American society. In the film, James Mason plays a terminally ill teacher who is cured by a cortisone preparation, but whose side effects lead to a change in his personality. He expressed his political views in the following years with the anti-war film Bitter was the Victory (1957) with Richard Burton and Curd Jürgens and the ecological drama Swamp Under Feet (1958) with Burl Ives and Christopher Plummer .

However, his work suffered during this time from his rampant lifestyle. Ray was addicted to alcohol and gambling , which led him to the verge of bankruptcy in the early 1960s . This was also the reason why he took over the direction of the Bible adaptation King of Kings (1961) and the revolutionary drama 55 Days in Beijing (1963). During the making of this film, he suffered a heart attack which interrupted his career for a long time. In the early 1970s , he accepted a chair at the State University of New York , where he made experimental films with his students. In 1976 the feature film We Can't Go Home Again was made . In 1977 he took on a small role in Wim Wenders film The American Friend . He also played the supporting role of a general in the film Hair . In 1977, Ray developed lung cancer . His friend Wim Wenders documented his rapidly deteriorating health in the 1979 documentary Nick's Film - Lightning Over Water . Nicholas Ray died shortly after filming was finished.

Ray was married four times, most recently from 1969 until his death with Susan Schwartz. From these marriages had four children, including Anthony Ray , who was active as an actor and producer. His second wife was actress Gloria Grahame , who later married her former stepson, Anthony Ray.

Filmography

as a performer

literature

  • John Francis Kreidl: Nicholas Ray. Boston: Twayne Publishing, 1977 (Twayne's Theatrical Arts Series), ISBN 0-8057-9250-3 .
  • Stefano Masi: Nicholas Ray. Firenze: La Nuova Italia, 1983 (Il Castoro cinema, 105); second, expanded edition. Editrice il Castoro, Milano 1995, ISBN 88-8033-050-0 .
  • Blaine Allan: Nicholas Ray: A Guide to References and Resources. GK Hall, Boston 1984 (A Reference Publication in Film), ISBN 0-8161-8059-8 .
  • Norbert Grob / Manuela Reichart (eds.): Ray. Wissenschaftsverlag Volker Spiess, Berlin 1989 (Edition Films, 5), ISBN 3-89166-072-3 , ( table of contents ).
  • Bernard Eisenschitz: Roman américain: les vies de Nicholas Ray. Christian Bourgois, Paris 1990, ISBN 2-267-00648-0 , English translation by Tom Milne : Nicholas Ray: An American Journey. London [etc.]: Faber & Faber, Leipzig 1993, ISBN 0-571-14086-6 .
  • Geoff Andrew: The Films of Nicholas Ray: The Poet of Nightfall. Charles Letts & Co., London 1991 (Letts Film Makers), ISBN 1-85238-165-5 , new edition: British Film Institute, 2004, ISBN 1-84457-001-0 . ( pbk. ), ISBN 1-84457-000-2 .
  • Nicholas Ray: I Was Interrupted: Nicholas Ray on Making Movies. Edited and introduced by Susan Ray. University of California Press, Berkeley 1993, ISBN 0-520-08233-8 , Paperback 1995, ISBN 0-520-20169-8 .
  • Steven Rybin , Will Scheibel: Lonely Places, Dangerous Ground: Nicholas Ray in American Cinema. State University of New York Press, 2014, 296 pages, ISBN 978-1-4384-4981-4 (English).

Documentation

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ We Can't Go Home Again , review by Nino Klingler on critic.de
personal data
SURNAME Ray, Nicholas
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Kienzle, Raymond Nicholas Junior (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American film director and actor
DATE OF BIRTH August 7, 1911
PLACE OF BIRTH Galesville , Wisconsin , United States
DATE OF DEATH June 16, 1979
Place of death New York City , New York , United States