Philip Saville

Philip Saville

Philip Saville (born October 28, 1930 in London , † December 22, 2016 in Hampstead ) was an English film director, screenwriter, producer and actor. He also worked under the name of Philip Savile .

Live and act

Philip Saville began his career as an actor and stage director. At the age of 18 he played his first film role as a driver of a police patrol car in the film "Penny and the Pownall Case", directed by Slim Hand. In the early 1950s he worked for a US television station, but then returned to England and played another 22 film roles by 1960.

In 1955 he had already directed the television film "Curtains for Harry", which he wrote together with his first wife, Jane Arden . Since 1960 he has been active in this genre without any notable interruption and one of the most productive English film directors.

In 1963 he shot the film "The Madhouse on Castle Street" for the BBC and was able to engage the American folk singer Bob Dylan , who had his first appearance in England as an actor. Dylan couldn't do this job justice and Philip Saville had to hire another actor. Dylan then sang some of his songs in the film.

In 1964, Philip Saville filmed the Shakespearean drama " Hamlet " with the actors Christopher Plummer , Michael Caine , Robert Shaw and Donald Sutherland , also for the BBC, on the original Danish locations . This film was also shown in Germany in 1967.

In 1965 he again wrote the film "The Logic Game" with his wife Jane Arden and directed it for BBC2 . This film was very controversial by the critics, it clearly demonstrated that Philip Saville was a distinctly avant-garde artist.

His " Oedipus " adaptation in 1967 , where he also worked on the script , received worldwide attention . Christopher Plummer, Lilli Palmer and Orson Welles were on the cast list.

Other important films are " Mandela ", which he shot with Danny Glover in the title role in 1987, and "The Fruit Machine" from 1988, for which Hans Zimmer wrote the music, shown in Germany with the German title "Rendezvous with a killer", and "Metroland" from 1997 with Christian Bale and Emily Watson in the lead roles, which is still considered to be his best film.

In 2001 Philip Saville shot the film " Hans Christian Andersen - My Life as a Fairytale" in Germany in various locations in Berlin and in the state of Brandenburg . The creative linking of real play and fairy tale scenes, represented by the same actors in multiple roles, corresponds to the artistic style that Philip Saville always preferred.

The docudrama “The Biographer” was shown in Germany on the television station N24 on August 27, 2007 under the title “Diana-My Story-How the Truth Came to Light” as a contribution to the 10th anniversary of Diana of Wales' death .

In 2003 Philip Saville shot "The Visual Bible: The Gospel of John" as the 21st part of the international series of Bible adaptations. This film was shown in numerous countries around the world, there is a DVD with the title " The Gospel of John - The Film " in German synchronization .

His last work was the Holocaust drama "Love Is a Survivor" from 2004.

Since 2006 Philip Saville has had an acting master class in London with the “Philip Saville Studio”, specializing in “dramatic improvisation”.

Philip Saville is one of the 100 best directors of all time in England.

Philip Saville, who was called "Savo" by friends, has always known how to keep his private life largely away from the media hype. His marriage to Jane Arden had two sons.

Honors

• 1964: Television Guild award for drama production
• 1967: First prize at the Film Festival of Since Fiction Films in Trieste: The Machine Stops
• 1983: BAFTA TV Award, Category: Best Drama Series / Serial: Boys from the Blackstuff
• 1987: BAFTA TV Award, Category: Best Drama Series: The Life and Loves of a She-Devil
• 1989: Cable ACE Award, Category: Directing a Movie or Miniseries: Mandela
• 2004: Movie Guide Awards, Epiphany Prize: Category: Most Inspiring Movie: The Visual Bible: The Gospel of John

Filmography

Director

• 1955: Curtains for Harry (TV)
• 1960: Armchair Mystery Theater: Machinal (TV episode)
• 1960: Armchair Theater: A Night Out (TV episode)
• 1960: Armchair Theater: Big Brain Man (TV episode)
• 1961: Armchair Theater: The Typists (TV episode)
• 1961: Armchair Theater: His Polyvinyl Girl (TV episode)
• 1962: Armchair Theater: Night Conspirators (TV episode)
• 1962: Armchair Theater: Afternoon of a Nymph (TV episode)
• 1963: The Madhouse on Castle Street (TV episode)
• 1964: Hamlet (TV)
• 1964: The Wednesday Play: In Camera (TV episode)
• 1965: The Logic Game (TV)
• 1965: Thirty-Minute Theater (TV series)
• 1966: Stop the World: I Want to Get Off
• 1966: Out of the Unknown: The Machine Stops (TV episode)
• 1967: Oedipus the King
• 1969: The Best House in London
• 1969: The Mark Two Wife (TV)
• 1970: Play for Today: The Long Distance Piano Player (TV episode)
• 1971: Secrets ; (Adultery, USA)
• 1971: Play for Today: The Rainbirds (TV episode)
• 1971: Play for Today: The Foxtrot (TV episode)
• 1971: Play for Today: O Fat White Woman (TV episode)
• 1972: Play for Today: In the Beautiful Caribbean (TV episode)
• 1973: Play for Today: Access to the Children (TV episode)
• 1974: Great Mysteries: Compliments of the Season (TV episode)
• 1975: Shades of Greene: A Little Place Off the Edgware Road (TV episode)
• 1975: Shades of Greene: The Blue Film (TV episode)
• 1975: Play for Today: Gangsters (TV episode)
• 1975: Play for Today: Moss (TV episode)
• 1976: BBC2 Playhouse: The Mind Beyond: Meriel, the Ghost Girl (TV episode)
• 1977: The Warrior's Return (TV)
• 1977: ITV Playhouse: Cork and Bottle (TV episode)
• 1977: Count Dracula (TV); (Great Performances: Count Dracula, USA)
• 1979: Play of the Month: Design for Living (TV episode)
• 1980: The Ghost Sonata (TV)
• 1981: BBC2 Playhouse: Journal of Bridget Hitler (TV episode)
• 1982: Boys from the Blackstuff (TV)
• 1984: Those Glory Glory Days (TV)
• 1985: Shadey
• 1986: The Life and Loves of a She-Devil (TV)
• 1987: Mandela (TV)
• 1988: The Fruit Machine ; (Wonderland, USA)
• 1988: First Born (TV); (Mary's Baby, D, May 12 and 13, 1993 Bavaria 3 )
• 1989: Fellow Traveler (TV); (Shadow of Treason, D, September 21, 1995 ZDF )
• 1990: Max and Helen (TV); (Schrei der Verdammten, D, June 15, 1995 RTL II )
• 1990: Crash-The Mystery of Flight 1501 (TV); (Fire on board Flight 1501, D, December 2, 1993 RTL , February 9, 2008 ARD )
• 1992: The Cloning of Joanna May (TV); (Artificial Sisters, D, April 20 and 21, 1994 VOX )
• 1992: Angels (Night of Angels, D, June 27, 1993 VOX)
• 1993: Family Pictures (TV); (Scenes of a Family, D, 23rd and 30th October 1994 premiere )
• 1993: Screen One: Wall of Silence (TV episode); (Schweigemauer, D, December 2, 1995 West 3 )
• 1995: The Buccaneers (TV)
• 1997: Deacon Brodie (TV)
• 1997: Metroland
• 1998: Little White Lies (TV)
• 2001: Hans Christian Andersen: My Life as a Fairy Tale (TV)
• 2001: My Uncle Silas: The Wedding / Queenie White (TV episode)
• 2001: My Uncle Silas: The Widder / The Blue Feather (TV episode)
• 2001: My Uncle Silas: Silas & Goliath / The Revelation (TV episode)
• 2002: The Biographer (TV); (Diana-My Story-How the Truth Came Out, D, August 27, 2007 N24 )
• 2003: My Uncle Silas: Finger Wet, Finger Dry (TV episode)
• 2003: The Visual Bible: The Gospel of John ; (Gospel of John, USA); ( The Gospel of John - The Film , D)
• 2004: Love Is a Survivor

script

• 1955: Curtains for Harry (TV)
• 1964: The Wednesday Play: In Camera (TV episode)
• 1965: The Logic Game (TV)
• 1967: Oedipus the King
• 1971: Secrets ; (Adultery, USA)
• 1981: BBC2 Playhouse: Journal of Bridget Hitler (TV episode)

production

• 1960: The Sunday-Night Play (TV series)
• 1963: The Madhouse on Castle Street (TV)
• 1995: The Buccaneers (TV)

presentation

• 1948: Penny and the Pownall Case …. Police Car Driver
• 1948: The Blind Goddess …. Mainwaring's Junior
• 1948: A Piece of Cake …. Dinner guest
• 1953: Murder at 3am… . Edward / Jim King
• 1953: The Straw Man …. Link Hunter
• 1954: Night of the Silvery Moon …. Dale Merritt
• 1954: Bang, You're Dead …. Ben jones
• 1955: Contraband Spain …. Martin Scott
• 1957: The Betrayal …. Bartel
• 1957: The Errol Flynn Theater: Evil Thoughts
• 1957: The Vise: Holiday for Heatherton …. Jose Santiago
• 1957: The Vise: Kill Me My Love …. Barrett
• 1957: The Vise: Hands Across the Sea …. Benton
• 1957: The Vise: Death by Delayed Payment …. Ray Prentice
• 1958: Three Crooked Men …. Seppy
• 1958: On the Run …. Driscoll
• 1958: The Vise: A Diplomatic Affair …. Major Virnoff
• 1958: The Vise: A Toast to Death …. Count Dariani
• 1959: Great Van Robbery …. Chase
• 1959: The Vise: Time Alibi for Murder …. Kirk
• 1959: The Vise: The Captain and His Killers …. Firth
• 1960: To Honorable Murder …. Mark Anthony

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Baz Bamigboye: Hedda will hit the West End - if Ruth can too: Actress's busy schedule means move to a bigger theater is on hold . Daily Mail , December 23, 2016, accessed December 23, 2016.

Web links

• Philip Saville in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• Website of the "Philip Saville Studios"
• Oliver Wake: Philip Saville: biographical essay. University of Hull , archived from the original on April 22, 2007 ; accessed on December 23, 2016 (English). 
• Eric Leimann: Sex, lies and audio tapes: The film 'Diana - My Story' stages the emergence of a scandalous biography. Monsters and Critics, July 29, 2007, archived from the original on October 16, 2007 ; Retrieved December 23, 2016 (review of the film "The Biographer").