Stanley Donen

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Stanley Donen 2010

Stanley Donen (born April 13, 1924 in Columbia , South Carolina , † February 21, 2019 in Manhattan , New York ) was an American director and choreographer . He was considered one of the most important directors in the history of musical films and made classic films such as Singin 'in the Rain (1952) and Charade (1963). For his life's work he received the Oscar of Honor in 1998 and the Golden Lion in 2004 .

Career

Donen began taking dance lessons as a child and ended up on Broadway at the age of 17 after dropping out of psychology at the University of South Carolina . He made his Broadway debut in 1941 as a member of the choir in the musical Pal Joey by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart . George Abbott , the influential stage director of Pal Joey , became aware of Donen and made him assistant to the stage manager. The title role of Pal Joey was played by Gene Kelly , with whom Donen became friends. In 1943 he received a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer under the film producer Arthur Freed , where he got a small role as a cadet in the musical Best Foot Forward and subsequently worked as a choreographer for MGM.

Donen tasks grew over the years and since his boss Arthur Freed appreciated his work as a choreographer, he gave him the end of the 1940s, the opportunity to work together co-directed with Gene Kelly , the musical On the Town by Leonard Bernstein to film. The final film Today we go for a stroll was a success with critics and audiences, whereupon Donen received a permanent contract as a director at MGM and there, alongside Vincente Minnelli, became the most important musical director of the 1950s. In 1952, Donen co-directed with Gene Kelly his best-known film, Singin 'in the Rain , which is considered a classic film and which many critics consider to be one of the best film musicals, even one of the best films of all time. Donen's last joint co-direction with Kelly was It's Always Fair Weather , the shooting of which turned the mood: Donen 's friendship with Gene Kelly broke up, whereupon in the following decades there were sometimes hard discussions between Kelly and Donen, but also between film historians whether and who of the two contributed to the success of the films together. It's Always Fair Weather , although profitable at the box office, also led Donens to break with MGM and Arthur Freed, whereupon he went on to work as an independent director.

Without Kelly, Donen had already established himself as a solo director through the successful musicals Royal Wedding (1951) with Fred Astaire , who dances on the ceiling in a famous scene, and A Bride for Seven Brothers (1954) with Howard Keel and Jane Powell . In 1952 he shot the Elizabeth Taylor film The Sweet Trap , a comedy film without musical elements. His first film without MGM was A Sweet Face, filmed for Paramount Pictures, starring Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn in 1957 . A cute face was shown at the Cannes Film Festival and received four Oscar nominations. After the musical films Picnic in Pajamas and Damn Yankees , which he directed with his old Broadway boss George Abbott , Donen also turned to other genres. With Cary Grant , he made the comedies Kiss Them for Me (1957), Indiskret (1958, with Ingrid Bergman ) and Before House Friends Is Warned (1960, with Deborah Kerr and Robert Mitchum ).

One of his most famous films is the Parisian crime comedy Charade (1963) with Grant and Audrey Hepburn, in which Donen was inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's films, especially The Invisible Third . Often referred to as "the best Hitchcock movie Hitchcock never made," Charade has been a huge hit with critics and audiences. With Arabeske (1966), in which Gregory Peck and Sophia Loren played the leading roles, Donen made another Hitchcock-like film in 1966. In 1967 Donen directed the love drama Zwei on the same route, one of his most remarkable films, especially because of its non-linear narrative style. The film wasn't particularly successful, but it received more recognition over the decades. In 1969 he directed the comedy Under the Stairs with Rex Harrison and Richard Burton as a gay couple.

After 1970 and the final end of Hollywood's classic studio era, Donen's output as a film director became more irregular, including the 1974 film adaptation of The Little Prince and 1984 the comedy Guilty of It Rio with Michael Caine , which was his last feature film. He then worked again as a theater director, including a stage version of The Red Shoes , and produced the 1986 Academy Awards . In the 1990s, he was planning a musical adaptation of Der seltsame Fall des Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde with Michael Jackson , who was put back on hold after Jackson's child molestation allegations. Donen last directed the television film Love Letters based on the play of the same name by Albert Ramsdell Gurney in 1999 .

Donen never received a regular Oscar for his work . It wasn't until 1998 that he was awarded the Oscar for his life's work. In 2004 he received the Lion of Honor at the Venice Film Festival .

Private life

Stanley Donen was married a total of five times, all marriages were divorced: from 1948 to 1951 with Jeanne Coyne , from 1952 to 1959 with Marion Marshall , from 1960 to 1970 with Adelle O'Connor Beatty, from 1972 to 1985 with Yvette Mimieux and from 1990 to 1994 with Pamela Braden. Since 1999 he was in a relationship with actress and filmmaker Elaine May . He had three children from his previous marriages.

Donen died of heart failure in Manhattan on February 21, 2019, at the age of 94. At the time of his death, he was considered the last significant living director from Hollywood's "golden era" in the studio system .

Filmography (selection)

Awards and honors

Prices (selection)
year organization price result
1952 Directors Guild of America Awards Best Director, Singin 'in the Rain (with Gene Kelly ) Nominated
1954 Directors Guild of America Awards Best Director, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers Nominated
1957 Directors Guild of America Awards Best Director, Funny Face Nominated
1958 Directors Guild of America Awards Best Director, Damn Yankees! (with George Abbott ) Nominated
1967 Directors Guild of America Awards Best Director, Two for the Road Nominated
1967 San Sebastián International Film Festival Golden Seashell Award, Two for the Road Won
1986 Drama Desk Award Best Choreography (Original Version), Singin 'in the Rain Nominated
1989 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards Lifetime achievement award Won
1989 University of South Carolina Honorary doctorate Won
1995 National Board of Review Billy Wilder Award Won
1995 San Francisco International Film Festival Akira Kurosawa Award Won
1996 Palm Springs International Film Festival Best director Won
1998 Academy Awards Lifetime achievement award Won
1999 Palm Beach International Film Festival Lifetime achievement award Won
1999 Joseph Plateau Awards Lifetime achievement award Won
1999 American Cinema Editors Awards Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year Award Won
2000 ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards Opus Award Won
2001 Savannah Film Festival Johnny Mercer Award Won
2002 American Society of Cinematographers Awards Board of the Governors Award Won
2004 Venice International Film Festival Golden lion for life's work Won
2009 The Astaire Awards Douglas Watt Award for Lifetime Achievement Won

Web links

Commons : Stanley Donen  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Staff, agencies: In brief: Singin 'in the Rain' best ever 'musical . In: The Guardian . September 5, 2006, ISSN  0261-3077 ( theguardian.com [accessed February 24, 2019]).
  2. ↑ TSPDT - 1,000 Greatest Films (Full List). Retrieved February 24, 2019 .
  3. ^ The Best Hitchcock Movie that Hitchcock Never Made. In: On Art and Aesthetics. February 6, 2016, accessed February 24, 2019 .
  4. ↑ Stanley Donen, 'Master of the Musical' Who Directed 'Singin' in the Rain, 'Dies at 94 , New York Times, February 23, 2019, accessed February 23, 2019
  5. ↑ Stanley Donen, Famed Director of Mirthful Movie Musicals, Dies at 94.Retrieved February 24, 2019 .
  6. ↑ Carmel Dagan, Tim Gray, Carmel Dagan, Tim Gray: Stanley Donen, Director of Iconic Movie Musicals, Dies at 94. In: Variety. February 23, 2019, accessed February 24, 2019 .
  7. ↑ Stanley Donen, Famed Director of Mirthful Movie Musicals, Dies at 94.Retrieved February 24, 2019 .
personal data
SURNAME Donen, Stanley
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American director and choreographer
DATE OF BIRTH April 13, 1924
PLACE OF BIRTH Columbia, South Carolina , USA
DATE OF DEATH February 21, 2019
Place of death Manhattan , USA