Bernard Rose (director) explained

Bernard Rose
Birth Place:London, England, UK
Alma Mater:National Film and Television School
Occupation:Film director, screenwriter, actor, composer, editor
Years Active:1986–present
Awards:Golden Brussels Raven
1988 Paperhouse
2015 FrankensteinFantasporto International Fantasy Film Special Jury Award
1988 PaperhouseOldenburg German Independence Honorary Award

Bernard Rose (born 1960 in London) is an English filmmaker, considered a pioneer of digital filmmaking.[1] He is best known for directing the horror films Paperhouse (1988) and Candyman (1992),[2] the historical romances Immortal Beloved (1994)[3] [4] and Anna Karenina (1997), and the independent drama Ivans xtc (2000), for which he was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Director and the John Cassavetes Award. He has also been nominated for the Grand Prix des Amériques and the Venice Horizons Prize.[5] He has frequently cast actors Danny Huston and Tony Todd in his films.[6] In the 1980s, he directed music videos for UB40, Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Bronski Beat.

Life and career

Rose was born in London, the son of a father who was born Jewish and a mother who had converted to Judaism. His mother was a granddaughter of the Earl Jellicoe.[7] He began making super 8 films when he was 9. By 1975, he won an amateur film competition hosted by BBC which led to the broadcasting of his works. He worked for Jim Henson on the last season of The Muppet Show and then again on The Dark Crystal in 1981. He attended National Film and Television School and graduated in 1982 with a Master's in Filmmaking. After this, he moved on to directing music videos for MTV, one of which was the uncensored version of Frankie Goes To Hollywood's hit "Relax".[8]

Shortly after his production of music videos, he moved on to direct British TV films such as Prospects and then finally in 1988 directed his first major full-length film, Paperhouse. Rose got his big break internationally with 1992's Candyman, which has since been seen as a cult classic. Subsequently, Rose both wrote and directed Immortal Beloved, about the life and loves of Ludwig van Beethoven, as well as a remake of Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina.

In 2012, Rose directed Two Jacks, a drama based on Leo Tolstoy's short story "Two Hussars," starring Sienna Miller and Danny Huston.[9] In the same year, he released Boxing Day, another Tolstoy adaptation with Huston as a lead for a total of four from the pair (following Ivans Xtc and The Kreutzer Sonata). In 2014, Rose directed the musical drama The Devil's Violinist.[10] This was followed by a contemporary adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Rose directed Samurai Marathon (2019) a Japanese-produced historical drama,[11] and the American drama Traveling Light (2021).

In 2023, Rose was announced as the writer/director of Relax, a musical biopic about Frankie Goes to Hollywood, based upon lead singer Holly Johnson's 1994 autobiography A Bone in My Flute, and starring Callum Scott Howells as Johnson.[12] Relax, to be produced by Working Title Films, continues Rose's association with Frankie Goes to Hollywood after directing music videos for the band's songs "Relax" (1983) and "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (1985).

Rose is a frequent collaborator of actor and filmmaker Danny Huston.[13] [14] Rose is also a contributor to the webseries Trailers from Hell.[15]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleDirectorWriterProducerNotes
1986Smart Money
1987Body Contact
1988PaperhouseBIFFF Golden Raven Award
Special Jury Award (Fantasporto)
Nominated- Fantasporto International Fantasy Film Award
1990Chicago Joe and the Showgirl
1992CandymanAvoriaz Fantastic Film Festival Audience Award
Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival Grand Prize
Nominated- Saturn Award for Best Writing
Nominated- Fantasporto International Fantasy Film Award
Inside Out IIISegment: "Cafe L'Amour"
Inside Out IVSegment: "Save the Wetlands"
1994Immortal Beloved
1997Anna Karenina
2000Ivans xtcNominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Director
Nominated for the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award
2005Snuff-MovieAlso cinematographer
2008The Kreutzer Sonata
2010Mr. Nice
2012Two JacksNominated for the Hollywood Discovery Award for Best Feature Film
Nominated- Grand Prix des Amériques
Boxing DayNominated for the Venice Horizons Prize
2013Sx_Tape
The Devil's Violinist
2015FrankensteinBIFFF Golden Raven Award
2019Samurai MarathonJapanese film
2021Traveling Light

Music videos

YearSongMusician
1983"Red Red Wine"UB40
"Relax"Frankie Goes to Hollywood
1984"Smalltown Boy"Bronski Beat
1985"Welcome to the Pleasuredome"Frankie Goes to Hollywood

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Bernard Rose: Tolstoy, America and me. Rose. Steve. 2012-12-17. The Guardian. 2019-02-27. en-GB. 0261-3077.
  2. Web site: The New York Times. Maslin, Janet. Review/Film; Science-Fiction Horrors In a Housing Project. October 16, 1992. October 21, 2017.
  3. Web site: The New York Times. FILM REVIEW; The Music Almost Tells the Tale. Maslin, Janet. December 16, 1994. October 21, 2017.
  4. Web site: The New York Times. January 1, 1995. October 21, 2017. CLASSICAL VIEW; How Can a Movie So Right Be So Wrong?. Rothstein, Edward.
  5. Web site: Mystic Nic: Bernard Rose on Nicolas Roeg Interview Sight & Sound. British Film Institute. en. 2019-02-27.
  6. Web site: Beyond that though, a commonality of Rose's that indeed carries over to his horror movies, is the recurrent casting of longtime genre vets Tony Todd and Danny Huston.. Dee. Jake. Dissecting Director Bernard Rose!. JoBlo.com. 2 February 2016 . March 31, 2023.
  7. Web site: Bernard Rose profile. Luke Ford.net.
  8. Web site: Bernard Rose Official Site. Frankie Goes to Hollywood "Relax". October 21, 2017.
  9. Web site: The New York Times. Holden, Stephen. October 18, 2013. A Gene That Doesn't Recede. October 21, 2017.
  10. Web site: Variety. Film Review: 'The Devil's Violinist'. Schager, Nick. January 28, 2015. October 21, 2017.
  11. Web site: HanWay Boards Bernard Rose's 'Samurai Marathon,' Jeremy Thomas Producing (EXCLUSIVE). Clarke. Stewart. 2019-02-06. Variety. en. 2019-02-27.
  12. Web site: Frankie Goes to Hollywood biopic Relax in the works. Shoard. Catherine. 2023-05-10. The Guardian. en. 2023-06-12.
  13. Web site: 10 Questions for Director Bernard Rose The Arts Desk. theartsdesk.com. 4 January 2013 . 2019-02-27.
  14. Web site: LAFF: Bernard Rose and Danny Huston Reunite with 'Boxing Day,' Third in Tolstoy Series (VIDEO). Thompson. Anne. 2013-06-12. IndieWire. en. 2019-02-27.
  15. Web site: Bernard Rose Archives. Trailers From Hell. en-US. 2019-02-27.