Czech film director and screenwriter (1933–2020)
Ivan Passer
Ivan Passer at 43rd
KVIFF Born (1933-07-10 ) July 10, 1933Died January 9, 2020(2020-01-09) (aged 86) Occupation(s) Film director, screenwriter
Ivan Passer (10 July 1933 – 9 January 2020) was a
Czech
film director and
screenwriter , best known for his involvement in the
Czechoslovak New Wave and for directing American films such as
Born to Win (1971),
Cutter's Way (1981) and
Stalin (1992).
Life and career
Passer was born in
Prague , the son of Marianna (Mandelick) and Alois Passer.
[1] Passer attended King George boarding school in
Poděbrady with future filmmakers
Miloš Forman ,
Jerzy Skolimowski and
Paul Fierlinger and playwright
Václav Havel . He then studied at
FAMU in Prague, but did not finish the program.
[2] He began his career as an assistant director on
Ladislav Helge 's Velká samota .
Later he collaborated with his friend Forman on all of Forman's Czech films, including
Loves of a Blonde (1965) and
The Firemen's Ball (1967), both of which Passer co-wrote and which were nominated for
Academy Awards . He introduced Forman to cinematographer
Miroslav Ondříček whom he knew from Velká samota . He then directed his first feature,
Intimate Lighting , which was released in 1965 and is considered by some to be Passer's masterpiece.
[3]
[4]
In 1969, after the
Warsaw Pact invasion , Passer and Forman left
Czechoslovakia together.
[5] Both proceeded to the
United States ,
[6] with Forman becoming an Academy Award-winning filmmaker. Passer went on to make several prominent American films such as
Born to Win (1971), a junkie drama starring
George Segal and
Karen Black ,
[7] and
Cutter's Way (1981), a dramatic thriller starring
Jeff Bridges and
John Heard .
[8]
Though best known for his idiosyncratic, often gritty dramas,
[9] he also directed comedies such as
Silver Bears (1978) starring
Michael Caine and
Creator (1985) starring
Peter O'Toole . Later in his career, he directed numerous films for television, most notably the award-winning biopic
Stalin (1992) starring
Robert Duvall for
HBO . He was also a film professor at the
University of Southern California .
Passer died on January 9, 2020, from pulmonary complications in
Reno, Nevada . He was 86 years old.
[10]
Filmography
Audition (1963) (co-writer only, with
Miloš Forman ,
Jaroslav Papoušek and
Václav Šašek )
Intimate Lighting (1965) (also co-writer, with Jaroslav Papoušek and Václav Šašek)
Loves of a Blonde (1965) (co-writer only, with Miloš Forman, Jaroslav Papoušek and Václav Šašek)
The Firemen's Ball (1967) (co-writer only, with Miloš Forman, Jaroslav Papoušek and Václav Šašek)
Born to Win (1971) (also co-writer, with
David Scott Milton )
Law and Disorder (1974) (also co-writer, with
Kenneth Harris Fishman and
William Richert )
Crime and Passion (1976) (also co-writer, with William Richert)
Silver Bears (1977)
Cutter's Way (1981)
Faerie Tale Theatre (1983) (director of episode "The Nightingale")
Creator (1985)
Haunted Summer (1988)
Fourth Story (1990)
Stalin (1992)
While Justice Sleeps (1994)
Kidnapped (1995)
The Wishing Tree (1999)
Picnic (2000)
Velvet Hangover (2000)
Nomad: The Warrior (2006)
References
^
"Obituaries in Reno, NV | the Reno Journal-Gazette and Mason Valley News" .
^ Genzlinger, Neil (January 14, 2020).
"Ivan Passer, Noted Czech Director Who Went to Hollywood, Dies at 86" . The New York Times . Retrieved January 14, 2020 .
^ Penner, John (January 10, 2020).
"Ivan Passer, 'Cutter's Way' director and Czech New Wave pioneer, dies at 86" . Los Angeles Times . Retrieved January 10, 2020 .
^ Canby, Vincent (November 25, 1969).
"Intimate Lighting Review" . New York Times . Retrieved October 2, 2019 .
^ Penner, John (December 13, 2019).
"Milos Forman, Ivan Passer and their 73-year friendship: Childhood, escaping Czechoslovakia and conquering Hollywood" . Los Angeles Times . Retrieved January 10, 2020 .
^
Interview in Czech
^
MoMa retrospective on Ivan Passer
^ Phillips, David (January 12, 2020).
"Ivan Passer's Way" . Awards Daily. Retrieved January 13, 2020 .
^ Gaydos, Steven (January 10, 2020).
"Ivan Passer: An Appreciation of a Haunted Dreamer" . Variety . Retrieved January 11, 2020 .
^ Saperstein, Pat (January 10, 2020).
"Ivan Passer, Director of Cutter's Way, Dies at 86" . Variety . Retrieved January 10, 2020 .
External links
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