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“I
tell you, every director should get in front
of the camera just to learn that it's not
as easy as we behind the camera always imagine
it should be.” —Forman
Czechoslovakian director Milos Forman
was raised by relatives in a small town
outside of Prague after his parents were
sent to the concentration camps. From an
early age, it was clear that Forman possessed
an interest in the arts, studying at the
Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts in Prague,
and later at the Prague School of Cinema.
It was there that he made his first feature
film, "Black Peter," in 1963.
Two years later, his film "The Loves
of a Blonde" put him on the map as
a filmmaker when it received an Academy
Award nomination for Best Foreign Film.
Forman remained in Prague until 1968, when
Russian troops entered Czechoslovakia, forcing
the director to move his operation to France,
and eventually, the United States. His first
English language film, "Taking Off"
(1971), was about changing family values
and features performances by then unknowns
Georgia Engel and Carly Simon. The film
won a number of awards, including the Special
Jury Prize at Cannes.
Forman directed what many consider his
masterpiece, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's
Nest," in 1973. "Cuckoo's Nest"
became the first American film since 1934
to win Academy Awards in all 5 major categories,
including Best Director. Forman followed
his success with "Hair" and "Ragtime,"
both well-received by audiences and critics
alike. In 1984, Forman returned to Prague
for the first time to direct his next film,
"Amadeus." "Amadeus"
won a remarkable 11 Oscars, including Best
Picture and Best Director. After the release
of "Amadeus," Forman accepted
the position of director of Columbia University's
film division. The additional responsibility
has not interfered with Forman's love of
directing. In 1996, "The People vs.
Larry Flynt" scored him another Oscar
nomination for Best Director and won him
a Golden Globe in the same category. Milos
Forman currently has several other projects
in the works.
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One
Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
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McMurphy thumbing
his nose at authority. |
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Is he or isn't he?
The doctors aren't
convinced McMurphy
is insane. Photos
© United Artists
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Multiple assaults and a statutory rape conviction
have landed Randall Patrick McMurphy first,
in prison and then a mental institution, which
is where we find him at the beginning of "One
Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." McMurphy
(Jack Nicholson) is assigned to a ward supervised
by Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher) and a battle
of wills develops between the two -
he sees her as controlling and emasculating
and she feels she must "break him."
McMurphy's rebellious personality and lunatic
behavior transform the ward and all of its
patients, bringing the antiseptic, controlled
environment to its knees. Inspired by the
infectious McMurphy, the patients slowly begin
to question authority. McMurphy arranges forbidden
field trips, gambling sessions, and finally,
a party in the ward one evening that leads
to tragedy and brings about the film's climax.
One of the most expensive films of its time
($4.4 million to produce) "Cuckoo's Nest"
remains one of the best. The foremost allegory
of its time (rebellion against oppressive
rules and bureaucracy), "Cuckoo's Nest"
swept the Academy Awards, winning all major
categories.
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| Hair
(1979)
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The hippies enjoy
the Age of Aquarius.
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Treat Williams gets
his big break as Berger,
leader of the group
of flower children
in Central Park. |
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Based on the Broadway musical hit of the 60s,
"Hair" is the story of Claude (John
Savage), a young man from Oklahoma, who travels
to New York City eager to join the military.
Through his travels, he meets up with and
befriends a group of hippies in Central Park.
Among these hippie protesters, Claude finds
a friend in the leader of the group, Berger
(Treat Williams) and a lover in Sheila, a
girl from a wealthy family who has become
part of the hippie tribe. Their love is short-lived,
though, as Claude is called for a tour of
duty in Vietnam.
"Hair," the movie, may have been
produced a generation too late, but it was
well worth the wait. Some great reasons to
see "Hair," in addition to reliving
the 60s (or seeing what all of the hype was
about if you are too young to remember), include
a memorable soundtrack with hits like "Let
the Sun Shine In," and Twyla Tharps'
choreography. This film is also noteworthy
for jump-starting the careers of Treat Williams
and Beverly D'Angelo, among others. |
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| Amadeus
(1984)
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Salieri attempts to
teach music to the
Emperor. Photo
© Orion Pictures
Corporation |
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Mozart as a child
showing off his genius.
Photo © Orion
Pictures Corporation
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"Amadeus" is the biographical story
of musical genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
(Tom Hulce) as told by his nemesis, Antonio
Salieri. As the film begins, an aging Salieri
(F. Murray Abraham) is making a deathbed confession
to a priest, after having been institutionalized
for an attempted suicide. Through the use
of flashbacks, we learn of Salieri's contempt
for Mozart dating back thirty years to a time
when Salieri was an official court composer
and Mozart was an ill-mannered child with
no appreciation for his musical gift. As Mozart
ages, his personality becomes even more offensive
to Salieri, whose disdain grows towards his
mortal enemy and god, for allowing the insolent,
ungrateful Mozart to possess a talent Salieri
would never have, despite years of prayers
and a devotion to his art. It is then that
he decides to exact his revenge, which, in
an ironical turn, plays out more brilliantly
than any Salieri composition ever could.
The plot is intriguing and the musical score
is incomparable. This lavish production is
as grand in scale as it is in story, accounting
for its eight Academy Awards including Best
Picture and Best Director.
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| Man
on the Moon (1999)
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Carrey as Kaufman
as Latka. Photos
© Universal Pictures
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Kaufman with his love,
Lynne (played by Courtney
Love). |
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The screenplay for "Man on the Moon"
is based on the biography of Andy Kaufman,
the comedian and actor whose untimely death
in 1984 from a rare form of cancer came at
the height of his popularity. The film follows
Kaufman's life from his childhood in Long
Island, New York through his successes in
stand-up comedy and television. After his
discovery at the hands of agent George Shapiro
(Danny Devito), Kaufman gets a job on Saturday
Night Live. That exposure parlayed into his
role as Latka, the odd-voiced mechanic on
television's Taxi. As his fame escalates,
so does his interest in dangerous hobbies,
including inter-gender wrestling matches.
Jim Carrey's Golden Globe winning performance
as Andy Kaufman is uncanny. As unique in his
ability to maneuver through stand-up comedy,
television and film as Kaufman himself, Carrey's
role is not only well-acted, but the physical
resemblance makes the audience feel as they
are watching the real Andy Kaufman incarnate.
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Top
photo of “Milos Forman” from Cannes
Film Festival - 5/18/2004, © Jean Baptiste
Lacroix, Wireimage.com
+ summary and film synopses
by
May
Seckular |
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