Norman Jewison, the Oscar-nominated film director and producer, who directed the racial drama In the heat of the night (1967), which won the Hollywood Academy Award for Best Picture, and who also directed such popular films as Moon spell, Fiddler on the Roof, The Thomas Crown Affair y Jesus Christ Superstar, died Saturday at his home in Los Angeles. She was 97 years old.
If the word multifaceted could be related to a filmmaker, it would be with this director and producer, born in Canada, nominated for 7 Oscars throughout his career, but who did not win any in competition. Yes, he received the Irving Thalberg Award, awarded by the Hollywood Academy, in 1999.
We were talking about his ability to jump from one genre to another. Although his best films were linked to the criticism of racism, with In the heat of the nightcon Sidney Poitier y Rod Steiger, e story of a soldier (another Oscar candidate), with Howard E. Rollins Jr. and Adolphe Caesar, even addressing union issues (F.I.S.Twith Sylvester Stallone fresh from the first Rockyand again with Rod Steiger), Jewison never forgot that he started out making comedies and romantic films.
Like war comedy Here come the Russians, here come the Russians!con Carl Reiner, Eva Marie Saint y Alan Arkin.
Long before, after having successes on television, both in the United States, Canada and Britain, he moved to Hollywood to start a career in cinema. The first thing she directed was comedy 40 Pounds of Trouble (1961), starring Tony Curtis. Following her box office success, she signed Universal Pictures to a seven-year contract. His next film did even better: The sauce of life (1963), with romantic comedy queen Doris Day and James Garner. It was such a success that Day’s next film was also directed by Jewison: Don’t send me flowers (1964), con Rock Hudson y Tony Randall.
But Jewison wasn’t sure about giving up his television career. While he did not direct, he did serve as executive producer of a weekly variety show hosted by Judy Garland.
It was after filming The art of Loving, with James Garner, Elke Sommer, Dick van Dyke and Angie Dickinson, Jewison was released from his contract with Universal. And he jumped into a drama, albeit for a star: Steve McQueen. Was Goodbye illusions (The Cincinnati Kid), replacing none other than Sam Peckinpah.
And with a comedy, which was his first Oscar-nominated film, Here come the Russians, here come the Russianss became one of the most popular Hollywood directors. Those that people decided to watch a movie because it was “a movie.”
The next one was In the heat of the night, which also led to a television series. But Jewison, as we said, did not focus on any particular genre, and from racism he jumped to directing Steve McQueen and a rising Faye Dunaway in The Thomas Crown Affair.
Those were different times, but in 1971 spending $9 million on a movie was a fortune. It was the investment in adapting the legendary Broadway musical into a film version Fiddler on the Roof. It was a success. Audiences loved it and the film was nominated for best picture and director. What did he do next? The rock musical Jesus Christ Superstar, based on the work of Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice. Yes, the same ones Evita.
His next film was a dystopian action film (Rollerball, 1975), starring James Caan. They would follow him Justice for allwith Al Pacino, the aforementioned story of a soldier y Agnes of God.
But perhaps the greatest commercial success – and critical, because critics did not always know how to recognize it – of Jewison’s career was Moon spell (1987), for which Cher and Olympia Dukakis won their Oscars and which launched the career of a young Nicolas Cage. Jewison earned nominations for best picture and direction.
His wife Margaret died in 2004. Jewison leaves behind three children and five grandchildren.