John Huston: biography, creativity

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The famous American film director, screenwriter, actor John Marcellus Huston was born on August 5, 1906 in the family of actor W alter Huston, who at that time lived and worked with his small household in Nevada (Missouri).

Boxing instead of school

At the age of ten, John Huston became interested in boxing and began to participate in competitions for teenagers. Sports captured him so much that John even dropped out of school. He was determined to become a professional boxer and thereby earn his living. The first performances that John Huston had in amateur boxing were encouraging, he won one match after another. However, an unpleasant incident soon occurred to him, which put an end to his sports career.

John once got involved in a scandalous fight, as a result of which the famous actor Errol Flynn was seriously injured. Severely beaten, he ended up in the hospital for a long time.

First sample

At the age of nineteen, John Huston made his debut in big cinema, playing a cameo role in a low-budget film. But since no more invitations were sent to him, the young man left forMexico, where he became a cavalryman and engaged in breeding horses. All this time, Houston Jr. did not lose touch with his father, and when he went to Hollywood for the next shooting, John went with him, deciding to try again to become an actor.

However, fate decreed otherwise, and the failed performer of the roles became a screenwriter, and then a director of feature films. Good literary abilities helped him move to the front ranks in a short time. US screenwriters are part of a well-oiled system that random people don't fall into. And if the writers accepted a newcomer into their ranks, it means that he is worthy of doing the hard and responsible business of writing scripts.

Vocation

Houston's success was evident, writing several screenplays for classic films such as Jezebel, a film subsequently directed by William Wyler. John was nominated for three Oscars for his work in 1938 and 1940.

In 1941, Houston made his directorial debut with The M altese Falcon. Two more films followed, the thriller Across the Ocean and a melodrama called This Is Our Life.

Communication as the basis of creativity

The director had an easy sociable character, he loved entertainment, practical jokes, friendly companies with booze. Many scripts and directorial works bear a noticeable imprint of his personal attitude. A staunch supporter of the film's bright, witty dialogue, Houston createdhis characters as cheerful, sparkling people, and this has always helped him to release an interesting motion picture.

1963 crime drama

Sometimes the director turned to mystical themes, one of his works was a film released in 1963. A crime drama called "Adrian Messenger's List" was staged based on the work of the same name by Philip MacDonald.

Protagonist writer Adrian Messenger suggests that several seemingly unrelated fatal accidents are actually links in the same chain. In his opinion, these are murders, carefully planned and carried out in cold blood.

Adrian turns to his friend, Anthony Getrin, a former intelligence officer, with a request to help solve this complicated case. However, Messenger himself soon dies in a plane crash, leaving behind a mysterious list of names and a few dying words. As a result of the study, Getrin concludes that he has a list of names of former military prisoners from one of the camps in Burma. The convicts tried to organize an escape, but one of the guards, Canadian Sergeant George Brougham, prevented them from doing so. Now every prisoner has a good reason to wish death to the Canadian. But he himself is quite capable of neutralizing any of them. What actually happened? This riddle is up to Anthony Getrin to figure out.

At the foot of the volcano

In 1984 Houstoncreated a joint Mexican-American drama based on the work of the English writer Malcolm Lowry "Under the Volcano".

Events unfold in Mexico in 1939. A war has already begun, tearing Europe apart. The film follows a day in the life of British diplomat Geoffrey Firmin, who works as a consul in a small Mexican town.

The Englishman suffers from alcoholism, and this makes his life unbearable. Jeffrey tries not to succumb to addiction, but this makes the situation even worse, he loses his peace of mind, commits rash acts. Ex-wife Yvonne, who even after the divorce did not leave her husband in distress, is anxiously watching the process of self-destruction that has seized Geoffrey.

A worthy woman hopes for a successful outcome, believes that her ex-husband will be cured and stop drinking. She, like a loving wife, tries to be closer to Firmin in order to come to the rescue at any moment. Her concerns are shared by her brother Jeffrey, whose name is Hugh. He anxiously watches the degradation of the dearest person, listens attentively to his brother's reasoning about the imminent death of civilization and that its destruction has already begun with himself - Jeffrey Firmin.

As for the collapsed civilization, it was said prematurely, but the self-destruction of the consul is already becoming obvious. The process has become irreversible.

The role of the protagonist was intended for Richard Burton, but he died in August 1984, and Houston John invited the charismatic Albert Finney to the film project, who could,like no one else, to play a drunken diplomat. The image of his wife was performed by the inimitable French actress Jacqueline Bisset, and his brother Hugh was performed by the English actor Anthony Andrews.

Return of the King

Particularly noteworthy is the participation of the director in the production of a feature-length animated film by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin. Houston John did not act as a director or screenwriter. He voiced the animated film "The Return of the King". There was a lot of work in the more than an hour and a half film, but Houston did not take into account the time. His character Gandalf the Gray turned out to be the best.

The cartoon was an adaptation of the last part of John Tolkien's trilogy "The Lord of the Rings". At the same time, the picture was conceived as a continuation of The Hobbit, a children's fairy tale in the style of a musical.

The characters themselves tell about what is happening, now and then breaking from a monologue to singing. The plot does not have a strict outline, the action is quite free. The main character is Sam, but not Frodo, Aragorn's character is minimized, his reign is not described.

The picture begins with a festive feast, where Bilbo asks Frodo a question about where the Ring has gone. Frodo, Gandalf, the minstrel and others begin the story of how the hobbits brought the Ring to Mordor.

Houston John, the best director of his time, could take on any job, as long as it was for the benefit of the development of American cinema. Directing a feature film or voicing a cartoon character - everything was equal in the eyes of the greatdirector.

When Huston John, whose films were becoming more and more in demand, was making God Knows, Mr. Allison, he spent a lot of time in Ireland. There, between times, the director was engaged in painting. The movie "The Misfits" about cowboys gave Houston the opportunity to saddle thoroughbred stallions almost every day and go on long trips. He walked in his spare time from filming riding through the woods in the company of Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable, who starred in the lead roles. Both the director and the actors sat perfectly in the saddle.

Roles in own film projects

John Huston did not miss the opportunity to play at least a small role in his film, if it was for the benefit of the common cause. In the early seventies, he began acting in film projects of his acquaintances directors. Houston considers Noah Cross, the respectable gangster from the film "Chinatown" directed by Roman Polanski, to be his best role.

The director's latest films

The film "Honor the Prizzi", which Houston shot in 1985, was one of the final works in his career. Starring Jack Nicholson and Katherine Turner.

The latest film called "The Dead" - an adaptation of the story of the same name by James Joyce, was a worthy end to the career of Houston John, who rightfully bears the title of "Best Director" of American cinema.

Awards

1. In 1949, Huston John won the prize"Golden Globe" for the production of the film "Treasures of the Sierra Madre".
2. In the same year, the director was awarded the Oscar for Best Screenplay and Best Director for The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.
3. Year 1953 - Silver Lion Award for the production of the film "Moulin Rouge".
4. Golden Globe Award in 1964, supporting role in The Cardinal.
5. In 1985 "Golden Lion" at the Venice Film Festival for his contribution to world cinema.
6. 1986 Golden Globe Award for Best Director, Prizzi Family Honor.

The Houston Dynasty is the first in Hollywood to win an Oscar in three generations. Golden statuettes were awarded to close relatives of the director for their participation in films created by John Huston himself.