Bernard Rose (director)

Bernard Rose
Rose in October 2010
Born1960 (age 63–64)
London, England, UK
Alma materNational Film and Television School
Occupation(s)Film director, screenwriter, actor, composer, editor
Years active1986–present
AwardsGolden Brussels Raven
1988 Paperhouse
2015 Frankenstein

Fantasporto International Fantasy Film Special Jury Award
1988 Paperhouse

Oldenburg 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

Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes
1986 Smart Money Yes No No
1987 Body Contact Yes No No
1988 Paperhouse Yes No No BIFFF Golden Raven Award
Special Jury Award (Fantasporto)
Nominated- Fantasporto International Fantasy Film Award
1990 Chicago Joe and the Showgirl Yes No No
1992 Candyman Yes Yes No Avoriaz 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 III Yes Yes No Segment: "Cafe L'Amour"
Inside Out IV Yes Yes No Segment: "Save the Wetlands"
1994 Immortal Beloved Yes Yes No
1997 Anna Karenina Yes Yes No
2000 Ivans xtc Yes Yes No Nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Director
Nominated for the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award
2005 Snuff-Movie Yes Yes No Also cinematographer
2008 The Kreutzer Sonata Yes Yes No
2010 Mr. Nice Yes Yes No
2012 Two Jacks Yes Yes No Nominated for the Hollywood Discovery Award for Best Feature Film
Nominated- Grand Prix des Amériques
Boxing Day Yes Yes No Nominated for the Venice Horizons Prize
2013 Sx_Tape Yes No No
The Devil's Violinist Yes Yes No
2015 Frankenstein Yes Yes No BIFFF Golden Raven Award
2019 Samurai Marathon Yes Yes No Japanese film
2021 Traveling Light Yes Yes Yes
TBA Lear Rex Yes Yes No Post-production

Television

Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes
1986 Prospects Yes No No 2 episodes

Music videos

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

References

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