DIRECTORS, 4 EDITION HOOPER 1981 The Funhouse of controversy that would accompany Hoopers next effort, The 1982 Poltergeist Texas Chainsaw Massacre(1974) aspired by the real-life story of wisconsin serial killer Ed Gein 986 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Part 2(+ composer); Inmvad-(as was Psycho before it, and The Silence of the Lambs years later), ers from Mars The Texas Chainsaw Massacre--co-written by Hooper and Kim Spontaneous Combustion (+ sc) Henkel, and made on a budget of only $140,000-generated heated I'm Dangerous Tonight(for TV) debate over the aesthetic merits and potentially negative social effects 1993 Tobe Hooper's Night Terrors; John Carpenter Presents Boc of modern horror cinema. The story, which begins with some voice- Bags(Body Bags)(for TV,+ro as morgue worker) over by a young(and then unknown) John Laroquette, tells of five 1995 The Mangler(+ sc) teenagers on a road trip who have the misfortune of bunking down 1997 Perversions of Science(for HBO) ext to an all-male family of cannibalistic ex-slaughterhouse workers 998 The Apartment Complex(for Showtime) Without a doubt, the most memorable baddie is Leatherface( Gunnar 2000 Crocodile Hansen in the role of a lifetime), he of the eponymous chainsaw and gruesome visage. Upon viewing this intense film, with its relentless pace and documentary pretensions, critic Rex Reed declared it one of Other films the most frightening movies ever made. Immediately, the Museum of Modern Art purchased a print for its permanent collection, and the film was honored in the "Directors Fortnight at Cannes. The 1992 Sleepwalkers( Garris)(ro as forensic technician accolades continued to pour in-the prestigious London Film Festi- val went so far as to name the texas chainsaw massacre outstand ing Film of the Year in 1974. Eventually grossing close to $31 million Publications at U.S. box offices, and spawning three sequels, Hoopers labor of love stood for a time as one of the most profitable independent films HOOPER: articles- motion picture history Having earned name recognition and a bevy of devoted fans The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. interview with Marc Savlov. in ooper's next effort, Eaten Alive(1976; also co-written by Henkel) Austin Chronicle. 2 November 1998 was a disappointment, despite its promising cast. Known by turns as Death Trap, Horror Hotel, Starlight Slaughter, and Murder on the On HOOPER. articles- Bayou, the film stars Neville Brand(Al Capone in the original Untouchables television series)as a psychotic innkeeper with a pen- Simpson, Mike, The Horror Genre: Texas Chainsaw Massacre, in chant for murdering guests and feeding them to his pet alligator Filmmakers Newsletter, vol 8, no. 10. August 1975 Robert Englund, who would go on to make it big as Freddy Krueger in Williams, Tony. " The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, "in Movie, no 25, had a bit part. On the one hand, Eaten Alive seemed too much like Winter 1977/78 Sharrett, Christopher, The Idea of Apocalypse in The Texas Chainsaw Texas Chainsaw Massacre for its own good, with its sho of Massacre, in Planks of Reason, Barry Keith Grant, editor andom acts of gratuitous violence; on the other hand, it lacked all of Metuchen, New Jersey, 1984. the former movies grim humor and agonizing tension. Brottman, Mikita, ""Once upon a Time in Texas: The Texas Chainsaw Three years later, Hooper had his second success, this time on Massacre as Inverted Fairytale, "in Necronomicon: The Journal television, with Salem's Lol-a faithful, albeit understated, rendition of Horror and Erotic Cinema, Book One, edited by andy Black, of Stephen Kings atmospheric vampire novel (James Mason co-stars) London. 1996 The most uncanny scene has infected youngster Danny Glick(Brad Freeland, Cynthia, ""The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, "in The Naked Savage)floating outside a friend's window, tapping on the pane and and the Undead: Evil and the Appeal of Horror, Colorado, 2000. pleading with him to open it. Returning to the big screen in 1981 Hooper directed The Funhouse, an underrated horror tale about four adolescents who spend the night at a carnival funhouse, only to be stalked by a disfigured killer. Based on an early novel by Dean Tobe Hooper's career as a director began at the ripe old age of Koontz(who wrote it under a pseudonym ve three, when he went around shooting footage with his familys 8mm dismissed by both reviewers and fans of the genre, though in camera. While growing up, Hooper continued to make films, and retrospect, its self-reflexivity makes it years ahead of its time spent as much time as he could watching movies in the Austin, Texas, 1982 saw Hooper's biggest commercial success, the Steven heatre managed by his father. "My entire filmic vocabulary came Spielberg-penned and -produced haunted house film, Poltergeist noted."It became a way of life, a way of Made on a budget that dwarfed anything he had worked with before looking at things. " Hooper's first production, Eggshells(1969), took (approximately SIl million), Hooper did an excellent job of evoking lace in a haunted commune toward the end of the Vietnam conflict, a creepy atmosphere and utilizing cutting-edge special effects tech and garnered very little attention. "There was a poltergeist in the nology. Although criticized for being a little too polished (quite house, but it was treated subtly. The effects got lost in the statement of a change from Hooper's Texas Chainsaw Massacre days! ) Polter- the film, so it primarily played at art houses. It only got about fifty g upwards of $76 million, and spawning play dates. Judging from Eggshells and another early effort, The two sequels plus a network television show. Sadly, the original films Heisters(1963), no one could have predicted the attention and storm notoriety has increased since its release, due to the deaths of co-stars 4
DIRECTORS, 4 HOOPER th EDITION 445 1981 The Funhouse 1982 Poltergeist 1985 Lifeforce 1986 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Part 2 (+ composer); Invaders from Mars 1989 Spontaneous Combustion (+ sc) 1990 I’m Dangerous Tonight (for TV) 1993 Tobe Hooper’s Night Terrors; John Carpenter Presents Body Bags (Body Bags) (for TV, + ro as morgue worker) 1995 The Mangler (+ sc) 1997 Perversions of Science (for HBO) 1998 The Apartment Complex (for Showtime) 2000 Crocodile Other Films: 1986 Fangoria’s Weekend of Horrors (doc) (ro as himself) 1992 Sleepwalkers (Garris) (ro as forensic technician) Publications By HOOPER: articles— ‘‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,’’ interview with Marc Savlov, in Austin Chronicle, 2 November 1998. On HOOPER: articles— Simpson, Mike, ‘‘The Horror Genre: Texas Chainsaw Massacre,’’ in Filmmakers Newsletter, vol. 8, no. 10, August 1975. Williams, Tony. ‘‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,’’ in Movie , no. 25, Winter 1977/78. Sharrett, Christopher, ‘‘The Idea of Apocalypse in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,’’ in Planks of Reason, Barry Keith Grant, editor, Metuchen, New Jersey, 1984. Brottman, Mikita, ‘‘Once upon a Time in Texas: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre as Inverted Fairytale,’’ in Necronomicon: The Journal of Horror and Erotic Cinema, Book One, edited by Andy Black, London, 1996. Freeland, Cynthia, ‘‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,’’ in The Naked and the Undead: Evil and the Appeal of Horror, Colorado, 2000. *** Tobe Hooper’s career as a director began at the ripe old age of three, when he went around shooting footage with his family’s 8mm camera. While growing up, Hooper continued to make films, and spent as much time as he could watching movies in the Austin, Texas, theatre managed by his father. ‘‘My entire filmic vocabulary came from those days,’’ he once noted. ‘‘It became a way of life, a way of looking at things.’’Hooper’s first production, Eggshells (1969), took place in a haunted commune toward the end of the Vietnam conflict, and garnered very little attention. ‘‘There was a poltergeist in the house, but it was treated subtly. The effects got lost in the statement of the film, so it primarily played at art houses. It only got about fifty play dates.’’ Judging from Eggshells and another early effort, The Heisters (1963), no one could have predicted the attention and storm of controversy that would accompany Hooper’s next effort, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974). Inspired by the real-life story of Wisconsin serial killer Ed Gein (as was Psycho before it, and The Silence of the Lambs years later), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre—co-written by Hooper and Kim Henkel, and made on a budget of only $140,000—generated heated debate over the aesthetic merits and potentially negative social effects of modern horror cinema. The story, which begins with some voiceover by a young (and then unknown) John Laroquette, tells of five teenagers on a road trip who have the misfortune of bunking down next to an all-male family of cannibalistic ex-slaughterhouse workers. Without a doubt, the most memorable baddie is Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen in the role of a lifetime), he of the eponymous chainsaw and gruesome visage. Upon viewing this intense film, with its relentless pace and documentary pretensions, critic Rex Reed declared it one of the most frightening movies ever made. Immediately, the Museum of Modern Art purchased a print for its permanent collection, and the film was honored in the ‘‘Director’s Fortnight’’ at Cannes. The accolades continued to pour in— the prestigious London Film Festival went so far as to name The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Outstanding Film of the Year in 1974. Eventually grossing close to $31 million at U.S. box offices, and spawning three sequels, Hooper’s labor of love stood for a time as one of the most profitable independent films in motion picture history. Having earned name recognition and a bevy of devoted fans, Hooper’s next effort, Eaten Alive (1976; also co-written by Henkel) was a disappointment, despite its promising cast. Known by turns as Death Trap, Horror Hotel, Starlight Slaughter, and Murder on the Bayou, the film stars Neville Brand (Al Capone in the original Untouchables television series) as a psychotic innkeeper with a penchant for murdering guests and feeding them to his pet alligator. Robert Englund, who would go on to make it big as Freddy Krueger in Wes Craven’s immensely popular Nightmare on Elm Street series, had a bit part. On the one hand, Eaten Alive seemed too much like Texas Chainsaw Massacre for its own good, with its showcasing of random acts of gratuitous violence; on the other hand, it lacked all of the former movie’s grim humor and agonizing tension. Three years later, Hooper had his second success, this time on television, with Salem’s Lot— a faithful, albeit understated, rendition of Stephen King’s atmospheric vampire novel (James Mason co-stars). The most uncanny scene has infected youngster Danny Glick (Brad Savage) floating outside a friend’s window, tapping on the pane and pleading with him to open it. Returning to the big screen in 1981, Hooper directed The Funhouse, an underrated horror tale about four adolescents who spend the night at a carnival funhouse, only to be stalked by a disfigured killer. Based on an early novel by Dean Koontz (who wrote it under a pseudonym), the film was quickly dismissed by both reviewers and fans of the genre, though in retrospect, its self-reflexivity makes it years ahead of its time. 1982 saw Hooper’s biggest commercial success, the Steven Spielberg-penned and -produced haunted house film, Poltergeist. Made on a budget that dwarfed anything he had worked with before (approximately $11 million), Hooper did an excellent job of evoking a creepy atmosphere and utilizing cutting–edge special effects technology. Although criticized for being a little too polished (quite a change from Hooper’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre days!), Poltergeist was a huge hit, grossing upwards of $76 million, and spawning two sequels plus a network television show. Sadly, the original film’s notoriety has increased since its release, due to the deaths of co-stars
HOU DIRECTORS, 4 EDItION Dominique Dunne(murdered by her boyfriend shortly after it opened Other Films: and Heather O Rourke, the little girl with the phone(from intestinal sterosis)six years later. 1974 Yun shen Pu Chih Ch'u(Lost in the Deep Cloud)(asst-d An inexplicable unevenness has plagued Hooper throughout his Chin shui Lou Tai (A Better Chance)(asst-d) career, as is testified to by his work in the 1980s. After Poltergeist 1975 Tao Hua Neu Tou Chao Kung(The Beauty and the Old Man) came the science fiction-horror hybrid Lifeforce-a thorougly aver (sc, asst-d); Yeuh Hsia Lao jen (The Matchmaker)(sc, asst-d) effort at combining vampires, aliens, and female nudity. Next 1976 Ai Yu Ming T'ien (Love Has Tomorrow)(asst-d): Yen Shuo came the very dark, very gory, and surprisingly intelligent horror Han(The Glory of the Sunset)(asst-d); Nan Hai Yi Nii Hai comedy, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Part 2(1986), starring Te Chan Cheng (The War between Boys and Girls)(asst-d) ennis Hopper as a former Texas Ranger seeking revenge for the 1977 T's'ui Hu Han(The Chilly Green Lake)(asst-d); Yen P'o chainsaw murder of his brother. A disappointing big-budget remake Chiang Shang(On the Foggy River)(sc, asst-d) Tsao an of the 1953 sci-fi classic Invaders from Mars followed. Since then, Taipei( Good Morning Taipei)(sc); Pei Chih Ch'iu(Sad Hooper has moved back and forth between the big and small screen highlights include the pilot for a popular television series, Nowhere 1978 Tso reh Yii Hsiao Hsiao(The Rushing Rain of Last nigh fan(1995), starring Bruce Greenwood as a documentary photogra asst-d); Wo T'a Laong erh Lai (l Come with the pher whose whole life is seemingly erased in the course of one (sc, asst-d) vening. An original, talented, and unpredictable director, Tobe 1979 T'ien Liang Hao Ke Ch'iu(What a Cold but Wonderful Hoopers contributions to the horror genre are many, and his develop- Autumn)(sc, asst-d): Ch'iu Lien(autumn Lotus)(sc) ing projects are eagerly anticipated. 1980 P'eng P'eng /Chuan Hsin(Pounding Hearts)(sc, asst-d) 1981 Ch'iao Ju Ts'ai Tieh Fei FeiFei(A Butterfly Girl)(sc, asst-d) -Steven Schneider 982 Hsiao Pi Te Ku Shih(Growing Up)(co-pr, co-SC, asst-d) 1984 Yu Ma Ts'ai Tzu(Ah Fei)(co-sc); Hsiao PaPa Te T'ien K'ung Out of the blue)(co-sc); Ch'ing Mei Chu Ma (taipei Story)(role): Tsui Hsiang Nien Te Chi Chieh(sc) HOU Hsiao-Hsien 1995 Qunian dongtian(Heartbreak Island)(co-sc, exec pr) 1999 Borderline(pr) Nationality: Taiwanese. Born: Hour Shiaw-shyan(name in pinyin, Hou Xiaoxian) in Meixian, Kuangtung( Canton) province, 8 April Publications 947: moved to Hualien. Taiwan. 1948. Education: Attended the ilm program of the Taiwan National Academy of the Arts, 1969-72. Career: Electronic calculator salesman, 1972-73: script boy, then By HOU: articles- assistant director, from 1974: scriptwriter, from 1975; directed first iIm, Cute Girls, 1979; sold house to finance Growing Up, 1982: actor Interview with Olivier Assayas, in Cahiers du Cinema (Paris), in When Hushand ls out of Town, for TV, and director of music vide 985. Awards: Best Director Award, Asian-Pacific Film Festival, for Interview with Tony Rayns, in Monthly Film Bulletin (London) A Summer at Grandpa's, 1985; Golden Lion Award, Venice Festival June 1988 and Best Director, Golden Horse Awards, Taiwan, for A City of Not the Best Possible Face, an interview with Tony Rayns, in Sadness. 1989 Monthly Film Bulletin(London), June 1990 City of sadness, an interview in Film, March 1990. Straniero in patria, an interview with Z. Yan, in Cinema Forum, March 1991 Films as director: 'Historys Subtle Shadows, an interview with P H. P Chiao, in Cinemava. Autumn 1993 1979 Chiu Shih Liu Liu Te T'a( Cute Girls)(+ sc) Interview with M. Ciment, in Positif, December 1993 1980 Feng Erh TiTa Ts'ai(Cheerful wind)(+ sc) Interview with T Jousse in Cahiers du Cinema. December 1993. 1982 Tsai Nei Ho P'an Ch'ing Ts'ao Ch'ing(The Green, Green"The Puppetmaster, an interview with F. Sartor, in Film und Grass of Home)(+ sc) Televisie Video, January 1994. 983 Episode of Erh Tzu Te Ta Wan Ou(The Sandwich Man; Son's Good Men. Good Women. an interview with Alain Masson and Michel Ciment, in Positif(Paris), May 1996 1984 Feng Kuei Lai Te Jen(The Boys from Fengkuei)(+ co-sc): Interview with Yann Tobin, Michel Ciment, and Pierre Eisenreich, in Tung Tung Te Chia Ch'i(A Summer at Grandpas) Positif( Paris), November 199 1985 T'ung Nein Wang Shih(A Time to Live and a Time to Die) 1986 Lien Lien Feng Ch'eng(Dust in the Wind)(+ role) On HOU: articles- 1987 Ni Luo Ho Nii Erh(Daughter of the Nile)(+ role) 1989 Pei Ch'ing Ch'eng Shih(A City of sadness)(+ role A Taiwan Tale, in Film, April 1989 993 The Puppetmaster Huang, Vivian, Taiwans Social Realism, in The Independen 1995 Haonan Haonu(Good Men, Good Women) (New York), January/February 1990 1996 Nanguo zaijan, nanguo( Goodbye South, Goodbye) Combs. Richard, " Dust in the Wind, in Monthly Film Bulletin 998 Hai shang hua(Flowers of shanghai) (London), April 199 446
HOU DIRECTORS, 4th EDITION 446 Dominique Dunne (murdered by her boyfriend shortly after it opened) and Heather O’Rourke, the little girl with the phone (from intestinal sterosis) six years later. An inexplicable unevenness has plagued Hooper throughout his career, as is testified to by his work in the 1980s. After Poltergeist came the science fiction-horror hybrid Lifeforce—a thorougly average effort at combining vampires, aliens, and female nudity. Next came the very dark, very gory, and surprisingly intelligent horror comedy, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Part 2 (1986), starring Dennis Hopper as a former Texas Ranger seeking revenge for the chainsaw murder of his brother. A disappointing big-budget remake of the 1953 sci-fi classic Invaders from Mars followed. Since then, Hooper has moved back and forth between the big and small screen; highlights include the pilot for a popular television series, Nowhere Man (1995), starring Bruce Greenwood as a documentary photographer whose whole life is seemingly erased in the course of one evening. An original, talented, and unpredictable director, Tobe Hooper’s contributions to the horror genre are many, and his developing projects are eagerly anticipated. —Steven Schneider HOU Hsiao-Hsien Nationality: Taiwanese. Born: Hour Shiaw-shyan (name in pinyin, Hou Xiaoxian) in Meixian, Kuangtung (Canton) province, 8 April 1947; moved to Hualien, Taiwan, 1948. Education: Attended the film program of the Taiwan National Academy of the Arts, 1969–72. Career: Electronic calculator salesman, 1972–73; script boy, then assistant director, from 1974; scriptwriter, from 1975; directed first film, Cute Girls, 1979; sold house to finance Growing Up, 1982; actor in When Husband Is out of Town, for TV, and director of music video, 1985. Awards: Best Director Award, Asian-Pacific Film Festival, for A Summer at Grandpa’s, 1985; Golden Lion Award, Venice Festival, and Best Director, Golden Horse Awards, Taiwan, for A City of Sadness, 1989. Films as Director: 1979 Chiu Shih Liu Liu Tê T’a (Cute Girls) (+ sc) 1980 Feng Erh T’i T’a Ts’ai (Cheerful Wind) (+ sc) 1982 Tsai Nei Ho P’an Ch’ing Ts’ao Ch’ing (The Green, Green Grass of Home) (+ sc) 1983 Episode of Erh Tzu Tê Ta Wan Ou (The Sandwich Man; Son’s Big Doll) 1984 Fêng Kuei Lai Tê Jen (The Boys from Fengkuei) (+ co-sc); Tung Tung Te Chia Ch’i (A Summer at Grandpa’s) 1985 T’ung Nein Wang Shih (A Time to Live and a Time to Die) 1986 Lien Lien Feng Ch’eng (Dust in the Wind) (+ role) 1987 Ni Luo Ho Nü Erh (Daughter of the Nile) (+ role) 1989 Pei Ch’ing Ch’êng Shih (A City of Sadness) (+ role) 1993 The Puppetmaster 1995 Haonan Haonu (Good Men, Good Women) 1996 Nanguo zaijan, nanguo (Goodbye South, Goodbye) 1998 Hai shang hua (Flowers of Shanghai) Other Films: 1974 Yun shen Pu Chih Ch’u (Lost in the Deep Cloud) (asst-d); Chin shui Lou Tai (A Better Chance) (asst-d) 1975 Tao Hua Neu Tou Chao Kung (The Beauty and the Old Man) (sc, asst-d); Yeuh Hsia Lao Jen (The Matchmaker) (sc, asst-d) 1976 Ai Yu Ming T’ien (Love Has Tomorrow) (asst-d); Yen Shuio Han (The Glory of the Sunset) (asst-d); Nan Hai Yü Nü Hai Tê Chan Chêng (The War between Boys and Girls) (asst-d) 1977 Ts’ui Hu Han (The Chilly Green Lake) (asst-d); Yen P’o Chiang Shang (On the Foggy River) (sc, asst-d); Tsao an Taipei (Good Morning, Taipei) (sc); Pei Chih Ch’iu (Sadness of Autumn) (sc) 1978 Tso Yeh Yü Hsiao Hsiao (The Rushing Rain of Last Night) (sc, asst-d); Wo T’a Laong Erh Lai (I Come with the Wave) (sc, asst-d) 1979 T’ien Liang Hao Kê Ch’iu (What a Cold but Wonderful Autumn) (sc, asst-d); Ch’iu Lien (Autumn Lotus) (sc) 1980 P’eng P’eng I Ch’uan Hsin (Pounding Hearts) (sc, asst-d) 1981 Ch’iao Ju Ts’ai Tieh Fei Fei Fei (A Butterfly Girl) (sc, asst-d) 1982 Hsiao Pi Te Ku Shih (Growing Up) (co-pr, co-sc, asst-d) 1984 Yu Ma Ts’ai Tzu (Ah Fei) (co-sc); Hsiao Pa Pa Te T’ien K’ung (Out of the Blue) (co-sc); Ch’ing Mei Chu Ma (Taipei Story) (role); Tsui Hsiang Nien Tê Chi Chieh (sc) 1995 Qunian dongtian (Heartbreak Island) (co-sc, exec pr) 1999 Borderline (pr) Publications By HOU: articles— Interview with Olivier Assayas, in Cahiers du Cinéma (Paris), December 1984. Interview with Tony Rayns, in Monthly Film Bulletin (London), June 1988. ‘‘Not the Best Possible Face,’’ an interview with Tony Rayns, in Monthly Film Bulletin (London), June 1990. ‘‘City of Sadness,’’ an interview in Film, March 1990. ‘‘Straniero in patria,’’ an interview with Z. Yan, in Cinema Forum, March 1991. ‘‘History’s Subtle Shadows,’’ an interview with P. H. P. Chiao, in Cinemaya, Autumn 1993. Interview with M. Ciment, in Positif, December 1993. Interview with T. Jousse, in Cahiers du Cinéma, December 1993. ‘‘The Puppetmaster,’’ an interview with F. Sartor, in Film und Televisie + Video, January 1994. ‘‘Good Men, Good Women,’’ an interview with Alain Masson and Michel Ciment, in Positif (Paris), May 1996. Interview with Yann Tobin, Michel Ciment, and Pierre Eisenreich, in Positif (Paris), November 1998. On HOU: articles— ‘‘A Taiwan Tale,’’ in Film, April 1989. Huang, Vivian, ‘‘Taiwan’s Social Realism,’’ in The Independent (New York), January/February 1990. Combs, Richard, ‘‘Dust in the Wind,’’ in Monthly Film Bulletin (London), April 1990
DIRECTORS, EDITION HOU Grosoli, F., "Lo sguardo diretto di Hou Xiaoxian, in Cinema wor man and h ssful pregnanc d Contrasted with Forum, March 1991. the positive influences one can gain from country life in most of "Hou's City of Sadness Is Key to Success," in Variety, 17 Febru- Hou's filr th its opportunities for ary 1992. cial structure, Cheshire, G., "Time Span: The Cinema of Hou Hsiao-Hsien,"in iving wage and con Film Comment, November/December 1993. Delval, D., "Le maitre de marionnettes," in Grand Angle, Janu- Kaoh ed to the ary 1994. Bouquet, Stephane, Oliver Assayas, and Antoine de Baecque, "Good bye South, Goodbye," in Cahiers du Cinema (Paris), April 1997. Hou Hsiao-hsien is the most internationally re filmmakers associated with Taiwan's "New C The"New Cinema the early 1980s by a were in their ear group helped each othe turn bya works content; mother wa playing in the river and d not only because they 1 nd cultural history From City of Sadness on, 447
DIRECTORS, 4 HOU th EDITION 447 Grosoli, F., ‘‘Lo sguardo diretto di Hou Xiaoxian,’’ in Cinema Forum, March 1991. ‘‘Hou’s City of Sadness Is Key to Success,’’ in Variety, 17 February 1992. Cheshire, G., ‘‘Time Span: The Cinema of Hou Hsiao-Hsien,’’ in Film Comment, November/December 1993. Delval, D., ‘‘Le maitre de marionnettes,’’ in Grand Angle, January 1994. Bouquet, Stéphane, Oliver Assayas, and Antoine de Baecque, ‘‘Goodbye South, Goodbye,’’ in Cahiers du Cinéma (Paris), April 1997. *** Hou Hsiao-hsien is the most internationally renowned of the filmmakers associated with Taiwan’s ‘‘New Cinema’’ movement. The ‘‘New Cinema’’ was forged out of the country’s aging industry in the early 1980s by a group of emerging filmmakers, most of whom were in their early thirties at the time. The members of this cohesive group helped each other make films, and were strongly supported in turn by a group of film critics belonging to the same generation. Their works diverged from mainstream films of the time both in style and in content; instead of the escapist romances and propaganda films in melodramatic form that dominated Taiwan’s film market in the 1970s, this new wave of filmmakers used a realistic style to convey their socially concerned themes. The experiences of life in Taiwan figure prominently in Hou’s work, due to his personal background: Hou, who has lived in Taiwan for most of his life, was a year old in 1948 when he and his family, on a visit from the mainland, were forced to remain more or less permanently as a result of the Civil War. Unlike the previous generation of filmmakers, who were brought up and educated in mainland China and who hired professionals to dub all the dialogue with standard Mandarin, the official language of both Taiwan and mainland China, Hou began using large amounts of the Taiwanese dialect spoken by most of the island’s inhabitants. Following The Sandwich Man, Hou also mixed in the dialect of the ancient Hakkas ethnic group, as well as Japanese. (Japan had occupied Taiwan for almost fifty years, previous to the Nationalist takeover.) While the previous generation of filmmakers identified with or bowed to the Nationalist strategy of mandating exclusive use of the Mandarin language to ‘‘Chinacize’’ the people of Taiwan, Hou and his peers, whether mainlander or islander, recognized the fact that Taiwan was not synonymous with China. Due to this break from the stateenforced ideology, the New Cinema practitioners were able to begin to face and examine the sources and manifestations of their society’s problems. Perhaps most dynamic in this rapidly industrializing country was the emotional as well as physical dislocation resulting from the urbanization of Taiwan’s traditionally rural culture. The conflict between urban and rural values is a recurring theme in Hou’s films. Hou, who grew up in the countryside and moved to Taipei at the beginning of his college studies, retains a strong attachment to traditional Taiwanese values. On the screen, he uses country living and sentiments in the idyllic scene structure of his films. In A Summer at Grandpa’s, the protagonist Tung Tung, a young boy who grew up in Taipei but stayed at his grandfather’s in the country while his mother was hospitalized, gained ‘‘real’’ childhood experiences— playing in the river and exchanging his toy car with another child’s live turtle, as well as more gritty life experiences—learning of the complexities of social relationships through the rape of an insane woman and her subsequent unsuccessful pregnancy. Contrasted with the positive influences one can gain from country life in most of Hou’s films are the attractions of the city, with its opportunities for a living wage and concomitant confusion of an alien social structure, and its dissimilar types of human relationships. In The Boys from Fengkuei, when three young men arrive at Kaohsiung, they find that their friend’s sister, who has moved to the city from their hometown, has somehow become ‘‘morally corrupted.’’ While they wander around on the streets of the city, a stranger on a motorcycle collects their money to see an underground porno film, sending them into an empty building still under construction. Instead of a movie screen, they view the city landscape from huge holes awaiting windows. A silent long take and a long shot shows the three naive boys staring at the city—the farce turning out to be their first taste of the bitterness of the city—without anger but with a deep sense of helplessness. That the urban experience can prove damaging to one’s physical as well as mental health is illustrated in Dust in the Wind. The protagonist Ah-Yuan is beaten up by his boss’s wife for failing to deliver a lunch box to her son, and some friends of Ah-Yuan, including his girlfriend, are injured during their work. While these country children are wounded by the city, they can always go back to their rural homes to recuperate from their mental and physical injuries. However, in Daughter of the Nile, when the teenaged girl Shao Yang and her brother Shao Fang settle in the city of Taipei, they become the orphans of the world. Daughter of the Nile is Hou’s first and thus far only film that takes place entirely in Taipei. Hou’s shots of the dark city illuminated by the colorful neon signs eerily demonstrate the materialism that dislocates the youths, and finally takes Shao Fang’s life. The uneasiness and the difficulties of adjusting to social changes was the other theme in almost all of Hou’s directorial works. In The Sandwich Man, Hou used a clown costume as the symbol of this discomfort. In Dust in the Wind, this discomfort is transformed into physical suffering when the rural teenagers are beaten and otherwise abused by their working environment. Death also played the main metaphoric role of the transition in A Time to Live and a Time to Die: the deaths of protagonist Ah-ha’s father, mother, and grandmother punctuate his stages of growing up as well as his ideological divergence from the Nationalist party between the years 1958 and 1966. Similarly, in A City of Sadness, each of the four brothers of the Lin family was killed either physically or mentally in differing political climates and social circumstances during the 1940s, their deaths indicating their failure in adjusting to the new eras. Hou’s achievement is not only in his cinematic sensitivities but also in his social consciousness. As much as he is a filmmaker, Hou is a historical and social commentator of the first order. In May 2000, Hou’s position in the West was curiously anomalous: the majority of serious critics regarded him as among the three or four most important living filmmakers, yet his films remained inaccessible to the great majority of filmgoers, shown only in film festivals and occasional Cinematheque retrospectives. None had been granted a wide release; a very few hovered in the dim hinterlands of availability on obscure videos—poor color, wrong format, inadequate subtitles. There were no clear indications that this situation would change in the foreseeable future. It must be admitted that Hou’s films—especially the later ones— present the viewer with certain problems, and not only because they demand some awareness of Taiwanese political and cultural history during the second half of the last century. From City of Sadness on
HOWARD DIRECTORS, 4 EDItION their treatment of narrative structure has become increasingly chal lenging and unorthodox. One feels at times that Hou shoots only sequences that really engage him, leaving the audience to fill in narrative hiatuses with a combination of common sense and imagina- tion. The many characters are seldom given the careful, emphatic introductions to which Hollywood has accustomed us, and closeups are rare, point-of-view shots non-existent; sequences are often en- tirely in long-shot. In short, Hou expects us to work, concentrate, be vigilant; the films construct a spectator who is at once detached but sympathetic. Each of the recent works requires detailed treatment to do it stice: Ciry of Sadness is discussed in the companion volume on Films. The Puppetmaster is a complex study of the relationship of the artist to the social and political vicissitudes of history, raising central questions of responsibility, of the essentially political nature of all art conscious or not). Good Men, Good Womer these themes different ways, focussing now on actors; it is built upon an intricate double narrative and a complicated time-scheme. Criminality has played a significant thematic role in a number of Hou's films (Daughter of the Nile, City of Sadness); it becomes central to Goodbye South, Goodbye, which one might describe as Hous first gangster thriller, though a characteristically idiosyncratic and off- hai,in some ways the most readily accessible of this group ofbiLe. Most recently, we have had the extraordinary Flowers of shan Ron howard Set entirely inside an expensive Shanghai brothel, it follows the award in longform, 1999, for From the Earth to the Moon. Office complex lives and interactions of the courtesans and their clients, Imagine Films Entertainment, Inc, 1925 Century Park East, Los their stories told mainly in sequence-shots, with a more mobile Angeles, CA 90067. Agent: Bryan Lourd and Richard Lovett, amera than we are accustomed to in Hous films, where static long Creative Artists Agency, 9830 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90212. takes have generally predominated. The films great visual beauty and grace are matched by the delicacy of its insights, the respect with which Hou treats both his characters and his audiences. Not surpris- ingly, it headed many critics' lists of the"best films of the 90s. Films as director: 1969 Deed of Derring-Do -Vivian Huang, updated by robin Woo 1977 Grand Theft Auto (+ sc) 1978 Cotton Candy(+sc) 1981 Through the Magic Pyramid (Tut and Tuttle)(for TV) HOWARD, Ron 1982 Night Shift 1984 Splash Nationality: American Born: Duncan, Oklahoma, 1 March 1954 1985 Cocoon son of Rance(an actor, writer, and director)and Jean (an actress: 1986 Gung Ho(Working-Class Man)(+ exec pr maiden name, Speegle)Howard. Education: Attended the University 988 Willow of Southern California and Los Angeles Valley College. Family 1989 Parenthood(+ sc) Married Cheryl Alley, 7 June 1975: children: Bryce Dallas, Paige 1991 Backdraft Carlyle, Jocelyn Carlyle, Reed. Career: First appeared on the Lassie 1992 Far and Away (+ sc, pr) TV series at age one: appeared in TV series beginning in 1960, 1994 The Paper luding The Andy Griffith Show, 1960-68, The Smith Family 1995 Apollo 13(+ music exec pr) 1971-72, Happy Days, 1974-80, and as voice on Fonz and the happ 1996 Ransom Days Gang, 1980-82; president, Major H Productions, 1977; prc 1999 Ed Tv(+pr) ducer and executive producer of TV series, including Maximum 2000 How the grinch stole christmas Security, 1985, Parenthood, 1990, Sports Nighf, 1998, and Felicity 1998: founder (with others ), Imagine Films Entertainment, Inc. 1986. A wards: Director of the Year. National Association of Theatre Films as Actor: Owners, 1985; Louella Parsons Award, Hollywood Womens Press Club, 1985: American Cinematheque Award, 1990; Directors Guild 1955 Frontier Woman(uncredited bit part) of America DGA Award, outstanding achievement in motion pic- 1959 The Journey (billed as Ronny Howard)(as Billy rhinelander) tures, for Apollo 13, 1996: DGA Award, outstanding miniseries, 1961 Door-to-Door Maniac(Five Minutes to Live)(as Bobby) 1998, and PGA Golden Laurel Award, television producer of the year 1962 The Music Man(billed as Ronny Howard)(as winthrop Paroo)
HOWARD DIRECTORS, 4th EDITION 448 their treatment of narrative structure has become increasingly challenging and unorthodox. One feels at times that Hou shoots only the sequences that really engage him, leaving the audience to fill in narrative hiatuses with a combination of common sense and imagination. The many characters are seldom given the careful, emphatic introductions to which Hollywood has accustomed us, and closeups are rare, point-of-view shots non-existent; sequences are often entirely in long-shot. In short, Hou expects us to work, concentrate, be vigilant; the films construct a spectator who is at once detached but sympathetic. Each of the recent works requires detailed treatment to do it justice; City of Sadness is discussed in the companion volume on Films. The Puppetmaster is a complex study of the relationship of the artist to the social and political vicissitudes of history, raising central questions of responsibility, of the essentially political nature of all art (conscious or not). Good Men, Good Women pursues these themes in different ways, focussing now on actors; it is built upon an intricate double narrative and a complicated time-scheme. Criminality has played a significant thematic role in a number of Hou’s films (Daughter of the Nile, City of Sadness); it becomes central to Goodbye South, Goodbye, which one might describe as Hou’s first gangster thriller, though a characteristically idiosyncratic and offbeat one. Most recently, we have had the extraordinary Flowers of Shanghai, in some ways the most readily accessible of this group of films. Set entirely inside an expensive Shanghai brothel, it follows the complex lives and interactions of the courtesans and their clients, their stories told mainly in sequence-shots, with a more mobile camera than we are accustomed to in Hou’s films, where static long takes have generally predominated. The film’s great visual beauty and grace are matched by the delicacy of its insights, the respect with which Hou treats both his characters and his audiences. Not surprisingly, it headed many critics’ lists of the ‘‘best films of the ’90s.’’ —Vivian Huang, updated by Robin Wood HOWARD, Ron Nationality: American. Born: Duncan, Oklahoma, 1 March 1954; son of Rance (an actor, writer, and director) and Jean (an actress; maiden name, Speegle) Howard. Education: Attended the University of Southern California and Los Angeles Valley College. Family: Married Cheryl Alley, 7 June 1975; children: Bryce Dallas, Paige Carlyle, Jocelyn Carlyle, Reed. Career: First appeared on the Lassie TV series at age one; appeared in TV series beginning in 1960, including The Andy Griffith Show, 1960–68, The Smith Family, 1971–72, Happy Days, 1974–80, and as voice on Fonz and the Happy Days Gang, 1980–82; president, Major H Productions, 1977; producer and executive producer of TV series, including Maximum Security, 1985, Parenthood, 1990, Sports Night, 1998, and Felicity, 1998; founder (with others), Imagine Films Entertainment, Inc., 1986. Awards: Director of the Year, National Association of Theatre Owners, 1985; Louella Parsons Award, Hollywood Women’s Press Club, 1985; American Cinematheque Award, 1990; Directors Guild of America DGA Award, outstanding achievement in motion pictures, for Apollo 13, 1996; DGA Award, outstanding miniseries, 1998, and PGA Golden Laurel Award, television producer of the year Ron Howard award in longform, 1999, for From the Earth to the Moon. Office: Imagine Films Entertainment, Inc., 1925 Century Park East, Los Angeles, CA 90067. Agent: Bryan Lourd and Richard Lovett, Creative Artists Agency, 9830 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90212. Films as Director: 1969 Deed of Derring-Do 1977 Grand Theft Auto (+ sc) 1978 Cotton Candy (+ sc) 1980 Skyward (for TV) (+ exec pr) 1981 Through the Magic Pyramid (Tut and Tuttle) (for TV) 1982 Night Shift 1984 Splash 1985 Cocoon 1986 Gung Ho (Working–Class Man) (+ exec pr) 1988 Willow 1989 Parenthood (+ sc) 1991 Backdraft 1992 Far and Away (+ sc, pr) 1994 The Paper 1995 Apollo 13 (+ music exec pr) 1996 Ransom 1999 Ed TV (+ pr) 2000 How the Grinch Stole Christmas Films as Actor: 1955 Frontier Woman (uncredited bit part) 1959 The Journey (billed as Ronny Howard) (as Billy Rhinelander) 1961 Door-to-Door Maniac (Five Minutes to Live) (as Bobby) 1962 The Music Man (billed as Ronny Howard) (as Winthrop Paroo)
DIRECTORS, 4 EDITION HOWARD 1963 The Courtship of Eddie's Father(billed as Ronny Howard) Interview in Radio Times(London), 8 February 1997. Interview in Premiere(Boulder), April 1999 Village of the Giants(billed as Ronny Howard)(as Genius) A Boy Called Nuthin(for TV)(as Richie"Nuthin""Caldwell) On HOWARD: book 1970 Smoke(for TV)(as Chris) 1971 The Wild Country(The Newcomers)(billed as Ronny How- Kramer. Barbara. Ron Howard: Child Star and Hollywood Director ard)(as Virgil) 1973 Happy Mother's Day, Love George(as Johnny); American Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, 1998 Graffiti(billed as Ronny Howard)(as Steve Bolander) 1974 The Spikes Gang(as Les Richter): Locusts(for Tv)(as Donny On HOWARD: article- Fletcher); The Migrants(for TV)(as Lyle Barlow) 1975 Huckleberry Finn(for TV)(as Huckleberry Finn) Landrot, M,*Ivre de contes, in Telerama(Paris), no. 2312 1976 The Shootist(as Gillom Rogers); The First Nudie Musical(for TV)(as Actor at Audition; Im a Fool: Eat My Dust!(as 1977 Grand Theft Auto(as Sam Freema 1979 More American Graffiti(as Steve Bolander) Ron Howard is the rare Hollywood success story-a child star 980 Act of Love(for TV)(as Leon Cybulkowski) who became one of the film industrys most successful and prolific 1981 Bitter Harvest(for TV)(as Ned De Vries); Fire on the directors As little Ronny Howard, the sweet-faced redhead spent the Mountain(for TV)(as Lee Mackie) better part of his childhood in front of the cameras playing easygoing 1983 When Your Lover Leaves (for TV) Opie Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show(1960-68). His small-screen 1986 Return to Mayberry(for TV)(as Opie Taylor) success playing the personable son of the widowed Andy Griffith 1992 The Magical World of Chuck Jones (for TV)(as himself) earned Howard numerous film roles similarly playing good-natured 997 Frank Capra's American Dream(for TV)(as Host/Narrator) father's sons In The Music Man, he made his musical debut singing 1999 From Star Wars to Star Wars: The Story of Industrial Light&"Gary, Indiana"; in Vincente Minelli's The Courtship of Eddie's Magic(doc)(as himself/interviewee) Father, Howard starred as another sweet son of a widower opposite 2000 The Independent(as himself); Chuck Jones: Extremes and In Glenn Ford Betweens, a Life in Animation(as himself After graduating from high school and attending the University of 2001 Osmosis Jones Southern california. Howard returned to acting in George Lucas's milestone 1950s film, American Graffiti, playing Steve, the clean-cut, All-American boy about to leave for college. The film spawn Films as executive produce TV sitcom Happy Days, in which Howard played the lead role of the straight arrow, good-natured Richie Cunningham for six seasons. It 1980 Leo and loree was time put to good use as Howard learned everything he coul 1983 When Your Lover Leaves(for TV) about the business 1985 No Greater Gift (for TV): Into Thin Air (for TV) Howard directed his first film while still acting on Happy Days. 1987 Take Five(for TV): No Man's Land Like so many first-time directors, Howard received an early break 1988 Clean and Sober: Lone star Kid: vibes from the low-budget, independent film king Roger Corman. How- 1991 Closet Land ards Grand Theft Auto(1977)is rather unsophisticated car crash- filled action fare. His next film. however. made much more of an impression. Night Shift is a wacky but endearing comedy about two Films as producer morgue attendants who double as pimps. The unlikely premise succeeded due as much to howard 's brisk direction as to michael Keaton's effective acting in his screen debut. 1997 Inventing the abbotts Howard's next film catapulted the young director to the Holly 1998 From the Earth to the Moon(mini, for TV) wood A-list. Splash, a romantic fantasy about a man and a mermaid 999 Student Affairs(for TV); Beyond the Mat starring Tom Hanks and Darryl Hannah, proved a hit with 1980s 2001 Eve See Your: How to eat Fried woms brought the same feel-good ethos to 1985s Cocoon, a sci-fi fantasy about senior citizens who discover the fountain of youth. The respect Publications attract some of Hollywood,'s best veteran performers, such as Jessica Tandy, Don Ameche, Hume Cronyn, Wilford Brimley, and Maureen By HOWARD: articles- Stapleton, bringing the film a heavy dose of class. Although the film was a huge hit with audiences, some critics such as Pauline Kael, felt Interview in Playboy(Chicago), May 1994. that Howardoverworkled] his ecumenical niceness-his attempt to Interview in Time Out(London), no. 1380, 29 January 199 provide something for all age groups and all faiths. But Hollywood
DIRECTORS, 4 HOWARD th EDITION 449 1963 The Courtship of Eddie’s Father (billed as Ronny Howard) (as Eddie) 1965 Village of the Giants (billed as Ronny Howard) (as Genius) 1967 A Boy Called Nuthin’ (for TV) (as Richie ‘‘Nuthin’’’ Caldwell) 1970 Smoke (for TV) (as Chris) 1971 The Wild Country (The Newcomers) (billed as Ronny Howard) (as Virgil) 1973 Happy Mother’s Day, Love George (as Johnny); American Graffiti (billed as Ronny Howard) (as Steve Bolander) 1974 The Spikes Gang (as Les Richter); Locusts (for TV) (as Donny Fletcher); The Migrants (for TV) (as Lyle Barlow) 1975 Huckleberry Finn (for TV) (as Huckleberry Finn) 1976 The Shootist (as Gillom Rogers); The First Nudie Musical (for TV) (as Actor at Audition); I’m a Fool; Eat My Dust! (as Hoover Niebold) 1977 Grand Theft Auto (as Sam Freeman) 1979 More American Graffiti (as Steve Bolander) 1980 Act of Love (for TV) (as Leon Cybulkowski) 1981 Bitter Harvest (for TV) (as Ned De Vries); Fire on the Mountain (for TV) (as Lee Mackie) 1983 When Your Lover Leaves (for TV) 1986 Return to Mayberry (for TV) (as Opie Taylor) 1992 The Magical World of Chuck Jones (for TV) (as himself) 1997 Frank Capra’s American Dream (for TV) (as Host/Narrator) 1999 From Star Wars to Star Wars: The Story of Industrial Light & Magic (doc) (as himself/interviewee) 2000 The Independent (as himself); Chuck Jones: Extremes and InBetweens, a Life in Animation (as himself) 2001 Osmosis Jones Films as Executive Producer: 1980 Leo and Loree 1983 When Your Lover Leaves (for TV) 1985 No Greater Gift (for TV); Into Thin Air (for TV) 1987 Take Five (for TV); No Man’s Land 1988 Clean and Sober; Lone Star Kid; Vibes 1991 Closet Land Films as Producer: 1996 The Chamber 1997 Inventing the Abbotts 1998 From the Earth to the Moon (mini, for TV) 1999 Student Affairs (for TV); Beyond the Mat 2001 Eye See You; How to Eat Fried Worms Publications By HOWARD: articles— Interview in Playboy (Chicago), May 1994. Interview in Time Out (London), no. 1380, 29 January 1997. Interview in Radio Times (London), 8 February 1997. Interview in Premiere (Boulder), April 1999. On HOWARD: book— Kramer, Barbara, Ron Howard: Child Star and Hollywood Director, Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, 1998. On HOWARD: article— Landrot, M., ‘‘Ivre de contes,’’ in Télérama (Paris), no. 2312, 4 May 1994. *** Ron Howard is the rare Hollywood success story—a child star who became one of the film industry’s most successful and prolific directors. As little Ronny Howard, the sweet-faced redhead spent the better part of his childhood in front of the cameras playing easygoing Opie Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show (1960–68). His small-screen success playing the personable son of the widowed Andy Griffith earned Howard numerous film roles similarly playing good-natured father’s sons. In The Music Man, he made his musical debut singing ‘‘Gary, Indiana’’; in Vincente Minelli’s The Courtship of Eddie’s Father, Howard starred as another sweet son of a widower opposite Glenn Ford. After graduating from high school and attending the University of Southern California, Howard returned to acting in George Lucas’s milestone 1950s film, American Graffiti, playing Steve, the clean-cut, All-American boy about to leave for college. The film spawned the TV sitcom Happy Days, in which Howard played the lead role of the straight arrow, good-natured Richie Cunningham for six seasons. It was time put to good use as Howard learned everything he could about the business. Howard directed his first film while still acting on Happy Days. Like so many first–time directors, Howard received an early break from the low-budget, independent film king Roger Corman. Howard’s Grand Theft Auto (1977) is rather unsophisticated car crash- filled action fare. His next film, however, made much more of an impression. Night Shift is a wacky but endearing comedy about two morgue attendants who double as pimps. The unlikely premise succeeded due as much to Howard’s brisk direction as to Michael Keaton’s effective acting in his screen debut. Howard’s next film catapulted the young director to the Hollywood A-list. Splash, a romantic fantasy about a man and a mermaid starring Tom Hanks and Darryl Hannah, proved a hit with 1980s audiences, who welcomed Howard’s wholesome values. Howard brought the same feel-good ethos to 1985’s Cocoon, a sci-fi fantasy about senior citizens who discover the fountain of youth. The respect accorded Howard by the film community gave him the ability to attract some of Hollywood’s best veteran performers, such as Jessica Tandy, Don Ameche, Hume Cronyn, Wilford Brimley, and Maureen Stapleton, bringing the film a heavy dose of class. Although the film was a huge hit with audiences, some critics, such as Pauline Kael, felt that Howard ‘‘overwork[ed] his ecumenical niceness—his attempt to provide something for all age groups and all faiths.’’ But Hollywood