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Bruce Beresford

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For the American television producer, seeBruce Beresford-Redman.

Bruce Beresford
Beresford in 2016
Born(1940-08-16)16 August 1940(age 84)
Paddington, New South Wales,Australia
Alma materUniversity of Sydney(BA)
Occupations
  • Film director
  • screenwriter
  • producer
Years active1970–present
SpouseVirginia Duigan

Bruce Beresford(/ˈbɛrɪsfərd/;born 16 August 1940[1]) is an Australian film director,operadirector,[2]screenwriter, and producer. He began his career during theAustralian New Wave,and has made more than 30 feature films over a 50-year career, both locally and internationally in the United States. He is a two-timeAcademy Awardnominee, and a four-timeAACTA/AFI Awardswinner out of 10 total nominations

Beresford's films includeBreaker Morant(1980),Tender Mercies(1983),Crimes of the Heart(1986),Driving Miss Daisy(1989) - which won four Oscars includingBest Picture,[3][4]Black Robe(1991),Silent Fall(1994),Mao's Last Dancer(2009), andLadies in Black(2018). He was nominated for Academy Awards forBest Adapted ScreenplayforBreaker Morant,andBest DirectorforTender Mercies.He wonAACTA/AFI Awards-Best Direction(2) forDon's Party(1976) andBreaker Morant,andBest Screenplay(2) forBreaker MorantandThe Fringe Dwellers(1986).

In addition, four of Beresford's films have been nominated for thePalme d'Or,and four have been nominated for theGolden Bear.He has also been nominated for twoBAFTA Awards,aGolden Globe Award,aDirectors Guild of America Award,and won aGenie Award.

Early life and education

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Beresford was born inPaddington, New South Wales,the son of Lona (née Warr) and Leslie Beresford, who sold electrical goods.[5]He grew up in the then outer-western suburb ofToongabbie,and went to The Meadows Public School and thenThe King's School,Parramatta. He made several short films in his teens includingThe Hunter(1959).[6]

He completed aBachelor of Artsmajoring in English at theUniversity of Sydney,where he graduated in 1964. While at university he made the short filmThe Devil to Pay(1962) starringJohn BellandRon Blair,It Droppeth as the Gentle Rain(1963) co-directed byAlbie Thomsand starringGermaine Greer,Clement Meadmore(1963) with Bell andKing-size Woman(1965).[7]

Career

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Nigeria and England

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Beresford then moved to England in search of film work. He could not break into the British film scene, so he answered an advertisement for an editing job inNigeria,where he worked for two years, inEnugu.[6]

He then returned to England and worked for theBritish Film Instituteas a producer of short films by first-time directors, includingMagritte: The False Mirror(1970) andParadigm(1970).

Beresford directed the documentaryLichtenstein in London(1968) aboutRoy Lichtenstein,andExtravaganza(1968),Barbara Hepworthat the Tate(1970),The Cinema of Raymond Fark(1970), andArts of Village India(1972).

Early feature films

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Beresford returned to Australia to make his first feature film,The Adventures of Barry McKenzie(1972), which he also wrote withBarry Humphries.The film, produced byPhillip Adams,was a box office success in England and Australia, but Beresford later said making the film was a "mistake" because reviews were so bad that he had trouble finding other work.[8]

Beresford directed a documentary for TV,The Wreck of the Batavia(1973) and did some other TV films,Poor Fella Me(1973), andMonster or Miracle? Sydney Opera House(1973). These were financed byReg Grundywho also financed Beresford's second feature as director,Barry McKenzie Holds His Own(1974), a sequel toBarry McKenzie.

Beresford went to England to direct and co-write a comedy,Side by Side(1975) starring Humphries andTerry-Thomasand was eventually released on DVD in 2013.[9]

Beresford says his career was at a low ebb when Phillip Adams "saved my life" by offering him the job of directing an acclaimed version ofDavid Williamson's playDon's Party(1976).[8]

Beresford directed an adaptation ofThe Getting of Wisdom(1977), also produced by Adams.

SAFC

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Beresford signed a contract with theSouth Australian Film Corporationfor whom he wrote and directed a thriller,Money Movers(1979), which was a box office disappointment. He did some uncredited directing on the SAFC'sBlue Fin(1978), then co-wrote and directedBreaker Morant(1980).[10]The latter film was a notable success at the box office and earned Beresford an Oscar nomination. It was widely seen in Hollywood and Beresford began to receive US offers.

Beresford directedThe Club(1980), from another Williamson play, andPuberty Blues(1981).

Early US films

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Beresford received an offer fromEMI Filmsto directHorton Foote'sTender Mercies(1983). StarRobert Duvallwon a Best Actor Oscar for his performance and Beresford earned a Best Director nomination.

He followed it withKing David(1985) starringRichard Gere,which was a notable box office failure.[8]

Beresford returned to Australia to directThe Fringe Dwellers(1986), co-written with his first wife, Rhoisin Beresford.[11]In the US he directedCrimes of the Heart(1986) from the play byBeth Henley,did a segment of the filmAria(1987), and did the comedy thrillerHer Alibi(1989) withTom Selleck.

Driving Miss Daisy

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Beresford directedDriving Miss Daisy(1989) withMorgan FreemanandJessica Tandy,based on the play byAlfred Uhry.It won theAcademy Award for Best Picture,although Beresford was not nominated as director. The film was a commercial and critical success.

Asked if he minded not even being nominated for the Best Director Oscar forDriving Miss Daisy,Beresford said: "No, not at all. I didn't think it was that well directed. It was very well written. When the writing's that good, you've really just got to set the camera up and photograph it."[12]

He directedMister Johnson(1990) in Nigeria, withEdward Woodward;Black Robe(1991), an Australian-Canadian film based on the novel by Brian Moore;Rich in Love(1992), co-written by Uhry;A Good Man in Africa(1994) withSean Conneryfrom a novel by William Boyd, which in 2015 Beresford called his worst film;[13]Silent Fall(1994), which was nominated for theGolden Bearat the45th Berlin International Film Festival;[14]andLast Dance(1996) withSharon Stone.

He adapted but did not directCurse of the Starving Class(1994).[15]

Beresford returned to Australia to directParadise Road(1997), which was a commercial disappointment. He directed a documentary,Sydney: A Story of a City(1999), then had a hit with the thrillerDouble Jeopardy(1999).

Later films

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Beresford madeBride of the Wind(2001);Evelyn(2002) with Pierce Brosnan; andAnd Starring Pancho Villa as Himself(2003) withAntonio Banderas.

He spent several years looking for financing for various projects before makingThe Contract(2006) with Freeman and Cusack. He followed it with a TV filmOrpheus(2006) and returned to Australia to makeMao's Last Dancer(2009) which was also filmed in Houston, Texas.

Beresford's later credits includePeace, Love & Misunderstanding(2011) with Jane Fonda, the documentaryH.H. Dalai Lama: Essence of Mahayana Buddhism(2011), the mini seriesBonnie & Clyde(2013),Mr. Church(2016) withEddie Murphy,an episode of the remake ofRoots(2017), the TV movieFlint(2017) and the Australian filmLadies in Black(2018).[16]

Opera

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In addition to films, Bruce Beresford has also directed several operas and theatre productions. In 1996, he directed aPortland Opera(Oregon) production of theStephen SondheimmusicalSweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.[17]

In 2016, he directedBenjamin Britten's operaAlbert Herringfor the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, in a production conducted byNicholas Cleobury.

He often works with film editorMark Warner.(See:List of film director and editor collaborations)

In 2012, he directed a production ofErich Wolfgang Korngold's operaDie tote StadtforOpera Australia.

In 2018, he directed the Australian premiere of Rossini'sOtelloforMelbourne Opera.

Writing

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Beresford is a contributor toThe Spectator Australia.[18]

Memoir

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In August 2007, he published a memoir,Josh Hartnett Definitely Wants To Do This... True Stories From A Life in the Screen Trade.[19]

Personal life

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Beresford's second wife is novelist Virginia Duigan, sister of film director and editorJohn Duigan.[20]He has five adult children and now works both in Australia and the United States.[citation needed]

Contemporaries and friends

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Beresford attended theUniversity of Sydneywith critic and documentary makerClive James,art critic and aficionadoRobert Hughes,activist and authorGermaine Greer,journalistBob Ellis,poetLes Murray,and writerMungo McCallum.His contemporary and friend, actor and theatre directorJohn Bell,shared a house and also did some film acting. Beresford was close friends with Australian comedian, satirist and character actorBarry Humphries,best known for his on-stage/television alter egoDame Edna Everage,and his family.

Filmography

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References

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  1. ^Schneider, Steven Jay, ed. (2007).501 Movie Directors.London: Cassell Illustrated. p. 437.ISBN9781844035731.OCLC1347156402.
  2. ^"Bruce Beresford".Opera Australia.Retrieved20 June2024.
  3. ^Beresford, Bruce (8 September 2018)."Bruce Beresford: At last, making the film that obsessed me for 30 years".The Guardian.Retrieved1 April2019.
  4. ^"Bruce Beresford, 75, on The Getting of Wisdom".The Australian.Retrieved1 April2019.
  5. ^"Bruce Beresford Biography (1940-)".Filmreference. 16 August 1940.Retrieved8 August2015.
  6. ^abStated in a 2007 interview on Radio National in Australia (onLate Night Live)
  7. ^"Meet a living legend: Bruce Beresford".sydney.edu.au.Retrieved1 April2019.
  8. ^abc"Interview with Bruce Beresford",Signet,15 May 1999Archived20 December 2012 atarchive.todayaccessed 17 November 2012
  9. ^"Side By Side DVD".British Comedy Guide.Retrieved16 August2023.
  10. ^David Stratton,The Last New Wave: The Australian Film Revival,Angus & Robertson, 1980 p271-272
  11. ^Beresford, Bruce,The Fringe Dwellers(Drama), Fringe Dwellers Productions, Ozfilm Limited,retrieved5 July2022
  12. ^Steve Dow, Journalist (10 October 2006)."Action Men: Australian directors on film".Retrieved17 October2016.
  13. ^"Driving Miss Daisy Director Bruce Beresford on Aussie Cinema, Powerless Characters, and His Worst Film Experience".Vulture.23 September 2015.Retrieved16 August2023.
  14. ^"Berlinale: 1995 Programme".Berlinale.de.Retrieved31 December2011.
  15. ^Levy, Emanuel (14 September 1994)."Curse of the Starving Class".Variety.Retrieved25 June2020.
  16. ^"Bruce Beresford on the Decades-Long Road of Getting 'Ladies in Black' Off the Ground".Hollywoodreporter.2 January 2019.Retrieved1 April2019.
  17. ^"Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.Portland Opera Production (1996) ".Ovrtur, Retrieved on April 5, 2023.
  18. ^"Author: Bruce Beresford".The Spectator Australia.Retrieved20 June2024.
  19. ^Beresford, Bruce (8 January 2007).Josh Hartnett Definitely Wants To Do This... True Stories From A Life in the Screen Trade.HarperCollins Publishers Australia.ISBN9780732284398.Archived fromthe originalon 31 August 2007.
  20. ^Groves, Don (4 June 2017)."Why Bruce Beresford had his US visa waiver cancelled".If.au.Retrieved3 April2019.
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