cross-posted from: https://kbin.social/m/movies/t/993157
Mike Leigh, the veteran director of “Vera Drake,” “Another Year” and “Happy-Go-Lucky,” will be honored at Malta’s Mediterrane Film Festival with its Career Achievement Golden Bee Award.
Leigh will also host a masterclass at the festival, the second edition of which is taking place June 22 to 30 in Malta’s capital city of Valletta. The director, who has earned seven Oscar nominations and won the Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or for 1993’s “Naked,” will be in conversation with Adrian Wootton, chief executive of Film London and the British Film Commission.
First time I hear about him, is anybody a big fan of his films?
By the way, thank you @livus@kbin.social to keep !movies@kbin.social active. I pinged you in !fedigrow@lemm.ee, it’s a community for regular posters, you might be interested. I’m not sure the community is federated with Kbin (tried to federate it using my kbin.social account but no luck), you can have a look at the threads here: https://lemm.ee/c/fedigrow
So he rose to fame here in the UK for a couple of tv plays, Abigail’s Party and Nuts In May which poked fun at the middle class and were very funny at the time but for modern audiences would probably not land the same because of the specific cultural references.
High Hopes did the same kind of thing on the big screen, once again it’s a snapshot of its time.
Life Is Sweet and Naked are my favourite films of his and if anyone feels like dipping into his work these are the two I’d suggest you start with, Life Is Sweet is a gentler comedy than Naked, which is probably his blackest film in terms of the comedy. (Vera Drake, which I haven’t seen, is a drama which is reportedly unremittingly bleak.)
Secrets and Lies was one of his most lauded films, the usual trademarks of his films are here: an interest in the specific signifieirs of class and community, some warm humour and a sympathetic look at family relationships that takes in some difficult material, adoption, race relations etc…
Topsy-Turvy was his first foray into period/costume drama and tells the story of the writing of the comic opera The Mikado by Victorian era authors Gilbert & Sullivan.
I don’t know how the humour and drama of these films will land for people that are not from England because it is very English.
More recently his work is more overtly political and I haven’t kept up with it because, although I suspect that we’d find quite a lot to agree on politically, I go to the pictures to be entertained not to be lectured.
From the long-distant past, I can still remember choosing ‘Secrets and Lies’ as something to watch when I was living with house-mates. I didn’t know anything about it, just that it was highly regarded by critics. Everyone in the house hated it, it was an awkward experience watching it, and I get vague second-hand embarrassment even thinking about that film.
I should give it another chance sometime, but of Leigh’s films, I think Naked is the only one I’ve liked (but I wouldn’t have wanted to watch that with other people in the room either).
To be fair social awkwardness is a constant feature of his films.
Very interesting, thanks!