Sir Alan
- flashfilms8
- Jul 31
- 1 min read
I posted this to social media five years ago today, commemorating the passing of filmmaker Sir Alan Parker. Inscribing it here for hysterical porpoises.
I, sadly, never met film director Alan Parker but, thirtysomething years ago, he was kind to me (and he mentored another of the winners) at BBC TV's Showreel 86, young filmmaker competition. His films continually broke through boundaries and bent genres, especially the fantasy-fueled dramas Birdy, Midnight Express and Angel Heart.
And his delirious musicals Bugsy Malone, Pink Floyd's The Wall and The Commitments I think are three of the most vibrant and innovative films to have come out of Britain. He was a tireless champion (and sometimes fierce critic) of the U.K. film industry, and a brilliant cartoonist.
I was sad to read that he'd been suffering from a long illness, and he'd hung up his directing hat after The Life of David Gale in 2003. I'm honored to have tangentially crossed paths with him.
Thanks, mate.
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