Michael Winner: Death Wish director has died Michael Winner, best remembered for directing the Charles Bronson action hit Death Wish, died earlier today at his home in Kensington, London. According to reports, Winner had been suffering from (an unspecified) liver disease. He was 77. (Photo: Michael Winner.) Born in London (on Oct. 30, 1935) to a well-to-do family of Eastern European Jews — his father was Russian, his mother was Polish — Winner studied law and economics at Cambridge University. Following a stint as a gossip columnist (reportedly at the age of 14), he proceeded to study journalism and film criticism. He began working in the field in the mid-’50s. Michael Winner movies Michael Winner’s directorial career also took off in the mid-’50s, when he began directing several documentary and live-action shorts, a couple of which featured well-known names such as A.E. Matthews and Dennis Price. Winner progressed to features in the early ’60s,...
- 1/21/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Andrew Pulver looks back through some of the key films of director Michael Winner, who has died aged 77
Play It Cool (1962)
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After a string of short films, Winner broke into features in the early 60s, with low budget thrillers and trendy pop musicals. Quite a few of them had "cool" in the title – including the nudie pic Some Like It Cool. The Billy Fury pic Play It Cool was considerably more commercially viable, no doubt inspired by the success of Cliff Richard's Young Ones film. Fury – in a real stretch – plays an up-and coming rocker called Billy Universe; Anna Palk the heiress who he might or might not get together with, and Dennis Price (!) as her overbearing dad.
The Cool Mikado (1962)
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Frankie Howerd led the line for Winner's followup, produced by Howard Baim,...
Play It Cool (1962)
Reading this on mobile? Click here to view video
After a string of short films, Winner broke into features in the early 60s, with low budget thrillers and trendy pop musicals. Quite a few of them had "cool" in the title – including the nudie pic Some Like It Cool. The Billy Fury pic Play It Cool was considerably more commercially viable, no doubt inspired by the success of Cliff Richard's Young Ones film. Fury – in a real stretch – plays an up-and coming rocker called Billy Universe; Anna Palk the heiress who he might or might not get together with, and Dennis Price (!) as her overbearing dad.
The Cool Mikado (1962)
Reading this on mobile? Click here to view video
Frankie Howerd led the line for Winner's followup, produced by Howard Baim,...
- 1/21/2013
- by Andrew Pulver
- The Guardian - Film News
Michael Winner, the film director, food critic and TV personality famed for his "calm down" Esure adverts, passed away today at the age of 77. Born in Hampstead, London, in 1935, Winner started his career as a showbiz newspaper columnist before moving into filmmaking in the early '60s. Early movies saw him direct Frankie Howerd musical The Cool Mikado and comedy The System, the first of six films in which he worked with Oliver Reed.
Winner made the switch to Hollywood with Lawman and The Nightcomers before teaming up with Charles Bronson for brutal vigilante drama Death Wish. He directed two more Death (more)...
Winner made the switch to Hollywood with Lawman and The Nightcomers before teaming up with Charles Bronson for brutal vigilante drama Death Wish. He directed two more Death (more)...
- 1/21/2013
- by By Simon Reynolds
- Digital Spy
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