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John Boorman (1933- )



I'm very attached to the Arthurian legend and to
the Grail myth; to me it's a kind of a guide or
template. When I'm working on a film script, I
always think, 'If this story was in the Arthurian
legend, who would these characters be and what
would they be doing?'

~ John Boorman
(from interview with Stephen Applebaum for Netribution)


Filmography

The Newcomers (TV series, 1964)

Catch Us If You Can (1965) Optimum Releasing (R2 UK)

Point Blank (1967) Warner (R1)

Hell in the Pacific (1968) MGM (R1) / Anchor Bay (R1)

Leo the Last (1970) Dolmen Home Video (R2 IT)

Deliverance (1972) Warner (R1) – Special Edition tbr in September, 2007 / Warner (R2 UK) / Warner (R4 AU)

Zardoz (1974) Fox (R1) / Fox (R2 UK) – included in The Sean Connery Collection

Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977) Warner (R1) – also as part of The Exorcist: The Complete Anthology / Warner (R2 UK) – also as part of The Exorcist: The Complete Anthology

Excalibur (1981) Warner (R1) / Warner (R2 UK)

Journey Into Light (TV, 1985)

The Emerald Forest (1985) MGM (R1) / Momentum (R2 UK)

Hope and Glory (1987) MGM (R1) / Sony (R2 UK)

Where the Heart Is (1990) Buena Vista (R1)

I Dreamt I Woke Up (1991)

Two Nudes Bathing (1995)

Beyond Rangoon (1995)

Lumiére et compagnie (segment, 1995)

The General (1998) Columbia (R1) / Warner (R2 UK)

Lee Marvin: A Personal Portrait by John Boorman (TV, 1998)

The Tailor of Panama (2001) Columbia (R1) / Columbia (R2 UK) / Columbia (R4 AU)

Country of My Skull (2004) Sony (R1) / Sony (R2 UK)

The Tiger's Tail (2006)

Memoirs of Hadrian (in production, 2007)


Recommended Web Resources

BBC News – Hardtalk Extra programme broadcast with Gavin Esler interviewing John Boorman (8 June, 2007)

Bright Lights Film Journal – “Daddy and Father in The Emerald Forestâ€

John Boorman, the Holy Grail and Lee Marvin’s shoe.

Queen and Country is, apparently, John Boorman's final film.

Queen and Country is his final film! I saw it the other night at NYC's Film Forum, and Boorman himself was there and gave a little talk. I think he may be there again tonight, and it's playing there until March 3rd. It does open in select theatres across the states in the coming months, though. Next week it opens in California and so on.. there's a list here: http://queenandcountrythefilm.com/#horizontalTab4" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It's actually a sequel to Hope and Glory, only now Billy is Bill and it's a decade later. It's set during the Korean War, but you never see him go to war, it's mostly him and his best friend tormenting their superiors and meeting girls. It's funny in that realistic way where there are these dark undertones and material. The cinematography is stunning. I'd recommend it if it'll be playing near you!

It's not a bad one to end on - a rather wonderful film really, highly recommended. Boorman's career to me seems to be another case of absolutely unjustly underrated/misunderstood mastery (based on what I've seen, which is but a fraction of his output, but I'm planning to watch the lot in chronological order as soon as possible), as exemplified among other things by the overwhelming amount of activity in this thread over the last eight years... (yes, I know there are separate threads for Deliverance and Point Blank, but that's exactly what I mean - and yes, I will do something about it when I get around to watching the rest)

Full Disclosure, I am handling bookings for QUEEN AND COUNTRY which I adore. If you happen to live in LA, San Francisco or San Jose do not miss a chance to see Boorman in person ( I have gone to 4 of his Q & A sessions and he is amazing. He will be at Aero Theater in Santa Monica ( part of American Cinematheque Tuesday the 24th and they are doing a retro now, Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose on Thursday the 26th and lastly at the Opera Plaza theater ( which is tiny) on Friday the 27th. The film is currently booked in about 50 venues and while this may seem like a shameless plug per above I love this film and it is honor to be involved. If you want a taste of Boorman and can't make any of the upcoming appearances, this Variety interview is wonderful
http://variety.com/2015/film/news/john- ... 201438154/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Queen and Country is out in the UK on 12 June. Curzon Film World are the distributors.