Karel Reisz facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Karel Reisz
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Reisz in 1966
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| Born | 21 July 1926 |
| Died | 25 November 2002 (aged 76) Camden, London, England
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| Spouse(s) | Julia Coppard (m. 19??; div. 19??) |
| Children | 3 |
Karel Reisz (born July 21, 1926 – died November 25, 2002) was a famous filmmaker from Britain. He was born in Czechoslovakia. Karel Reisz was very active in making movies after World War II in Britain. He helped start a new style of filmmaking called realism in British movies during the 1950s and 1960s. This style showed real life as it was.
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Early Life and Education
Karel Reisz was born in Ostrava, Czechoslovakia. His family was Jewish, and his father was a lawyer. In 1938, Karel was one of the 669 children rescued by Sir Nicholas Winton through the Kindertransport. This special effort saved many children from danger.
He arrived in England speaking almost no English. However, he quickly learned to speak without a foreign accent. He went to Leighton Park School. Later, he joined the Royal Air Force near the end of the war. Sadly, his parents died during the war. After his military service, he studied Natural Sciences at Emmanuel College, Cambridge. He also started writing for film magazines like Sight and Sound. In 1947, he helped create another film journal called Sequence.
Filmmaking Career
Karel Reisz became a very important person in British cinema. He directed many films that showed real life.
Starting with Free Cinema
Karel Reisz was one of the people who started the Free Cinema movement. This was a group that made documentary films. These films focused on showing everyday life in a very real way. In 1953, he published a well-known book called The Technique of Film Editing. This book taught people how to edit movies.
His first short film was Momma Don't Allow (1955). He co-directed this film with Tony Richardson. It was shown as part of the first Free Cinema program in London in 1956. He also produced other documentaries like Every Day Except Christmas (1957) and Band Wagon (1958).
Reisz directed We Are the Lambeth Boys (1959). This film showed the lives of teenagers at a boys' club in South London. It was special because it showed their free time, including skiffle music, cigarettes, cricket, and discussions. The film was shown at the Venice Film Festival.
Directing Feature Films
Karel Reisz's first full-length movie was Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960). This film was based on a book that also showed real life. Reisz used many of the same techniques from his documentaries. For example, scenes filmed at the Raleigh bicycle factory looked very real. This helped the story feel very true to life. The film was a big success and made Albert Finney a movie star. It also won a major award at the Mar del Plata International Film Festival in 1961.
After this success, Reisz directed a TV series called Adventure Story (1961). He also produced This Sporting Life (1963). Then, he worked with Albert Finney again on the film Night Must Fall (1964).
He directed Morgan – A Suitable Case for Treatment (1966). This movie was based on a play. His fourth feature film was Isadora (1968). This was a movie about the famous dancer Isadora Duncan, starring Vanessa Redgrave.
Working in Hollywood
Karel Reisz also directed films in America. His first American movie was The Gambler (1974), starring James Caan. He then directed Who'll Stop the Rain (1978) with Nick Nolte.
Later Notable Works
Back in London, Reisz directed The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981). This was one of his most successful later films. It was based on a book by John Fowles and starred Jeremy Irons and Meryl Streep.
He then directed Sweet Dreams (1985). This movie was about the life of country singer Patsy Cline, starring Jessica Lange. His last feature film was Everybody Wins (1990). The script for this film was written by the famous writer Arthur Miller.
From 1991 to 2001, Karel Reisz focused on directing plays for the theatre. He worked in London, Dublin, and Paris. He directed plays by famous writers like Harold Pinter.
Personal Life
Karel Reisz had three sons with his first wife, Julia Coppard. They later divorced. In 1963, Reisz married Betsy Blair. She was an actress and the former wife of Gene Kelly. Karel Reisz and Betsy Blair stayed married until his death.
Filmography
Films
- Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960)
- Night Must Fall (1964)
- Morgan – A Suitable Case for Treatment (1966)
- Isadora (1968)
- The Gambler (1974)
- Who'll Stop the Rain (1978)
- The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981)
- Sweet Dreams (1985)
- Everybody Wins (1990)
Short films
- Momma Don't Allow 1955 (documentary)
- We Are the Lambeth Boys 1958 (documentary)
- March to Aldermaston 1959 (documentary) about the first of the Aldermaston Marches
Television
- Adventure Story (1961) (6 episodes)
- Performance (TV series) (1 episode) (1994)
See also
In Spanish: Karel Reisz para niños
