Synopses & Reviews
An insightful collection of original interviews with the innovative director of
Secrets & Lies A five-time Oscar nominee and BAFTA winner and the only British director to have won the top prize at both Cannes (for
Secrets & Lies) and Venice (for
Vera Drake), Mike Leigh is unquestionably one of world cinemas preeminent figures. First trained in theater, Leigh devised his own method for the making of first plays and then films, based on months of improvisation and rehearsal with actors prior to shooting. Leighs actors invent characters based on real people, each unaware of what the other is up to or the larger design Leigh has in mind.
In their commingling of bleakness and humor, Leighs films re-create the tragicomic world of people whose everyday lives are far from glamorous: a world in which “the done thing” usually prevails, contrary to our inner hopes, wants, or needs. Leighs work has always reflected its times and entered the vernacular, whether the harsh studies of Meantime and Naked or the humor of the now legendary Abigails Party and Nuts in May. Above all, Leigh is an accomplished storyteller, and these films deal with universal themes: births, marriages and deaths, parenthood and failed relationships, families and their secrets and lies. Leigh speaks to Amy Raphael more openly than ever before about his life and inimitable working method, revealing himself as passionate, wise, and the owner of a dry and playful Mancunian wit. Amy Raphael was born in London in 1967. She has worked for Elle and Esquire and now freelances for The Observer and The Daily Telegraph. Her first book, Never Mind the Bollocks: Women Rewrite Rock was published by Virago in 1995. A five-time Oscar nominee and BAFTA winner and the only British director to have won the top prize at both Cannes (for Secrets & Lies) and Venice (for Vera Drake), Mike Leigh is unquestionably one of world cinemas preeminent figures. First trained in theater, Leigh devised his own method for the making of first plays and then films, based on months of improvisation and rehearsal with actors prior to shooting. Leighs actors invent characters based on real people, each unaware of what the other is up to or the larger design Leigh has in mind.
In their commingling of bleakness and humor, Leighs films re-create the tragicomic world of people whose everyday lives are far from glamorous: a world in which “the done thing” usually prevails, contrary to our inner hopes, wants, or needs. Leighs work has always reflected its times and entered the vernacular, whether the harsh studies of Meantime and Naked or the humor of the now legendary Abigails Party and Nuts in May. Above all, Leigh is an accomplished storyteller, and these films deal with universal themes: births, marriages and deaths, parenthood and failed relationships, families and their secrets and lies. Leigh speaks to Amy Raphael more openly than ever before about his life and inimitable working method, revealing himself as passionate, wise, and the owner of a dry and playful Mancunian wit. Leighs work has always reflected its times and entered the vernacular, whether the harsh studies of Meantime and Naked or the humor of the now legendary Abigails Party and Nuts in May. Above all, Leigh is an accomplished storyteller, and these films deal with universal themes: births, marriages and deaths, parenthood and failed relationships, families and their secrets and lies. Leigh speaks to Amy Raphael more openly than ever before about his life and inimitable working method, revealing himself as passionate, wise, and the owner of a dry and playful Mancunian wit. Table of ContentsForewordIntroductionBleak MomentsHard LabourThe permissive Society'The Five-Minute Films'Nuts in MayThe Kiss of DeathAbigail's PartyWho's WhoGrown-UpsHome Sweet HomeMeantimeFour Days in JulyThe Short and CurliesHigh HopesLife Is SweetA Sense of HistoryNakedSecrets & LiesCareer GirlsTopsy-TurvyAll or NothingVera DrakeEpilogueAcknowledgementsFilmographyStage Plays, with commentary by Mike LeighIndex
Synopsis
An insightful collection of original interviews with the innovative director of Secrets & Lies A five-time Oscar nominee and BAFTA winner and the only British director to have won the top prize at both Cannes (for
Secrets & Lies) and Venice (for
Vera Drake), Mike Leigh is unquestionably one of world cinemas preeminent figures. First trained in theater, Leigh devised his own method for the making of first plays and then films, based on months of improvisation and rehearsal with actors prior to shooting. Leighs actors invent characters based on real people, each unaware of what the other is up to or the larger design Leigh has in mind.
In their commingling of bleakness and humor, Leighs films re-create the tragicomic world of people whose everyday lives are far from glamorous: a world in which “the done thing” usually prevails, contrary to our inner hopes, wants, or needs. Leighs work has always reflected its times and entered the vernacular, whether the harsh studies of Meantime and Naked or the humor of the now legendary Abigails Party and Nuts in May. Above all, Leigh is an accomplished storyteller, and these films deal with universal themes: births, marriages and deaths, parenthood and failed relationships, families and their secrets and lies. Leigh speaks to Amy Raphael more openly than ever before about his life and inimitable working method, revealing himself as passionate, wise, and the owner of a dry and playful Mancunian wit.
Synopsis
An insightful collection of original interviews with the innovative director of Secrets & Lies
A five-time Oscar nominee and BAFTA winner and the only British director to have won the top prize at both Cannes (for Secrets & Lies) and Venice (for Vera Drake), Mike Leigh is unquestionably one of world cinema's preeminent figures. First trained in theater, Leigh devised his own method for the making of first plays and then films, based on months of improvisation and rehearsal with actors prior to shooting. Leigh's actors invent characters based on real people, each unaware of what the other is up to or the larger design Leigh has in mind.
In their commingling of bleakness and humor, Leigh's films re-create the tragicomic world of people whose everyday lives are far from glamorous: a world in which the done thing usually prevails, contrary to our inner hopes, wants, or needs. Leigh's work has always reflected its times and entered the vernacular, whether the harsh studies of Meantime and Naked or the humor of the now legendary Abigail's Party and Nuts in May. Above all, Leigh is an accomplished storyteller, and these films deal with universal themes: births, marriages and deaths, parenthood and failed relationships, families and their secrets and lies. Leigh speaks to Amy Raphael more openly than ever before about his life and inimitable working method, revealing himself as passionate, wise, and the owner of a dry and playful Mancunian wit.
About the Author
Amy Raphael was born in London in 1967. She has worked for Elle and Esquire and now freelances for The Observer and The Daily Telegraph. Her first book, Never Mind the Bollocks: Women Rewrite Rock was published by Virago in 1995.