Jonathan Demme – Da Bruce Sprinsteen a Jodie Foster i tributi dedicati al regista
LEGGI ANCHE: È morto Jonathan Demme, regista de Il Silenzio degli Innocenti
Jonathan Demme, morto ieri, è stato ricordato da numerosi artisti come Jodie Foster, Martin Scorsese, Tom Hanks, Spike Lee, Susan Sarandon… dalla Directors Guild of America e da musicisti come David Byrne, Justin Timberlake e Bruce Springsteen.
Bruce Springsteen che ha lavorato con il regista in Philadelphia, il film con cui ha vinto l’Oscar per la miglior canzone con ‘Streets of Philadelphia’, ha scritto sul suo sito web mercoledì sera:
“Qui a E Street, siamo profondamente rattristati di sentir parlare della dipartita di Jonathan Demme. Era un’ispirazione per me, un bel regista e un grande spirito. Sempre sorridente, sempre coinvolto nel mondo e sempre a spingerti a dare del tuo meglio. Ci mancherà molto”.
Devastated by the passing of Jonathan Demme. Enormously funny, talented, kind man & a warrior for social justice. Condolences to his family.
— Susan Sarandon (@SusanSarandon) April 26, 2017
Jodie Foster interprete di Il silenzio degli innocenti:
“Sono affranta dalla perdita di un amico, un mentore, un tipo così singolare e dinamico che dovresti progettare un uragano per contenerlo. Jonathan era strano come le sue commedie e profondo come i suoi drammi. Era pura energia, un’inarrestabile cheerleader per qualsiasi creativo. Era appassionato di musica tanto quanto lo era dell’arte, era e sarà sempre un campione dell’anima. JD, il più amato, qualche volta una sorta di selvaggio, fratello d’amore, il regista degli agnelli. Amo quell’uomo. Lo amo così tanto.”
Jonathan Demme was a great artist, humanitarian, activist & a warm encouraging colleague. I’ve known very few like him. He will be missed https://t.co/wQv5QRqHoN
— Ron Howard (@RealRonHoward) April 26, 2017
Un post condiviso da Spike Lee (@officialspikelee) in data:
Terribly sad at the passing of Jonathan Demme. A lovely man, a great director and a kind soul. My love and prayers to his family.
— Tim Robbins (@TimRobbins1) April 26, 2017
Jonathan Demme was an artist in every sense of the word. He was intelligent, talented, but above all, kind. Such an inspiration. Such a loss
— Colin Hanks (@ColinHanks) April 26, 2017
So sad to hear about #JonathanDemme. We lost a great filmmaker and a lovely man #RIP
— Reese Witherspoon (@RWitherspoon) April 26, 2017
“Ogni volta che mi sono imbattuto in Jonathan, era pieno di entusiasmo e di eccitazione per un nuovo progetto. Otteneva così tanta gioia dal cinema. Le sue immagini hanno un lirismo interiore che le solleva dal suolo, anche una storia come Il silenzio degli innocenti. Ho una grande ammirazione per Jonathan come regista: amo la freschezza del suo stile e l’ottimo uso della musica, da Buddy Holly a Miklos Rozsa. C’è ancora molto da dire, e non so dove cominciare. Lo amavo anche come amico, e per me era sempre giovane. Il mio giovane amico. L’idea che se ne sia andato mi sembra impossibile”
There are individuals whom we meet that forever alter & improve our lives. #jonathandemme was like an agnostic prophet.bless his loving soul pic.twitter.com/GSd6lGWFRf
— Matthew Modine (@MatthewModine) April 26, 2017
I know now that this was also the last time I saw Jonathan Demme. Fitting that it was in an act of love and generosity. Such a kind man. https://t.co/qYUZqXz2NU
— Barry Jenkins (@BandryBarry) April 26, 2017
Happier times. I will always love you Jonathan Demme. pic.twitter.com/grZRknHClb
— Nia Vardalos (@NiaVardalos) April 26, 2017
La lettera di David Byrne della band Talking Heads protagonista del documentario concerto Stop Making Sense ha dedicato una bellissima lettera al filmaker, che potete leggere nella sua interezza:
My friend, the director Jonathan Demme, passed last night.
I met Jonathan in the ‘80s when Talking Heads were touring a show that he would eventually film and turn into Stop Making Sense. While touring, I thought the show had turned out well and might hold up as a movie, and a mutual friend introduced us. I loved his films Melvin and Howard and Citizens Band (AKA Handle With Care). From those movies alone, one could sense his love of ordinary people. That love surfaces and is manifest over and over throughout his career. Jonathan was also a huge music fan—that’s obvious in his films too—many of which are jam-packed with songs by the often obscure artists he loved. He’d find ways to slip a reggae artist’s song or a Haitian recording into a narrative film in ways that were often joyous and unexpected.
We very much saw eye to eye when we met and the late Gary Kurfirst, who managed Talking Heads, found us the money to shoot Stop Making Sense. We booked four nights at the Pantages Theatre in LA at the tail end of a tour for filming. Jonathan joined us on the road and became familiar with the band and the show. Jonathan was going through a bit of a nightmare during filming—a studio and a star wanted him to reshoot parts of a big budget film he’d just finished called Swingshift. He was dealing with that in the day and shooting our low budget movie at night. Guess which one will be remembered? That said, Swingshift was filled with empathy for the women workers in U.S. factories during WWII—it was character driven, as much of his other work is.
Stop Making Sense was character driven too. Jonathan’s skill was to see the show almost as a theatrical ensemble piece, in which the characters and their quirks would be introduced to the audience, and you’d get to know the band as people, each with their distinct personalities. They became your friends, in a sense. I was too focused on the music, the staging and the lighting to see how important his focus on character was—it made the movies something different and special. Jonathan was also incredibly generous during the editing and mixing. He and producer Gary Goetzman made us in the band feel included; they wanted to hear what we had to say. That inclusion was hugely inspirational for me. Though I had directed music videos before, this mentoring of Jonathan’s emboldened me to try making a feature film.
Jonathan helped me as I was developing True Stories, I wrote a song for his film Something Wild, a score for Married to the Mob and we made a test sequence for a never completed documentary featuring Robert Farris Thompson called Rule of the Cool. Jonathan went on to make a lot more features—some hugely successful, others not so much. He interspersed these with a number of documentaries and music films. The documentaries are pure labors of love. They tend to be celebrations of unsung heroes—an agronomist in Haiti, an activist (cousin) and pastor and an ordinary woman who does extraordinary things in New Orleans post-Katrina. The fiction films, the music films and the docs are all filled with so much passion and love. He often turned what would be a genre film into a very personal expression. His view of the world was open, warm, animated and energetic. He was directing T.V. episodes even this year, when he was in remission.
Jonathan, we’ll miss you.
So sad to hear of the death of #JonathanDemme
Had the enormous pleasure of working with him this time last year.
A wonderful soulful man.— Stephen Moyer (@smoyer) April 26, 2017
I only worked with him once – he was just like his films: brilliant, curious & original. RIP Jonathan Demme – a truly great filmmaker. pic.twitter.com/eoHwxffZL3
— Beau Willimon (@BeauWillimon) April 26, 2017
Oh no. Jonathan Demme. One of our great filmmakers one of the most beautiful souls on the planet. Another magical irreplaceable friend gone.
— Stevie Van Zandt (@StevieVanZandt) April 26, 2017
Very sad to hear of the passing of the great Jonathan Demme. Admired his movies, his documentaries, his concert films. He could do anything.
— edgarwright (@edgarwright) April 26, 2017
Un post condiviso da Justin Timberlake (@justintimberlake) in data:
RIP #JonathanDemme One of the greats!
— Tony Goldwyn (@tonygoldwyn) April 26, 2017
Jonathan Demme was a brilliant filmmaker. This is a sad day.
— Carlton Cuse (@CarltonCuse) April 26, 2017
RIP dearest Jonathan Demme. The world lost one of its purest, most loving and talented souls today. My heart is broken. I love you.
— Christine Lahti (@ChristineALahti) April 26, 2017
Rest In Peace, JD…
— ABFoundation (@ABFalecbaldwin) April 26, 2017
Just heard Jonathan Demme has passed. I can’t process. He’s a hero, an artist, an example, a goal, a visionary, a pinnacle & a master. RIP
— Paul Feig (@paulfeig) April 26, 2017
Il comunicato della Directors Guild of America, di cui Demme era membro dal 1976 e dove ha vinto il premio per Outstanding Directorial Achievement con Il silenzio degli innocenti:
“Losing iconic director Jonathan Demme – a consummate craftsman who mastered all that he endeavored – is devastating for us. In his seminal work The Silence of the Lambs, for which he won the DGA and Academy Awards, Jonathan set the template for modern psychological thrillers, drawing masterful performances from Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins. He pushed boundaries again with Philadelphia, emotionally bringing to public consciousness the impact of AIDS in a searing, yet humanistic way. But Jonathan also had a lighter, comedic side which shined through in hits like Married to the Mob, and his global quest for truth and love of music were reflected in his renowned documentaries and concert films like the groundbreaking Stop Making Sense. Few shared that kind of diversity – always at the top of his game in any genre.
“But it didn’t end on the screen. His love of craft was also reflected in his passion for the Guild. When he received the DGA Honor in 2004, he summed up his pride in being a member, stating: ‘For me, the DGA is very much about an endless fight for creative integrity in movies; it’s for safety and integrity in the workplace; it’s for a bigger share of the pie.’
“Jonathan was a constant presence at the DGA, mentoring, leading Q&As and co-hosting our annual New York dinner for feature film directors. At the most recent gathering last fall, he was the true life of the party, imbuing the evening with his wit and charm, even commandeering the mike at one point for an impassioned plea for the creative rights of directors. Watching his infectious enthusiasm while he huddled with Michael Apted, Steven Soderbergh, Mira Nair, Tom McCarthy and so many of his peers – is a memory we will always treasure.”
Concludiamo con l’approfondimento di Jacob T. Swinney dedicato all’uso del primo piano nella filmografia di Demme.
Fonti Variety, Deadline, Variety, Deadline, Jacob T. Swinney
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