John Boorman, a Portrait

Colour, DIGIBETA
France, 2009, 52 min
Section: Tribute to Michel Ciment

Synopsis

In the spring of 2009 film critic Michel Ciment and film theorist Philippe Pilard paid a visit to world famous filmmaker John Boorman at his home in Ireland, where he shared numerous experiences from his long career in the director’s chair. The British artist looks back on his childhood, a time when he was surrounded by women, and points to the influences which shaped his character and were later projected into his films. Boorman returns in more detail to some of his famous works, such as Point Blank (1967), Deliverance (1972), Excalibur (1981) and Hope and Glory (1987), and reminisces about his collaboration with Lee Marvin, Marcello Mastroianni and Sean Connery. He also speaks of the problems he faced during production and casting, and discusses the art of film direction itself. All this in a documentary which paints a fascinating picture of a director whose works have ensured him an important place in the history of world cinematography.