The Films of Michael Winterbottom

One of the most versatile British directors at the moment is Michael Winterbottom. I've found many of his films compelling and often moving. Apparently he enjoys filming on location preferably outside and with a hand held camera creating a sense of immediacy as well as intimacy with his cast. For instance in his film "A Mighty Heart" through continually panning to each character's facial expressions, he is able to convey their sense of tension and fear. Similarly in "Genova" again shot on location, he expresses an almost palpable sense of  loss and rootlessness as the family members attempt to come to terms with their grief. These as well as "Code 46" and "The Claim" are my preferred films and are the ones well worth watching. Admittedly some of his work doesn't really appeal to me but the films mentioned I enjoyed, largely on the basis of their exploration of character and how people could react in such unsettling circumstances. 

The director at work:

A Mighty Heart 

 Genova 

Code 46 

The Claim 

Here's a link to an engaging overview of his work:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/aug/30/michael-winterbottom-british-cinema

A Homage to a World City.

This is one of the greatest opening film scenes ever made and it seems to evoke the quintessential nature of New York.

Mike Leigh and Alfred Hitchcock as Directors.

I was reading this article the other day about Mike Leigh's latest film: "Another Year." Being a great fan of Hitchcock, a director who put all his ideas onto a storyboard then meticulously followed this through so all his actors usually had to fall in line, I couldn't believe just how Mike Leigh works. He seems to create the dialogue or script organically; effectivly he works with his actors and then a kind of script follows from their natural performances. This liberates the actors by allowing them to be more true to their roles; it's like method acting where the actor becomes the character, Al Pacino is a master at this, and taking it one step further. So I guess it allows the audience to believe in the reality of the film. Hitchcock was an expert at manipulating the emotions of his audiences with his great suspense films of the 40's and 50's, but Mike Leigh seems to be engaging the audience in a totally different way.