Hugh Hudson (born 25 August 1936) is an English film director. He was among a generation of British directors who would begin their career making documentaries and television commercials before going on to have success in films. He directed the 1981
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
and
BAFTA Award
The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Film Awards is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The cer ...
Best Picture ''
Chariots of Fire
''Chariots of Fire'' is a 1981 British historical sports drama film directed by Hugh Hudson, written by Colin Welland and produced by David Puttnam. It is based on the true story of two British athletes in the 1924 Olympics: Eric Liddell ...
'', a film ranked 19th in the
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery (United Kingdom), National Lot ...
's list of
Top 100 British films. He continued to direct commercials while making films, which included the
British Airways face advertisement
The British Airways "Face" advertisement was a television commercial campaign by British Airways in 1989. The commercial was made by advertising firm Saatchi & Saatchi, having been written by Graham Fink and Jeremy Clarke, with Hugh Hudson as direc ...
from 1989 made in collaboration with London-based advertising agency
Saatchi & Saatchi
Saatchi & Saatchi is a British multinational communications and advertising agency network with 114 offices in 76 countries and over 6,500 staff. It was founded in 1970 and is currently headquartered in London. The parent company of the agency gr ...
.
Early life
Hugh Hudson was born at 27 Welbeck Street, London, the son and only child of Michael Donaldson-Hudson and his second wife Jacynth Mary Ellerton, from Cheswardine in rural north east
Shropshire
Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...
. Michael's father was Ralph Charles Donaldson-Hudson, and his great-grandfather was
Charles Donaldson-Hudson
Charles Donaldson-Hudson (12 February 1840 – 18 April 1893) was an English Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1880 to 1885.
Donaldson-Hudson was born as Donaldson, the son of John Donaldson of Wigton Cumberland, and h ...
, a one-time member of Parliament for
Newcastle-under-Lyme,
Staffordshire. His paternal ancestors came from
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
and
Cumberland. He was sent to boarding school in 1942 at the age of six, and thereafter was educated at
Eton College
Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...
. He began his
National Service
National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939.
The ...
in the
Dragoon Guards from 28 January 1956, reaching the rank of
second lieutenant and remained as a lieutenant in the Army Reserve of Officers until he was discharged on 16 January 1960.
1960s
In the 1960s, after three years of editing documentaries in Paris, Hudson headed a documentary film company with partners
Robert Brownjohn
Robert Brownjohn (August 8, 1925 – August 1, 1970) was an American graphic designer known for blending formal graphic design concepts with wit and 1960s pop culture. He is best known for his motion picture title sequences, especially '' From R ...
and David Cammell. The company produced, among others, the documentaries ''A for Apple'', which won a Screenwriters' Guild Award, and ''The Tortoise and the Hare'', which was nominated for a
BAFTA Award
The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Film Awards is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The cer ...
. The company emerged with much success in the 1960s, winning many awards and pioneering a new graphic style for documentary and advertising films.
Hudson then began a career in advertising, producing and directing many television commercials. He worked alongside
Alan Parker
Sir Alan William Parker (14 February 1944 – 31 July 2020) was an English filmmaker. His early career, beginning in his late teens, was spent as a copywriter and director of television advertisements. After about ten years of filming adverts ...
,
Ridley and
Tony Scott
Anthony David Leighton Scott (21 June 1944 – 19 August 2012) was an English film director and producer. He was known for directing highly successful action and thriller films such as '' Top Gun'' (1986), '' Beverly Hills Cop II'' (1987), ''D ...
for Ridley Scott Associates (RSA), a British film and commercial production company founded in 1968. His first filmmaking job was as a second-unit director on Parker's ''
Midnight Express'' (1978).
1970s–1980s
Between 1973 and 1975, Hudson wrote and directed ''
Fangio, A life at 300 km/h'', a documentary film about motor racing seen through the eyes of
Juan Manuel Fangio, five times the world
Formula 1 Champion.
From 1979 to 1980, Hudson directed his first and most successful feature film, ''
Chariots of Fire
''Chariots of Fire'' is a 1981 British historical sports drama film directed by Hugh Hudson, written by Colin Welland and produced by David Puttnam. It is based on the true story of two British athletes in the 1924 Olympics: Eric Liddell ...
'' (1981), the story of two British track runners, one a devout
Christian and the other an ambitious
Jew
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...
, in the run-up to the
1924 Olympic Games. The film is said to have revitalized the fading
British film industry, and it won four
Academy Awards
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
, including
Best Picture
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
; Hudson earned a nomination for
Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to:
Film awards
* AACTA Award for Best Direction
* Academy Award for Best Director
* BA ...
. His friend and colleague
Vangelis
Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou ( el, Ευάγγελος Οδυσσέας Παπαθανασίου ; 29 March 1943 – 17 May 2022), known professionally as Vangelis ( ; el, Βαγγέλης, links=no ), was a Greek composer and arranger of ...
produced an Academy Award-winning score for the film.
Vincent Canby
Vincent Canby (July 27, 1924 – October 15, 2000) was an American film and theatre critic who served as the chief film critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1969 until the early 1990s, then its chief theatre critic from 1994 until his death in ...
of the ''
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' wrote in 1981 "It's to the credit of both Mr. Hudson and Mr. Welland that ''Chariots of Fire'' is simultaneously romantic and commonsensical, lyrical and comic. ... It's an exceptional film, about some exceptional people."
In 2017, some 37 years after its showing at the
1981 Cannes Film Festival
The 34th Cannes Film Festival was held from 13 to 27 May 1981. The Palme d'Or went to the '' Człowiek z żelaza'' by Andrzej Wajda. The festival opened with '' Three Brothers'' (''Tre fratelli'') by Francesco Rosi and closed with '' Honeysuckle ...
, it was shown to a large audience at the Classic Screenings beach cinema to help support the
bid for the
2024 Olympic Games to be held in Paris.
Hudson had rejected numerous feature film offers before ''Chariots of Fires success. His next production was ''
Greystoke - The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes Greystoke may refer to:
* Greystoke, Cumbria, a village and civil parish in Cumbria, England
** Greystoke Castle in this village
* Greystoke Park, an area of Newcastle upon Tyne, England
* Greystoke Park, a modern housing development in Penrith, En ...
'' (1984) which received four Oscar nominations, and was
Ralph Richardson's last screen performance, for which he was nominated in the 1984 Oscars as Best Supporting Actor. It was a success at the box office and with critics.
In 1985, Hudson directed ''
Revolution
In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...
'', which depicted the
American War of Independence, and which was released before it was a fully completed film. The film was a critical and commercial failure at the box office and earned Hudson a
Golden Raspberry Award
The Golden Raspberry Awards (also known as the Razzies and Razzie Awards) is a parody award show honoring the worst of cinematic under-achievements. Co-founded by UCLA film graduates and film industry veterans John J. B. Wilson and Mo Murphy, ...
nomination for Worst Director.
Hudson's next theatrical feature film was ''
Lost Angels
''Lost Angels'' (also known as ''The Road Home'') is a 1989 independent film directed by Hugh Hudson and written by Michael Weller. It stars Donald Sutherland and Adam Horovitz. It was filmed in and around San Antonio, Texas. The film was enter ...
'' (1989), nominated for the
Palme d'Or
The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...
at the
1989 Cannes Film Festival.
The film was an American-based drama starring
Donald Sutherland
Donald McNichol Sutherland (born 17 July 1935) is a Canadian actor whose film career spans over six decades. He has been nominated for nine Golden Globe Awards, winning two for his performances in the television films '' Citizen X'' (1995) a ...
and
Ad-Rock
Adam Keefe Horovitz (born October 31, 1966), popularly known as Ad-Rock, is an American rapper, guitarist and actor. He was a member of the hip-hop group Beastie Boys. While Beastie Boys were active, Horovitz performed with a side project, BS ...
of the
Beastie Boys and dealing with disaffected youth in
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
.
1990s–present
In 1999, Hudson directed ''
My Life So Far
''My Life So Far'' is a 1999 film about a year in the life of a ten-year-old Scottish boy. It was directed by Hugh Hudson, with screenplay by Simon Donald. The film is set in 1927 and is based on the memoirs of Denis Forman, a British televis ...
''.
Jean-Claude Carrière wrote of it, "Hugh Hudson's film ''My Life So Far'' is a delightful bittersweet film, which covers the start of a boy's life during the first part of the 20th century – from his last baby's bottle to his first cigar. A film which sadly is not known as well as it should be. It is a variation on a universal theme which will never end. There will always be men and women, old people and youngsters, horses and dogs." Hudson next directed ''
I Dreamed of Africa
''I Dreamed of Africa'' is a 2000 American biographical drama film directed by Hugh Hudson, starring Kim Basinger. It also stars Vincent Perez, Eva Marie Saint, Garrett Strommen, Liam Aiken and Daniel Craig. It is based on the autobiographical ...
'' (2000), which was the closing film of the
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
of that year.
In 2006, Hudson was reported to be working, together with producer
John Heyman, on an historical epic based on the life of the monotheistic Egyptian Pharaoh
Akhenaten
Akhenaten (pronounced ), also spelled Echnaton, Akhenaton, ( egy, ꜣḫ-n-jtn ''ʾŪḫə-nə-yātəy'', , meaning "Effective for the Aten"), was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh reigning or 1351–1334 BC, the tenth ruler of the Eighteenth D ...
and his wife
Nefertiti
Neferneferuaten Nefertiti () ( – c. 1330 BC) was a queen of the 18th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt, the great royal wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten. Nefertiti and her husband were known for a radical change in national religious policy, in which ...
. The film centres around their tempestuous relationship.
In 2008, Hudson re-edited ''Revolution'', giving the film a narration by
Al Pacino. The ''
Observer
An observer is one who engages in observation or in watching an experiment.
Observer may also refer to:
Computer science and information theory
* In information theory, any system which receives information from an object
* State observer in co ...
'' film critic
Philip French writing about the new version said, "''Revolution'' was misunderstood and unjustly treated on its first appearance twenty years ago. Seeing it again in the director's slightly revised version it now strikes me as a masterpiece – profound, poetic and original. Hudson's film should take its place among the great movies about history and about individual citizens living in times of dramatic social change. One hopes it will finally find the wide audience it deserves."
Hudson co-produced ''
Chariots of Fire
''Chariots of Fire'' is a 1981 British historical sports drama film directed by Hugh Hudson, written by Colin Welland and produced by David Puttnam. It is based on the true story of two British athletes in the 1924 Olympics: Eric Liddell ...
'', the 2012 stage adaptation of
the film of the same title. The stage adaptation was his idea, for the
London Olympic year. Also in 2012, it was announced that Hudson would direct ''Midnight Sun'', a feature film about a child who tries to help a family of polar bears on the shrinking
polar ice cap
A polar ice cap or polar cap is a high-latitude region of a planet, dwarf planet, or natural satellite that is covered in ice.
There are no requirements with respect to size or composition for a body of ice to be termed a polar ice cap, nor a ...
. Hudson co-wrote the script as well. The script became ''
The Journey Home'' with directors
Roger Spottiswoode
John Roger Spottiswoode (born 5 January 1945) is a Canadian-British director, editor and writer of film and television.
Early life
He was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and was raised in Britain. His father Raymond Spottiswoode was a British ...
and
Brando Quilici replacing Hudson.
In 2016, he staged his debut as opera director with
''The Crucible'' at
Staatstheater Braunschweig. The second run of the opera was to sold-out audiences. The stage design was created by the British artist
Brian Clarke
Brian Clarke (born 2 July 1953) is a British painter, architectural artist and printmaker, known for his large-scale stained glass and mosaic projects, symbolist paintings, set designs, and collaborations with major figures in Modern and conte ...
.
In 2016, Hudson directed the period drama
''Altamira'', about the discovery of the famous
Spanish cave paintings. The film stars
Antonio Banderas and
Rupert Everett
Rupert James Hector Everett (; born 29 May 1959) is an English actor, director and producer. Everett first came to public attention in 1981 when he was cast in Julian Mitchell's play and subsequent film '' Another Country'' (1984) as a gay pupi ...
. ''The New York Times'' gave the film a glowing review. Released in two US cities the film then was distributed by
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...
in USA/Canada and Sky in the UK. The Spanish release was very successful.
Advertisements
In 1988, Hudson directed a 2-minute advert for
British Rail, a parody of the Post Office Film Unit's 25-minute documentary, ''
Night Mail
''Night Mail'' is a 1936 British documentary film directed and produced by Harry Watt and Basil Wright, and produced by the General Post Office (GPO) Film Unit. The 24-minute film documents the nightly postal train operated by the London, ...
'', made in 1936. Poet
W. H. Auden
Wystan Hugh Auden (; 21 February 1907 – 29 September 1973) was a British-American poet. Auden's poetry was noted for its stylistic and technical achievement, its engagement with politics, morals, love, and religion, and its variety in ...
had written verse specifically to fit the original 1936 film's footage, which showed the enormous scale of BR's daily operation and the structure of the 'sectorised' business. The opening sequence of Hudson's British Rail advert features the northbound Travelling Post Office with Auden's original verse, narrated by Sir
Tom Courtenay
Sir Thomas Daniel Courtenay (; born 25 February 1937) is an English actor. After studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Courtenay achieved prominence in the 1960s with a series of acclaimed film roles, including ''The Loneliness of ...
.
Some of the many other acclaimed advertisements created by Hudson include the 1989
British Airways
British Airways (BA) is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London, England, near its main hub at Heathrow Airport.
The airline is the second largest UK-based carrier, based on fleet size and passengers ...
"
Face
The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may aff ...
" advert seen in over 80 countries around the world and running for almost a decade; the 1979
Fiat Strada
The Fiat Strada is a supermini coupé utility produced by the Italian manufacturer Fiat since 1998. It is based on Fiat's world car "project 178", the Palio. It is produced by Fiat Automóveis in Brazil, and has been marketed worldwide, exclud ...
''Figaro'' advert; and the
Benson & Hedges
Benson & Hedges is a British brand of cigarettes owned by American conglomerate Altria. Cigarettes under the ''Benson & Hedges'' name are manufactured worldwide by different companies such as Rothmans, Benson & Hedges, Philip Morris USA, British ...
"Swimming Pool" and "salvage" adverts . In 2007 he created his
Silverjet advert, a direct parody of his own 1989 British Airways advert. He also created the
Courage Best "Gercha" advert and the
Cinzano
Cinzano () is an Italian brand of vermouth, a brand owned since 1999 by Gruppo Campari.
History
Cinzano vermouths date back to 1757 and the Turin herbal shop of two brothers, Giovanni Giacomo and Carlo Stefano Cinzano, who created a new "verm ...
"Aeroplane" advert. Hudson also directed ''Kinnock – The Movie'' (1987), an election broadcast for the
British Labour Party.
Honours
In 2003, Hudson was given a special Cannes Lions award on the 50th Anniversary of the
Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival, an award given only to directors who have won the Grand Prix more than once. Hudson has won Grand Prix Cannes Lions awards for his 1972
Levi's "Walking Behinds" and 1978
Coty L'Aimant "French Lesson" adverts.
Hugh Hudson's Coty L'Aimant advert
at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival
In August 2007, in Nîmes, France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
, "Un Realisateur dans la Ville", a festival created by Gérard Depardieu and Jean-Claude Carrière to showcase each year the work of one director, featured the work of Hugh Hudson, showing eight films over 5 days. The festival premiered an Al Pacino-narrated version of ''Revolution'' called ''Revolution Revisited''.
In October 2008, at the Dinard Festival of British Film, Hudson's work was honoured. As a tribute five of his films were shown, with ''My Life So Far'' opening the festival. ''Revolution Revisited'' was the subject of a Q&A by the director.
Personal life
Hudson's first marriage on 25 August 1977, was with painter Susan Michie (born 8 December 1946), the daughter of Alastair Milne Michie, with whom he had a son, born in 1978. In November 2003, he married actress Maryam d'Abo
Maryam d'Abo is a British actress, best known as Bond girl Kara Milovy in the 1987 James Bond film ''The Living Daylights''.
Early life and education
Born in London to Georgian mother Nino Kvinitadze, daughter of General Giorgi Kvinitadze, and ...
, who played Kara Milovy in ''The Living Daylights
''The Living Daylights'' is a 1987 spy film, the fifteenth entry in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions, and the first of two to star Timothy Dalton as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Directed by John Glen, the film's ...
'' (1987).
Filmography
International awards
*1981: Cannes Golden Palm – nomination – ''Chariots of Fire''
*1981: Toronto Audience Award – ''Chariots of Fire''
*1982: Academy Awards – ''Chariots of Fire'' – Best Picture; nomination as Best Director and 6 others
*1982: Golden Globe – Best Foreign Film
*1982: BAFTA – Best Picture. Chariots of Fire
*1985. Academy Awards 4 Nominations - supporting actor. script. make up fxs.
*1985: BFI – Technical achievement award – ''Greystoke''
*1985: Cesar Awards – nomination, Best Foreign Film – ''Greystoke''
*1985: Venice Film Festival Lion d'Or – nomination – ''Greystoke''
*1986: Golden Raspberry Award – ''Revolution'' – nomination as Worst Director
*1989: Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival – nomination, ''Lost Angels''
*2000: Cannes Festival 2000 – nominated closing film – ''I Dreamed of Africa''
*2005: Taormina Festival – award for Cinematic Art
*2007: Cairo Film Festival – Silver Pyramid Award
*2009 Prague Film Festival - Special award for contribution to cinematic art
*2014 Bulgaria Sofia Film Festival . Award for contribution to cinema.
*2017 Serbia Film Festival - Victor award for cinematic art.
Member of jury
*Tokyo Film Festival (president) 1995
*Istanbul Film Festival (president) 2001
*Athens Film Festival (president) 2002
*San Sebastian Film Festival 2003
*Taormina (president and recipient of Arte award) Film Festival 2005
*Mar del Plata Festival 2005
*Tbilisi Film Festival (president) 2005
*Sarajevo Film Festival 2006 and 2008
*São Paulo Film Festival October 2008
*Marrakesh Film Festival November 2008
*Siberian Film Festival of Light (president) 2009
*Vologda Independent Cinema from European Screens Festival (VOICES Festival)(President) July 2011
*Bombay International Film Festival (president) 2011
*Tlibisi Film Festival 2016
*Lumiere Institution Lyon, France. Chariots of Fire and Fangio shown in weekend of sport in film
*Yerevan international festival ( president) 2017
References
External links
*
*
Hugh Hudson
at BFI
The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery (United Kingdom), National Lot ...
Hugh Hudson
at TCM UK
Hugh Hudson
at ScreenOnline
Hugh Hudson
at AllMovie
Hugh Hudson showreel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hudson, Hugh
1936 births
English film directors
Television commercial directors
Living people
People educated at Eton College