Julien Temple (born 26 November 1953) is a British film, documentary and music video director.
He began his career with short films featuring the
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they were one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music. They were responsible for ...
, and has continued with various off-beat projects, including ''
The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle
''The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle'' is a 1980 British mockumentary film directed by Julien Temple and produced by Don Boyd and Jeremy Thomas. It centres on the British punk rock band Sex Pistols and, most prominently, their manager Malcolm Mc ...
'',
[ '' Absolute Beginners'' and a documentary film about '']Glastonbury
Glastonbury (, ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town, which is in the Mendip district, had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonbury ...
''.
Early life
Temple was born in Kensington, London, the son of Landon Temple, who organised the travel company Progressive Tours. He was educated at St Marylebone Grammar School (from which he was expelled), William Ellis School
William Ellis School is a voluntary aided secondary school and sixth form for boys located in Highgate, London, England.
Admissions
The School is located near Hampstead Heath.
It is situated just east of Parliament Hill and north of Gospel O ...
, and King's College, Cambridge
King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, the college lies beside the River Cam and faces out onto King's Parade in the centre of the city ...
. He grew up with little interest in film until, when a student at Cambridge, he discovered the works of French anarchist director Jean Vigo
Jean Vigo (; 26 April 1905 – 5 October 1934) was a French film director who helped establish poetic realism in film in the 1930s. His work influenced French New Wave cinema of the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Biography
Vigo was born to ...
. This, along with his interest in the early punk
Punk or punks may refer to:
Genres, subculture, and related aspects
* Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres
* Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
scene in London in 1976, led to his friendship with The Sex Pistols
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
, leading him to document many of their early gigs.
Career
1970s
Temple's first film was a short documentary called ''Sex Pistols Number 1'', which set out to show the rise of the band from 1976–1977, in a series of short clips from television interviews and gigs. This led to Temple making ''The Great Rock And Roll Swindle
''The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle'' is a 1980 British mockumentary film directed by Julien Temple and produced by Don Boyd and Jeremy Thomas. It centres on the British punk rock band Sex Pistols and, most prominently, their manager Malcolm ...
'', another documentary. As band members Johnny Rotten
John Joseph Lydon (; born 31 January 1956), also known by his former stage name Johnny Rotten, is an English singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer of the late-1970s punk band the Sex Pistols, which lasted from 1975 until 1978, and agai ...
and Sid Vicious
John Simon Ritchie (10 May 1957 – 2 February 1979), better known by his stage name Sid Vicious, was an English musician, best known as the bassist for the punk rock band Sex Pistols. Despite dying in 1979 at age 21, he remains an icon of the ...
had left the band by this time, the story of the group is told from the viewpoint of their manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities ...
, Malcolm McLaren.
''The Great Rock And Roll Swindle'' tells of the rise of The Sex Pistols, apparently as manipulated by McLaren, and how he had shaped the band throughout their short career. Many of the 'facts' given by McLaren were disputed by John Lydon (who had dropped the Johnny Rotten name after leaving the band), who accused McLaren of using the film to attack him personally. This helped split opinion on the film as, although it was praised for attempting to capture some of the punk scene of the time, it was seen as too skewed towards McLaren's vision. Controversy aside, Temple was praised for his mix of animated scenes, documentary footage, and specially shot footage which he used to tell McLaren's story. This helped launch Temple into a career making music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...
s, something for which he would be best known for much of his career.
1980s and 1990s
In 1983, Temple directed a film for the BBC Arena
An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...
series called '' It's All True'', named after the 1942 unfinished Orson Welles
George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...
film. Compered by Welles himself, the film comprised many short segments about the state of the video industry, both real and imagined, many featuring cameos by celebrities including Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks (born Melvin James Kaminsky; June 28, 1926) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. With a career spanning over seven decades, he is known as a writer and director of a variety of successful broad farces and parodies. He began h ...
, Grace Jones
Grace Beverly Jones (born 19 May 1948) is a model, singer and actress. Born in Jamaica, she and her family moved to Syracuse, New York, when she was a teenager. Jones began her modelling career in New York state, then in Paris, working for ...
, Ray Davies
Sir Raymond Douglas Davies ( ; born 21 June 1944) is an English musician. He was the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and main songwriter for the rock band the Kinks, which he led with his younger brother Dave on lead guitar and backing voca ...
, and Koo Stark
Kathleen Norris Stark (born April 26, 1956), better known as Koo Stark, is an American photographer and actress, known for her relationship with Prince Andrew. She is a patron of the Julia Margaret Cameron Trust, which runs the museum of the Vic ...
. This was followed by Temple's next theatrical release, the short film ''Jazzin' for Blue Jean
''Jazzin' for Blue Jean'' is a 21-minute short film featuring David Bowie and directed by Julien Temple. It was created to promote Bowie's single " Blue Jean" in 1984 and released as a video single.
The film won the 1985 Grammy Award for " Best ...
'' featuring David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
which was released as a support feature to ''The Company of Wolves
''The Company of Wolves'' is a 1984 British gothic fantasy horror film directed by Neil Jordan and starring Angela Lansbury, David Warner, Micha Bergese and Sarah Patterson in her film debut. The screenplay was written by Jordan and Angela C ...
''. By 1985, Temple was now well known for being a director of successful music videos by the Kinks, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie and other British artists, several of which were early, groundbreaking, videos for the new MTV channel, but he was yet to direct a major film.
In 1986, Temple directed the film version of Colin MacInnes
Colin MacInnes (20 August 1914 – 22 April 1976) was an English novelist and journalist.
Early life
MacInnes was born in London, the son of singer James Campbell McInnes and novelist Angela Mackail, who was the granddaughter of the Pre-Rap ...
' book '' Absolute Beginners''. One of the most expensive films in British history, the fate of the studios
A studio is an artist or worker's workroom. This can be for the purpose of acting, architecture, painting, pottery ( ceramics), sculpture, origami, woodworking, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, industrial design ...
involved (as well as several careers) were dependent on the success of the film. The film was critically panned in the UK. As it was a musical, rather than a straight adaptation of the book, it was attacked for a lack of narrative; it was also called "a series of badly-linked music videos". ''Absolute Beginners'' was financially unsuccessful and was partly responsible for the Goldcrest
The goldcrest (''Regulus regulus'') is a very small passerine bird in the kinglet family. Its colourful golden crest feathers, as well as being called the "king of the birds" in European folklore, gives rise to its English and scientific ...
company going bankrupt
Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debt ...
. Temple found himself being blamed personally for the failure. He moved to the United States, where he was offered the film ''Earth Girls Are Easy
''Earth Girls Are Easy'' is a 1988 American science fiction musical romantic comedy film that was produced by Tony Garnett, Duncan Henderson, and Terrence E. McNally and was directed by Julien Temple. The film stars Geena Davis, Julie Brown, C ...
'', as well as a series of music videos for such artists as Duran Duran
Duran Duran () are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer and bassist Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor (bass guitarist), John Taylor. With the addition of drummer Roger ...
, Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...
, Neil Young
Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Furay ...
and Tom Petty
Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American musician who was the lead vocalist and guitarist of the rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, formed in 1976. He previously led the band Mudcrutch, was a member of the lat ...
.
Temple returned to the UK in the late 1990s, where he continued to make films and music videos. ''Vigo: Passion for Life'' (1998) recounts the passionate relationship between French film maker Jean Vigo
Jean Vigo (; 26 April 1905 – 5 October 1934) was a French film director who helped establish poetic realism in film in the 1930s. His work influenced French New Wave cinema of the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Biography
Vigo was born to ...
(1905–34) and his wife Lydou, who both suffered from tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
. The film was not well received. A reviewer in ''Sight & Sound'' commented that the film "although absolutely faithful to the facts, is absolutely dreadful".
2000s
Films which followed included '' Pandæmonium'' (2001), a critically acclaimed film about the friendship between Romantic poets
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge (; 21 October 177225 July 1834) was an English poet, literary critic, philosopher, and theologian who, with his friend William Wordsworth, was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poe ...
and William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication ''Lyrical Ballads'' (1798).
Wordsworth's ' ...
, and ''The Filth and the Fury
''The Filth and the Fury'' is a 2000 British rockumentary film directed by Julien Temple. It follows the story of punk rock pioneers the Sex Pistols from their humble beginnings in London's Shepherd's Bush to their fall at the Winterland Ballr ...
'' (2000), another documentary about The Sex Pistols. This time the film was made with the full cooperation of the surviving members of the band and told the story of the band from their viewpoint. This film mixed newly shot footage and interviews with footage culled from ''The Great Rock and Roll Swindle'' and previously unseen interviews. The film was a critical success and was seen as setting the record straight in regard to the history of The Sex Pistols.
Between 2002 and 2005, Temple completed a feature-length documentary about the Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contemp ...
. This involved him shooting footage at the festival as well as drawing on the vast amount of archival footage, as well as footage sent in by fans of the festival. It was released in the UK in April 2006.
In 2006 (premiered January 2007), Temple made a film of the life of his friend, in '' Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten''.
In November 2007, Temple filmed several of the Sex Pistols' comeback shows at the Brixton Academy in London. This was followed by several filming sessions with each member of the band as they re-visited their old London haunts. The footage was assembled into a new documentary film released on DVD in 2008 as ''The Sex Pistols: There'll Always Be An England'', bringing Temple's association with the Sex Pistols up to date.
In June 2008, Temple filmed three concerts by Madness at the Hackney Empire
Hackney Empire is a theatre on Mare Street, in the London Borough of Hackney. Originally designed by Frank Matcham it was built in 1901 as a music hall, and expanded in 2001. Described by ''The Guardian'' as ‘the most beautiful theatre in L ...
. These concerts were previews of the band's forthcoming album, ''The Liberty of Norton Folgate''.
In 2009, Temple directed the third film in his punk trilogy, ''Oil City Confidential'', which celebrated the Canvey Island legends Dr. Feelgood, and a hymn to the Motor City
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...
entitled ''Requiem For Detroit?'' (2010).
2010s
In 2010, Temple directed the biography ''Ray Davies: Imaginary Man''. Previously, he had directed several Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhythm ...
videos. Also, he was referred to by name in The Kinks song ''Too Hot'' from their ''Word of Mouth'' album: "Julien's on the street today/ Scouting out locations..."
In 2011, Temple returned to Glastonbury to further document the legendary festival. The resulting 75 minute film, titled ''"Glastonbury After Hours: Glastopia"'', was shot on location in the Shangri-La, Arcadia, the Unfair Ground, Strummerville, Block 9 and the Common areas. It was premiered on BBC4 on 15 June 2012.
On 4 March 2013, it was announced that Jesse L. Martin
Jesse Lamont Martin ('' né'' Watkins; January 18, 1969) is an American actor and singer. He originated the role of Tom Collins on Broadway in the musical ''Rent'' and performed on television as NYPD Detective Ed Green on '' Law & Order'' and ...
would replace Lenny Kravitz as Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...
in ''Sexual Healing,'' directed by Temple, and produced by Vassal Benton and Fred Bestall.[Andreeva, Nellie (4 March 2013) ][Nordyke, Kimberly (4 March 2013) ] With approximately 70% of the film completed and only three weeks to go on a planned nine-and-a-half-week shoot, production was stopped on the biopic, primarily due to financial problems (crew members were said to have not been paid fully for their work on the film).
Personal life
With his wife, Amanda (Pirie) Temple, Temple has a daughter named Juno
Juno commonly refers to:
*Juno (mythology), the Roman goddess of marriage and queen of the gods
*Juno (film), ''Juno'' (film), 2007
Juno may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters
*Juno, in the film ''Jenny, Juno''
*Ju ...
(born in 1989) and two sons, Leo (born 1993) and Felix (born 2000).
His sister, Nina Temple
Nina Claire Temple (born 21 April 1956) is a British politician who was the last SecretaryTemple dropped 'General' from her job description, see Francis Beckett ''Enemy Within: The Rise and Fall of the Communist Party'', London: John Murray, 1995, ...
, was the last General Secretary of the Communist Party of Great Britain
The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was the largest communist organisation in Britain and was founded in 1920 through a merger of several smaller Marxist groups. Many miners joined the CPGB in the 1926 general strike. In 1930, the CPG ...
.
Filmography
* '' The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle
''The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle'' is a 1980 British mockumentary film directed by Julien Temple and produced by Don Boyd and Jeremy Thomas. It centres on the British punk rock band Sex Pistols and, most prominently, their manager Malcolm Mc ...
'' (1979)
* ''UK Subs
U.K. Subs are an English punk rock band, among the earliest in the first wave of British punk. Formed in 1976, the mainstay of the band has been vocalist Charlie Harper, originally a singer in Britain's R&B scene. They were also one of the f ...
: Punk Can Take It'' (1979)
* '' Biceps of Steel'' (1980)
* ''The Secret Policeman's Other Ball
The Secret Policeman's Other Ball was the fourth of the benefit shows staged by the British Section of Amnesty International to raise funds for its research and campaign work in the human rights field. It was the second of many shows to bear ...
'' (1982)
* '' It's All True'' (1983)
* '' Mantrap'' (1983)
* '' Absolute Beginners'' (1986)
* ''Running out of Luck
''Running Out of Luck'' is a 1985 American adventure film directed by Julien Temple and starring Mick Jagger.
Plot
Mick (Mick Jagger) is in Rio shooting a video. He is with his wife/girlfriend played by Jerry Hall. Mick performs Half a Lo ...
'' (1987)
* ''Aria
In music, an aria (Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompanime ...
'' (segment ''Rigoletto'') (1987)
* ''Earth Girls Are Easy
''Earth Girls Are Easy'' is a 1988 American science fiction musical romantic comedy film that was produced by Tony Garnett, Duncan Henderson, and Terrence E. McNally and was directed by Julien Temple. The film stars Geena Davis, Julie Brown, C ...
'' (1988)
* ''Stones at the Max
''Rolling Stones: Live at the Max'' (also known as ''Stones at the Max'') is a concert film by the Rolling Stones released in 1991. It was specially filmed in IMAX during the Urban Jungle Tour in Europe in 1990. It was the first concert movie sh ...
'' (1991)
* ''Bullet
A bullet is a kinetic projectile, a component of firearm ammunition that is shot from a gun barrel. Bullets are made of a variety of materials, such as copper, lead, steel, polymer, rubber and even wax. Bullets are made in various shapes and co ...
'' (1996)
* '' Vigo: Passion for Life'' (1998)
* ''The Filth and the Fury
''The Filth and the Fury'' is a 2000 British rockumentary film directed by Julien Temple. It follows the story of punk rock pioneers the Sex Pistols from their humble beginnings in London's Shepherd's Bush to their fall at the Winterland Ballr ...
'' (2000)
* '' Pandæmonium'' (2000)
* ''Glastonbury
Glastonbury (, ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town, which is in the Mendip district, had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonbury ...
'' (2006)
* '' Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten'' ( 2007)
* '' The Sex Pistols: There'll Always Be An England'' (2008)
* '' The Eternity Man'' (2008)
* '' Oil City Confidential'' (2009)
* '' Requiem For Detroit'' (2009)
* '' Ray Davies - Imaginary Man'' (2010)
* '' Dave Davies - Kinkdom Come'' (2011)
* '' London: The Modern Babylon'' (2012)
* '' Glastonbury After Hours: Glastopia'' (2012)
* ''You Really Got Me'' (forthcoming)
* ''Rio 50 Degrees: Carry On CaRIOca'' (2014)
* ''The Clash
The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the wa ...
: New Year's Day '77'' (2015), largely at the official gala opening of The Roxy
Roxy, Roxey, and Roxie may refer to:
People
* Roxy (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name
Places in the United States
* Roxie, Mississippi, a town
* Roxie, West Virginia, an unincorporated community
Music
* Roxy ...
club on 1 January 1977
* '' The Ecstasy of Wilko Johnson'' (2015)
* ''The Origin of the Species'' (2016)
* ''Habaneros'' (2017)
* ''Ibiza: The Silent Movie'' (2019)
* '' Crock of Gold: A Few Rounds with Shane MacGowan'' (2020)
* ''Sexual Healing'' (post-production)
Music videos
References
External links
*
Screenonline biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Temple, Julien
1953 births
Alumni of King's College, Cambridge
English music video directors
Film directors from London
Glastonbury Festival
Living people
People from Kensington
People educated at St Marylebone Grammar School
People educated at William Ellis School
Sex Pistols