Nathaniel Gutman (born December 15, 1954) is an Israeli-American filmmaker, best known for directing ''Deadline'', starring Christopher Walken, and the TV movie ''Linda'', starring Virginia Madsen.

Early life and education

Gutman was born in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

to Jewish immigrants from

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

.Karp, Jonathan, and Adam Sutcliffe, eds. Philosemitism in History. Cambridge University Press, 2011: 300. 978-0521695473. His father was Joshua Gutman. Gutman studied

Philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

and

Art history Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today ...

at the

Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...

. He later studied cinema in the

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

program at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

, where he wrote his thesis, "American Films in Israel".

Career

Gutman is best known for directing

Deadline (1987 film) ''Deadline'' is a 1987 war drama film directed by Nathaniel Gutman. It stars Christopher Walken as journalist Don Stevens, who is set up amidst the Lebanese Civil War and is fed false information. An international co-production of Israel, the Unit ...

, also known as ''Witness in the War Zone'', starring

Christopher Walken Christopher Walken (born Ronald Walken; March 31, 1943) is an American actor. Prolific in film, television and on stage, Walken is the recipient of numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Awar ...

, as well as

Linda (1993 film) ''Linda'' is a 1993 American made-for-television crime drama film based on a novella by John D. MacDonald. It is the second adaptation of that work. Plot summary Two couples, the Cowleys (Paul and Linda) and the Jeffries (Brandon and Stella), ...

, a TV movie also known as ''Lust for Murder'', starring

Virginia Madsen Virginia Gayle Madsen (born September 11, 1961) is an American actress and film producer. She made her film debut in ''Class'' (1983), which was filmed in her native Chicago. After she moved to Los Angeles, director David Lynch cast her as Pri ...

. He has also served in various roles, including as a director for the Israel Film Institute; as a radio producer for the

Israel Broadcasting Authority The Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA; ) was Israel's public broadcaster from 1948 to 2017. History The Israel Broadcasting Authority was an outgrowth of the radio station ''Kol Yisrael'', which made its first broadcast as an independent st ...

; and as a lecturer and chair for th
Steve Tisch School of Film and Television
at

Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv University (TAU) ( he, אוּנִיבֶרְסִיטַת תֵּל אָבִיב, ''Universitat Tel Aviv'') is a public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Locate ...

Film

''Das Tal der Schatten'' (1999) (or ''The Valley of the Shadows'') stars

Natalia Wörner Natalia Wörner (; born 7 September 1967) is a German actress. Biography After finishing high school in Stuttgart, Wörner moved to New York City, where she studied acting at Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio. In 2000, she returned to Germany, wh ...

. ''Twice Upon a Time'' (1988) stars

Tim Roth Timothy Simon Roth (born 14 May 1961) is an English actor and producer. He began acting on films and television series in the 1980s. He was among a group of prominent British actors of the era, the "Brit Pack (actors), Brit Pack". He made hi ...

and

Louise Lombard Louise Lombard (born Louise Marie Perkins; 13 September 1970) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Evangeline Eliott in the BBC drama series ''The House of Eliott'' (1991–94) and Sofia Curtis in the CBS drama series ''CSI: Cri ...

. ''Deadline / Witness in the War Zone'' (1987) was named by photographer Thomas Dworzak as one of the top ten movies that inspire him.

Television

''When the Dark Man Calls'', both produced and directed by Gutman, follows a popular radio talk show host (played by

Joan Van Ark Joan Van Ark (born June 16, 1943) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Valene Ewing on the primetime soap opera ''Knots Landing.'' A life member of The Actors Studio, she made her Broadway debut in 1966 in ''Barefoot in the P ...

) whose parents' killer becomes her stalker. The movie is based on the novel by

Stuart M. Kaminsky Stuart M. Kaminsky (September 29, 1934 – October 9, 2009) was an American mystery writer and film professor. He is known for three long-running series of mystery novels featuring the protagonists Toby Peters, a private detective in 1940s Holly ...

and was released in 1995 by Power Pictures. ''Linda / Lust for Murder'' (1993) was adapted from John D. MacDonald's novella of the same name. ''Children’s Island'' (1985), starring

George Montgomery (actor) George Montgomery (born George Montgomery Letz; August 27, 1916 – December 12, 2000) was an American actor, best known for his work in Western films and television. He was also a painter, director, producer, writer, sculptor, furniture cra ...

and

J. D. Roth James David Weinroth (born April 20, 1968), known professionally as J.D. Roth, is an American television producer, actor, voice actor, game show host, and television personality. Roth is the co-creator of the reality show ''The Biggest Loser'' ...

, was an eight-part UK series that takes place during wartime and follows 11 children who are trying to reach the U.S. from Britain by crossing the Atlantic. The children become lost at sea but manage to seek help from the grandson of the U.S. President.

Screenwriting

Gutman co-wrote the screenplay for ''Im Schatten von Gestern'' (1985) with

Maria Matray Maria Matray (born Maria Charlotte Stern; 14 July 1907 – 30 October 1993) was a German screenwriter and film actress. Matray became a star of late Weimar cinema. Biography Following the Nazi takeover in 1933, Matray, who was Jewish, went into ...

; they won the DAG Silver Award. In 2007, his screenplay, ''HourZero'', received an honorable mention for Thriller/Horror.

Documentaries

Gutman has written and directed several documentaries for Israeli and German television, including: ''America, I love you'' (אמריקה איי לאב יו), ''Brothers and Strangers'' (אחים ורחוקים), and ''Highschool'' (מחר בגרות). In 1973
Shalom Productions
released ''America, I love you'' (or ''Amerikah, ay lʼaṿ yu''). The documentary was later distributed b
Alden Films
Gutman also wrote and directed ''The Yeckes''.

''The Yeckes''

Produced and directed by Gutman, ''The Yeckes'' (variant spellings include ''The Jeckes'' and ''The Yekkes'') is a documentary about the ailing German-Jewish community in Israel. It was aired by

ZDF ZDF (, short for Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen; ; "Second German Television") is a German public-service television broadcaster based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. It is run as an independent nonprofit institution, which was founded by all fe ...

in 1979. There was some controversy regarding the documentary as the term ''Yeckes'' was considered by German Jews to be offensive, but a supreme court judge ruled that the term had evolved and shed its previous connotations. The Yeckes were also known for living culturally as Europeans, specifically as Germans, within Israeli society. Critical reception was supportive of the documentary.

Bibliography

* "Excerpt from Weissensee by Nathaniel Gutman." ''Tiferet Journal.'' 29 June 2021. *Gutman, Nathaniel. "Chiaroscuro." ''ONE ART: A Journal of Poetry.'' 14 Nov 2021. https://oneartpoetry.com/2021/11/14/chiaroscuro-by-nathaniel-gutman/ *Gutman, Nathaniel. "Her Sabbath Dress." ''Pangyrus.'' 14 Dec 2021. https://oneartpoetry.com/2021/11/14/chiaroscuro-by-nathaniel-gutman/ *Gutman, Nathaniel. "In the Eye of the Beholder." ''The American Journal of Poetry'', Vol. 7, 2019. http://www.theamericanjournalofpoetry.com/v7-gutman.html * Gutman, Nathaniel. ''American Films in Israel''. 1971. University of Southern California, Master of Arts (Cinema), Thesis.

References

External links

*
Nathaniel Gutman
o
KinoTV
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gutman, Nathaniel 1954 births Israeli filmmakers Living people People from Jerusalem University of Southern California alumni