Peter Watkins on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Peter Watkins (born 29 October 1935) is an English film and television director. He was born in
Norbiton
Norbiton is an area within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, London. It lies approximately east of Kingston upon Thames town centre, and from Charing Cross. Its main landmarks include Kingston Hospital, Kingsmeadow football stadiu ...
, Surrey, lived in
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
, Canada and
Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
for many years, and now lives in France. He is one of the pioneers of
docudrama
Docudrama (or documentary drama) is a genre of television and film, which features dramatized re-enactments of actual events. It is described as a hybrid of documentary and drama and "a fact-based representation of real event".
Docudramas typic ...
. His films present pacifist and radical ideas in a nontraditional style. He mainly concentrates his works and ideas around the mass media and our relation/participation to a movie or television documentary.
Nearly all of Watkins' films have used a combination of dramatic and documentary elements to dissect historical occurrences or possible near future events. The first of these, ''
Culloden'', portrayed the Jacobite uprising of 1745 in a documentary style, as if television reporters were interviewing the participants and accompanying them into battle; a similar device was used in his biographical film ''
Edvard Munch
Edvard Munch ( , ; 12 December 1863 – 23 January 1944) was a Norwegian painter. His best known work, ''The Scream'' (1893), has become one of Western art's most iconic images.
His childhood was overshadowed by illness, bereavement and the dr ...
''. ''
La Commune'' reenacts the
Paris Commune
The Paris Commune (french: Commune de Paris, ) was a revolutionary government that seized power in Paris, the capital of France, from 18 March to 28 May 1871.
During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard had defended ...
days using a large cast of French non-actors.
In 2004, he wrote the book ''
Media Crisis'', which discusses his ideas of media
hegemony
Hegemony (, , ) is the political, economic, and military predominance of one State (polity), state over other states. In Ancient Greece (8th BC – AD 6th ), hegemony denoted the politico-military dominance of the ''hegemon'' city-state over oth ...
which he calls, ''the monoform'', and the lack of debate around the construction of new forms of audiovisual media.
Life
After doing 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 l ...
with the
East Surrey Regiment, followed by studying acting at the
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Sen ...
, Watkins began his television and film career as an assistant producer of short TV films and commercials; and in the early 1960s was an assistant editor and director of documentaries at the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
. All of his films have either been documentary or drama presented with documentary techniques, sometimes portraying historical occurrences and sometimes possible near future events as if contemporary reporters and filmmakers were there to interview the participants. Watkins pioneered this technique in his first full-length television film, ''
Culloden'', which portrayed the
Jacobite uprising of 1746 in a style similar to the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
reporting of the time. In 1965, he won a
Jacob's Award
The Jacob's Awards were instituted in December 1962 as the first Irish television awards. Later, they were expanded to include radio. The awards were named after their sponsor, W. & R. Jacob & Co. Ltd., a biscuit manufacturer, and recipients ...
for ''Culloden'' at the annual presentation ceremony in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
.
The scope and formal innovation of ''Culloden'' drew immediate critical acclaim for the previously unknown director, and the BBC commissioned him for another ambitious production, the nuclear-war docudrama ''
The War Game
''The War Game'' is a 1966 British pseudo-documentary film that depicts a nuclear war and its aftermath. Written, directed and produced by Peter Watkins for the BBC, it caused dismay within the BBC and also within government, and was subseque ...
'', for ''
The Wednesday Play
''The Wednesday Play'' is an anthology series of United Kingdom, British television plays which ran on BBC One, BBC1 for six seasons from October 1964 to May 1970. The plays were usually original works written for television, although dramati ...
'' series.
The production was subsequently released to cinemas and won the 1966
Academy Award for Documentary Feature
The Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film is an award for documentary films. In 1941, the first awards for feature-length documentaries were bestowed as Special Awards to '' Kukan'' and ''Target for Tonight''. They have since been best ...
, eventually being screened by the BBC on 31 July 1985 after a 20-year ban.
His reputation as a political provocateur was amplified by ''
Punishment Park
''Punishment Park'' is a 1971 American pseudo-documentary drama film written and directed by Peter Watkins. The setting is of a British and West German film crew following National Guard soldiers and police as they pursue members of a counterc ...
'', a story of violent political conflict in the United States that coincided with the
Kent State Massacre
The Kent State shootings, also known as the May 4 massacre and the Kent State massacre,"These would be the first of many probes into what soon became known as the Kent State Massacre. Like the Boston Massacre almost exactly two hundred years bef ...
. Opposition to war is a common theme of his work, but the films' political messages are often ambiguous, usually allowing the main characters to present violently opposing viewpoints which in many cases are improvised by the cast: in ''Punishment Park'', the soldiers and dissidents were played by nonprofessional actors whose political opinions matched those of their characters so well that the director said he feared actual violence would break out on set. He took a similar approach in his
Paris Commune
The Paris Commune (french: Commune de Paris, ) was a revolutionary government that seized power in Paris, the capital of France, from 18 March to 28 May 1871.
During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard had defended ...
re-enactment ''
La Commune'', using newspaper advertisements to recruit conservative actors who would have a genuine antipathy to the Commune rebels. Watkins is also known for political statements about the film and television media, writing extensively about flaws in television news and the dominance of the Hollywood-derived narrative style that he refers to as "the monoform".
After the banning of ''The War Game'' and the poor reception of his first non-television feature, ''
Privilege'', Watkins left England and has made all of his subsequent films abroad: ''
The Gladiators'' in Sweden, ''Punishment Park'' in the United States, ''
Edvard Munch
Edvard Munch ( , ; 12 December 1863 – 23 January 1944) was a Norwegian painter. His best known work, ''The Scream'' (1893), has become one of Western art's most iconic images.
His childhood was overshadowed by illness, bereavement and the dr ...
'' in
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
, ''
Evening Land'' in Denmark, ''
Resan'' (a 14-hour film cycle about the threat of nuclear war) in ten different countries, and ''La Commune'' in France. ''Freethinker: The Life and Work of Peter Watkins'', is a forthcoming biography by Patrick Murphy, a Senior Lecturer in Film and Television at York St John University and Dr John Cook. It is being compiled with Watkins' active help and participation.
Influence
Citing their 1969
Bed-in
The Bed-ins for Peace were two week-long nonviolent protests against wars, intended as experimental tests of new ways to promote peace. As the Vietnam War raged in 1969, John Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono held one protest at the Hilton Hotel in Ams ...
efforts and Peace Concert, an interviewer asked
John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
and
Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono ( ; ja, 小野 洋子, Ono Yōko, usually spelled in katakana ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking.
Ono grew up i ...
, "Is there any one particular incident that got you started in this peace campaign?". John answered, "...the thing that really struck it off was a letter we got from a guy called Peter Watkins who made a film called The War Game. It was a very long letter stating just what's happening – how the media is really controlled, how it's all run, and everything else that people really know deep down. He said 'People in your position have a responsibility to use the media for world peace'. And we sat on the letter for about three weeks thinking 'Well, we're doing our best. All you need is love, man.' That letter just sort of sparked it all off. It was like getting your induction papers for peace!"
[, ''The Beatles – A Celebration'', p.144]
Films
by Peter Watkins
* 1956 : ''The Web'' – 20 min. – Great Britain – English – black and white
* 1958 : ''
The Field of Red'' – Great Britain – English – black and white (lost)
* 1959 : ''
The Diary of an Unknown Soldier'' – 20 min. – Great Britain – English – black and white
* 1961 : ''
Forgotten Faces'' – 17 min. – Great Britain – English – black and white
* 1964 : ''
Culloden'' – 69 min. – Great Britain – English and Scottish Gaelic – black and white. News reportage-style re-enactment of the decisive 1746 battle between forces led by the English
William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland
Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland (15 April 1721 Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">N.S..html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/nowiki> N.S.">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html"_;"title="/nowiki>Old_Style_and_New_St ...
, and a Highland clan army led by
Charles Edward Stuart
Charles Edward Louis John Sylvester Maria Casimir Stuart (20 December 1720 – 30 January 1788) was the elder son of James Francis Edward Stuart, grandson of James II and VII, and the Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, Scotland and ...
, the "Bonnie Prince Charlie".
* 1965 : ''
The War Game
''The War Game'' is a 1966 British pseudo-documentary film that depicts a nuclear war and its aftermath. Written, directed and produced by Peter Watkins for the BBC, it caused dismay within the BBC and also within government, and was subseque ...
'' – 48 min. – Great Britain – English – black and white
Filmed in a documentary fashion and looks at the possible effects of nuclear war on England. Notable for its intense power and imagery. It later won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, as well as the 1967 Best Documentary Feature award in Great Britain.
* 1967 : ''
Privilege'' – 103 min. – Great Britain – English – colour
A performing singer placed in a futuristic totalitarian state, Steven Shorter (
Paul Jones), is an intense character who sympathises with the youth of the nation. He becomes very popular, yet realises that his life is also controlled by the government. In 1978,
Patti Smith
Patricia Lee Smith (born December 30, 1946)
is an American singer, songwriter, poet, painter and author who became an influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album '' Horses''.
Called the "punk poe ...
recorded one of the film's songs, "Set Me Free" (as "
Privilege (Set Me Free)
"Privilege (Set Me Free)" is a song by the Patti Smith Group and released as the second single from their 1978 album ''Easter''. The original version of the song was titled "Free Me" and was written by Mel London and Mike Leander for the 1967 film ...
") on her album ''
Easter
Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...
''. The recording charted on the Top-100 lists in the UK (#72) and Ireland (#13).
* 1969 : ''
Gladiators
A gladiator ( la, gladiator, "swordsman", from , "sword") was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gla ...
'' (''The Peace Game'') – 69 min. – Sweden – English – colour
Views war as a futuristic sporting event where it seems as if games are being played for a television audience.
* 1971 : ''
Punishment Park
''Punishment Park'' is a 1971 American pseudo-documentary drama film written and directed by Peter Watkins. The setting is of a British and West German film crew following National Guard soldiers and police as they pursue members of a counterc ...
'' – 88 min. – United States – English – colour
Based on the "siege mentality" of the police force during the 1970s. Protesters are given a choice for sentencing, and "Punishment Park" is one of the choices, in which the protesters must endure a three-day-long contest in a barren desert without food, while being pursued by armed National Guardsmen.
* 1974 : ''
Edvard Munch
Edvard Munch ( , ; 12 December 1863 – 23 January 1944) was a Norwegian painter. His best known work, ''The Scream'' (1893), has become one of Western art's most iconic images.
His childhood was overshadowed by illness, bereavement and the dr ...
'' – 174 min (Theatrical) / 210 min (TV) – Sweden and Norway – English and Norvegian – colour
Munch's life, emphasising his early years.
* 1975 : ''
The Seventies People'' – 127 min. – Denmark – Danish – colour
Filmed for television, The Seventies Folk explores how the average citizen deals with the stress, life, work, school and family; resulting in the high suicide rate in Denmark.
* 1975 : ''
The Trap'' – 65 min. – Sweden – Swedish – colour
In the year 1999, totalitarianism prevails with the U.S.S.R. and U.S.A. colluding to govern the world by strict rules. Chaos erupts on the surface but state employees live safely underground. A radical and his son, visit his brother John's family in the bunkers and the discourse grows hot.
* 1977 : ''
Evening Land'' (''Aftenlandet'') – 109 min. – Denmark – Danish – colour, entered into the
10th Moscow International Film Festival
The 10th Moscow International Film Festival was held 7-21 July 1977. The Golden Prizes were awarded to the Hungarian film ''The Fifth Seal'' directed by Zoltán Fábri, the Spanish film '' El puente'' directed by Juan Antonio Bardem and the Sovi ...
.
Portrays a fictitious Europe where the building of four nuclear missile capable submarines while the workers building them are shafted, leads to a group of radicals kidnapping the Danish EEC Minister in protest. Danish police deal brutally with the strikers, as well as the 'terrorists'.
* 1988 : ''
The Journey The Journey may refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Journey'' (1942 film), or ''El viaje'', an Argentine film
* ''The Journey'' (1959 film), an American drama starring Deborah Kerr, Yul Brynner, and Jason Robards about the Hungarian Revoluti ...
'' (''Resan'') – 873 min. – Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, USSR, Sweden, Norway – English, French – black and white, colour
The Journey: A Film for Peace; weaves together family interviews, the global arms race, survivors of the bombings in Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Hamburg, community psychodramas of possible disaster scenarios, and works by other artists - from more than 100 hours of footage. Filmed in the United States, Canada, Norway, Scotland, France, West Germany, Mozambique, Japan, Australia, Tahiti, and Mexico.
* 1991: ''The Media Project'' - 120 min. - Australia - colour
Discusses and critiques the Australian media coverage of the first gulf war and the way most news is made.
* 1994 : ''
The Freethinker'' – 276 min. – Sweden – Swedish – colour
Documentary portrait of the life of playwright August Strindberg, and the role of an artist, cultural critic, freethinker in society. The film unfolds in slow, non-chronological scenes, broken up by intertitles; with actors sometimes stepping out of character to comment on the characters they are playing, and incorporates scenes of ordinary people discussing issues the film raises.
* 2000 : ''
La Commune'' – 375 min. (full-length version) – France – French – black and white
A historical re-enactment in a documentary style, of the situation after Napoleon III's defeat in which a group of working-class radicals formed the National Guard, refused to accept the authority of the French government and ruled Paris for four months.
about Peter Watkins
* 2001 : ''
The Universal Clock: The Resistance of Peter Watkins'' is a 77-minute documentary film about Watkins and the making of ''La Commune''. The film is directed by
Geoff Bowie and produced by the
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...
. The universal clock refers to the synchronisation and the global movement of the televisions in the world, calibrated to be diffused anywhere around the globe, at any time.
* 2001 : ''Peter Watkins – Lituania'', Rebond for la Commune and Peter Watkins
References
Bibliography
* Montero, José Francisco & Paredes, Israel. ''Imágenes de la Revolución''. 2011. Shangrila Ediciones
* Duarte, German A. ''La scomparsa dell'orologio universale. Peter Watkins e i mass media audiovisivi''. 2009. Mimesis Edizioni Milano
* Duarte, German A.
Conversaciones con Peter Watkins/Conversations With Peter Watkins'. 2016. UTADEO Press
Further reading
*
*
External links
Peter Watkins' official siteBFI: Peter Watkins*
Notes on The Media CrisisAn essay by Peter Watkins. MACBA, 2010.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Watkins, Peter
1935 births
Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Living people
English film directors
Jacob's Award winners
People educated at Christ College, Brecon
People from the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
Directors of Best Documentary Feature Academy Award winners