Jan de Bont
Jan de Bont (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈjɑn də ˈbɔnt]; born 22 October 1943) is a Dutch cinematographer, director and film producer. He is widely known for directing the films Speed (1994) and Twister (1996). As a director of photography, de Bont worked on numerous blockbusters and genre films, including Cujo, Flesh and Blood, Die Hard, The Hunt for Red October, and Basic Instinct.
Jan de Bont | |
|---|---|
 Jan de Bont in 1973 (age 29) | |
| Born | 22 October 1943 |
| Occupation | Film director, producer, cinematographer |
| Years active | 1965–present |
Notable work | Speed Twister Speed 2: Cruise Control The Haunting Tomb Raider film series |
| Spouse(s) | Trish Reeves (?–present) |
Early life and career
De Bont was born to a Catholic family in Eindhoven, Netherlands, one of 17 children. His earliest works were made while studying at the Amsterdam Film Academy with Dutch avant-garde director Adriaan Ditvoorst.[1] He first came known in the Netherlands as the cinematographer for the infamous 1971 film Blue Movie, followed by the 1973 film Turkish Delight (1973), directed by Paul Verhoeven, starring Rutger Hauer and Monique van de Ven. Since the early 1980s, he has worked frequently in Hollywood, often collaborating with directors including Verhoeven and John McTiernan.
While serving as cinematographer for the 1981 film Roar, de Bont experienced one of many on-set injuries during filming, where a lion lifted his scalp, requiring 220 stitches.[2] After Roar, de Bont shot the 1983 horror film Cujo, the adaptation of the Stephen King novel of the same name.
In 1988, he was director of photography on the critically lauded action film Die Hard.[3] The following year, de Bont shot the Ridley Scott-directed action thriller Black Rain.[4]
Directing
De Bont made his directorial debut with the action thriller Speed in 1994, which was a surprise hit. He followed this up with the even more successful Twister in 1996. His output since has had mixed commercial and critical success. In 1997, he returned to direct the sequel Speed 2: Cruise Control, which was a commercial and critical failure. In 1999, he directed a remake of The Haunting. It was a commercial success, but was heavily panned by critics and received five Razzie Award nominations. His most recent film as director was the 2003 action adventure film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life, based on the video game series of the same name, and starring Angelina Jolie as the eponymous Lara Croft.
Unrealized Godzilla project
De Bont began pre-production on an American Godzilla film for a summer 1996 release, but quit the film at the end of 1994 when Sony Pictures Entertainment (Columbia Pictures and TriStar Pictures's parent company) refused to approve his budget request. He was eventually replaced by Roland Emmerich who rewrote the script in addition to directing the film. While critically panned, Emmerich's "Godzilla" was moderately successful at the box-office.
Personal life
He was married to Dutch actress Monique van de Ven from 1973 to 1988. Monique starred in the 1973 film Turkish Delight, for which de Bont did the cinematography. De Bont has two children from his second marriage with Trish Reeves.[1]
Filmography
| Year | Film | Director | Producer | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Speed | Yes | No | No | Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Director |
| 1996 | Twister | Yes | No | No | |
| 1997 | Speed 2: Cruise Control | Yes | Yes | Story | Nominated – Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Picture Nominated – Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Director Nominated – Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screenplay |
| 1998 | SLC Punk! | No | Yes | No | |
| 1999 | The Haunting | Yes | No | No | Nominated – Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Director |
| 2002 | Equilibrium | No | Yes | No | |
| Minority Report | No | Yes | No | ||
| 2003 | Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life | Yes | No | No | |
As Cinematographer
See also
References
- Weinraub, Bernard (June 14, 1994). "Hurtling to the Top: A Director Is Born". New York Times. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
- Stobezki, Jon (February 19, 2015). "Utterly Terrifying ROAR, Starring Tippi Hedren And Melanie Griffith, Joins Pride Of Drafthouse Films". Birth.Movies.Death. Archived from the original on March 31, 2019. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
- Weinraub, Bernard (1994-06-14). "Hurtling to the Top: A Director Is Born". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
- Black Rain - Movie Reviews, retrieved 2020-07-21
External links
- Jan de Bont at IMDb
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