The great, an underestimated, Canadian filmmaker Norman Jewison has passed on at the age of 97. A major loss for film and a good enough reason for many to delve deep into his historic filmography.
Jewison was nominated for seven Oscars, including three for Best Director and four for Best Picture. He had major range, hopping from genre to genre, and rarely fumbling, especially during his hot streak of films in the ‘60s and ‘70s.
Jewison stopped making movies 20 years ago, his final one was 2003’s “The Statement,” but, man, what an immense career he had. Jewison was the champ when it came to what I referred to yesterday as Howard Hawks’ “enjoyable” and “straightforward” style of filmmaking. A pure class act.
The 9 films that perfectly exemplify Jewison’s storied career: “The Russians Are Coming, “The Russians Are Coming,” “In the Heat of the Night,” … And Justice For All,” “A Soldier’s Story,” “Moonstruck,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” “The Cincinnati Kid,” “The Thomas Crown Affair” and “The Hurricane.”