Sam Mendes is an American director who created 007: Spectrum and other famous films, the ex-husband of Kate Winslet, an Oscar winner. This man achieved fame at 34, since then he managed to remove about 10 films, warmly received by viewers and critics. What does the public know about the past and present of the master, his creative path and the best film projects?
Sam Mendes: biography
The director, who equally succeeds in thrillers and melodramas, was born in England in 1965 in the family of a teacher and writer. Among his ancestors are present not only the British, but also Jews, Portuguese. It is difficult to call the boy’s childhood cloudless, as his mother and father broke up when he was 5 years old.
Sam Mendes is not one of the celebrities who have chosen their life path in childhood. While studying at school, the guy changed many hobbies, from music to sports. After secondary education, he continued his studies at Cambridge University.
Sam Mendes fell in love with the theater in his student years, which prompted him to think about the director's profession. After university, he worked for several years at the Chichester Theater. The first work of the young man was the play "Cherry Orchard", which drew public attention to it. However, fame came to him not through theatrical work.
Movie debut
The film, with the help of which the master has declared to the world about his existence, is American Beauty. By the age of 34, Sam Mendes had already established himself as a talented theater director and began to think about filming a movie. Go to active action he was forced to an interesting script proposed by Alan Ball. The plot of the future film impressed Mendes so much that he did not object to a rather modest fee by Hollywood standards, which amounted to 150 thousand dollars.
American Beauty, which was released in 1999, was a huge success thanks to the creator's unique directorial style. Critics have dubbed the drama a label of satire making fun of the American way of life. Disputes about what the main message of the tape is, are still ongoing. The director himself says that he made a movie about how life can be suppressed by a person. It was this picture, which earned over 350 million at the box office, that presented the newly-minted Oscar.
The drama proved to be the best project Sam Mendes has ever undertaken. The filmography began with the story of a man who suddenly fell upon a midlife crisis. The hero loses his job, conflicts with households and is attracted to the same age as his own daughter.
The Cursed Path (2002)
The next film project, which was directed by Sam Mendes, could not repeat the success of the previous one and collected a much more modest amount at the box office. Nevertheless, the Cursed Path, presented to the public in 2002, was liked by critics and allowed its creator to secure the status of a genius. Interestingly, the new work of the master absolutely did not resemble the old.
The Cursed Path brings spectators to Chicago during the Great Depression. The first acquaintance with Michael Sullivan makes the audience think of him as a positive character, a responsible employee, a loving husband and father. However, his son cannot understand where Michael departs daily in his car, who the strange people who are constantly next to him are. Having completed the investigation, the son finds out that his father is a gangster, who also managed to set up the rulers of the criminal empire against himself.
Bond Stories
Sam Mendes is not only talented, but also versatile, one who is interested in working with stories unlike each other. In 2012, the next brainchild of the master appeared on the screens - the tape “007: Skyfall Coordinates”. The adventure thriller, sometimes turning into a thriller, was already the 23rd in a series of films about the famous Bond. The success of the film is proved by colossal box office.
This picture was followed by another story about the misadventures of the brave James Bond. The tape was named "007: Spectrum", it is a bright finale that weaves together the plot lines laid down in three films about the agent that saw the light earlier. In this picture, Sam Mendes refuses to realism, preferring a world functioning according to the laws of sleep. The focus is on the experiences that Bond indulges in, pressing on him the burden of the past. Not surprisingly, the agent’s next girlfriend is a psychiatrist.
What else to see
Over 15 years of work, he managed to present to the public and other fascinating paintings by Sam Mendes. Films also did not surpass his very first work, but are worthy of the attention of the audience. For example, the war drama The Marines deserves to be watched. Events take place during the battle in the Persian Gulf. The main characters were in an unfamiliar country, they are pursued by dangerous enemies and are not supported by friends. The director wanted to show how difficult it is to remain faithful to his ideals, having lost contact with his homeland.
"The Road to Change" is another successful Mendes film, the plot of which is borrowed from the sensational work of Yeats. The main characters get the opportunity to turn their lives around, but do not dare to take a difficult step. The story introduces the audience to a married couple who dreams, but cannot escape from the routine that draws into the quagmire.
Personal life
Of course, Sam Mendes lives not only work, finding time and personal life. The most serious of his hobbies at the moment is the actress Kate Winslet, with whom he gave his marriage several years of his life. The couple broke up without scandals, the director takes an active part in the life of his child from Kate. At the moment he is not officially meeting with anyone.