American film director, producer and screenwriter J. Schumacher was born in New York on August 29, 1939. The father died when the child was four years old. Mother had to farm alone and earn a living. The family overcame difficulties, Joel grew up and also began to earn extra money. Gradually, a wealth appeared in the family, and he was able to go to study.
Carier start
Young Schumacher chose the Parsons school, where they taught design. Then Joel entered the Institute of Fashion and Clothing Technology. After receiving a diploma, he got a job at an advertising agency and began to design facades and interiors of fashion stores. However, the young Schumacher constantly dreamed of cinema, he was attracted by the romance of the filming process, communication with Hollywood stars, and, of course, good earnings.
Joel Schumacher left the advertising business and moved from New York to Los Angeles. In Hollywood, he began to work in his specialty, a costume designer. Schumacher advanced quite quickly in the design of film projects. The directors appreciated the talented specialist and literally overwhelmed him with work.
Soon, Joel Schumacher proved himself as a capable screenwriter. According to the plot proposed by him, the low-budget film "Car Wash" was shot, which unexpectedly had good box office. After such a successful debut, Joel wrote several more scripts for which the films were staged. Schumacher became his man in Hollywood, wrote a lot, his stories were novel, the story was exciting and informative.
Director's career
In 1981, Joel Schumacher made his first film as a director. It was a picture in the genre of satirical comedy called "Incredibly Withered Woman." The next film, “St. Elm’s Twinkle” directed by Schumacher, not only gave a good box office, but also served as a start in a great movie for a whole group of young, aspiring actors.
The motion picture "Lost Guys", shot by Joel in 1987 in the genre of horror (horror film), made the actor Sutherland famous. Later, this performer played with Julia Roberts in the film "Comatose", filmed in 1990. Joel Schumacher, whose films became popular and expected by the public before appearing on the screen, wrote one script after another and immediately filmed the best of them. His image as a director was constantly growing and strengthening, the administrative elite of Hollywood could not rejoice at the success of new film projects.
Best movie
In 1993, Joel Schumacher made one of the most notable films for the entire period of work as a director. It was a psychological thriller "Enough for me!" starring Michael Douglas . The picture was created on the highest note of nervous tension. It was a masterpiece of cinema.
Then two more successful film projects followed: the film "Client", shot based on the novel by John Grisham, and the film "Time to Kill". In 1995, the management of the Warner Bros. film studio invited Schumacher to shoot a new version of Batman with the expectation of a higher degree of artistry and minimization of bloody scenes. Schumacher created the full-length feature film "Batman Forever" with Val Kilmer in the title role. The film was an impressive box office success, although criticism was low-key.
Golden Raspberry
Nevertheless, the director was asked to shoot a sequel called "Batman and Robin", which was done. Against all expectations, the new movie failed miserably, and Joel Schumacher received a nomination for the Golden Raspberry Award. This meant that he jokingly recognized as the worst director for the movie "Batman and Robin."
Schumacher was not upset at all and soon shot two more films: “Flawless” (starring Robert de Niro) and “8 millimeters” with Nicolas Cage. These films did not have much success.
In 2000, Joel Schumacher put the picture "Country of the Tigers" about the Vietnamese campaign. The dramatic plot gave an opportunity to prove himself to an actor of Irish descent Colin Farrell, for whom the film became the debut Hollywood project. Three years later, the director again met with Colin, already in the film "Telephone Box".
The film "house of cards"
In 2013, Joel Schumacher wrote a script for the television series entitled "House of Cards."
The plot focuses on political events unfolding around the election of the US President and the appointment of the Secretary of State. The film "House of Cards" tells of the dishonesty of American politicians.
Director and music
In 2004, Schumacher tried his hand at a musical film project called "The Phantom of the Opera" in the wake of the musical Webber Andrew Lloyd. The film received a nomination for three Oscars and three Golden Globes, but the creators were never awarded any real prizes.
Director Joel Schumacher is currently working on new projects. At 77, he is full of energy and is ready to work on.