For several decades, the name of Robert Zemeckis has been sounding with enviable consistency in the media. A talented director and screenwriter, once having taken the highest bar, has been maintaining the status of a master for many years in a row.
Childhood and love of television
Robert Zemeckis, one of the most successful directors, producers and screenwriters, was born in 1952 in a family that belonged to the working class and had Baltic and Italian roots. Robert's parents were people quite down to earth and restrained in terms of ambition, so they raised their son.
But from early childhood, Robert succumbed to the influence of television. He was literally fascinated by this attribute of modernity to this day, contrary to popular belief about the destructiveness of television, he claims that it has become a key factor in the formation of his creative consciousness.
This is not surprising, because parents imprisoned Robert in a cage of their stereotypes, patterns, restrictions, which seemed to them insurmountable and, most sad, quite suitable for life. But the boy who dreamed of cinema and television did not suit him. Therefore, from an early age, he began to cherish in his heart the dream of creating a real movie. In the meantime, using a small unpretentious camera, together with friends, he began to shoot comic clips for children, which became his first experience on the way to great cinema.
Training and first wins
Contrary to the opinion of parents, after school Robert Zemeckis entered the university and received a degree in cinematographic art. There he met his future creative partner, ideological inspirer and just a friend - Bob Gale. They were brought together by a love of popular American cinema and repelled by the intellectual attempts of classmates who were passionate about finding something unusual, in fact, not imagining what good films should be.
Robert Zemeckis first made his name in 1972 - he made a short film called "Field of Honor" and received a student award for it. The original short film attracted the attention of Stephen Spielberg himself, who later gave him and his friend Bob significant support, including producing their first full-length films.
The first big success Zemeckis was the film "Novel with a Stone," starring in which Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner.
It was followed by the cult picture "Back to the Future", which laid the foundation for a fantastic trilogy. Many predicted the release of the fourth part, but the sequel "Back to the Future-3" was the final one. A quarter of a century has passed since the trilogy came out, and its popularity does not fade. Millions of viewers loved these films. Robert Zemeckis did not disappoint fans in the future.
Animation in the movie - “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”
The success of every genius is associated with the invention of something new. For Zemeckis, such an ambitious discovery was the insertion of an animated character in a movie. We are talking about the famous film "Who Framed Roger Rabbit", which was released in 1988. It was a truly unique experience that changed the world of cinema. The idea and its bold embodiment brought him three Oscars at once.
In 1988, collaboration continued with Steven Spielberg. The latter attracted Zemeckis to create a series called "Amazing Stories." What was remarkable in this fantastic telenovela was that each episode had different directors, usually with a big name. Among them were Martin Scorsese, Clint Eastwood, Peter Hyams and others. The series looked more like feature films. Robert Zemeckis became the director of the eighth episode of the second season of the series.
The films “Forrest Gump”, “Outcast” and others are the result of a successful creative union of Tom Hanks and Robert Zemeckis
But perhaps the most important achievement in the cinematic activity of Zemeckis was the film "Forrest Gump". Thanks to commercial success, a high appreciation of the artistic value of the critics, and the incredibly talented Tom Hanks involved in the film, the film stood on a par with the brightest movie masterpieces of Hollywood.
Forrest Gump has won a record number of Oscars, and has also received recognition at almost all international film festivals.
In 2000, Tom Hanks and Robert Zemeckis again returned to their creative partnership - the picture “Outcast” was released, which critics and viewers received very favorably. Subsequently, the film became one of the best in the history of Hollywood.
2004 marked a new stage in the work of Zemeckis - animated films. A Christmas fairy tale called the Polar Express fell in love with both adults and children. A magical adventure embodied in a colorful, surprisingly beautiful animated film for many viewers has become an integral attribute of a festive atmosphere.
You can endlessly describe the pictures shot by this ingenious director. Even the sequels work out surprisingly well for him, according to critics (a vivid example is Back to the Future-3, which, according to many, surpassed the second part, contrary to the usual view that the continuation is always worse than the beginning). In addition, Zemeckis is a recognized leader in Hollywood innovation. It is difficult to overestimate the contribution to the film culture that his films have made. Robert Zemeckis created his own slightly fantastic, slightly fabulous film empire, where each picture is worthy of attention, recognition and sincere audience love.