Screen International reports that veteran film, TV and theater director Mike Nichols will be the next recipient of the American Film Institute’s Life Achievement Award, to be presented next summer:
“Genius is a word oft overused in our world, but surely not in the case of Mike Nichols,” [AFI board of trustees chair Sir Howard] Stringer said. “His artistry has spanned the mediums of modern storytelling – movies, television and the stage – and his gifts across five decades continue to inspire artists and audiences alike.”
No argument there from me. “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,” “The Graduate,” “Carnal Knowledge,” “Silkwood” and “Closer” all continue to hit me where it hurts, every time I see them. For others, it’s “Angels in America.” Or “Working Girl.” Or even his brave attempt to make cinematic sense of “Catch-22.” Forget the duds … mainstream American cinema doesn’t have many (or any) like him today. Congratulations, sir.
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7 responses to “AFI honors Mike Nichols”
God, I hope he has one more incisive stage play adaptation in him.
I’ve never got around to actually seeing Catch-22. I really liked the book but its one of the few books of which I haven’t sought the movie even though its from a reputed director.
I always found the Graduate to be over-rated(love Woolf though) but yeah, a very-good director and an award well-deserved.
Outside of The Graduate, his films just didn’t really excite me all that much. I haven’t seen Catch 22 or Carnal Knowledge though.
Even when he’s making not-so-great movies, and I’m talking about Wolf, it’s still a guilty pleasure. And he knows how to direct actors.
Sorry, “Closer” is an awful film…
Mike Nichols is one of the finest directors ever to come out of America.
Certainly deserving even if his output of recent has lowered in quality.
“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf”, “The Graduate” and “Carnal Knowledge” is a hell of a threesome.