Jonathan DEMME 1944 - 2017

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>Wall Street Journal

Jonathan Demme 1944 - 2017.

Jonathan Demme made it seem possible for American movies to be witty and original in the Eighties with a string of wonderfully witty and original comedies, notably Melvin and Howard, Something Wild, and Married to the Mob. These are fresh, imperishable classics. I'd hoped for that to continue, but it didn't. That's because he had "many enthusiasms." He made films about things he cared about, leading to Stop Making Sense, by general agreement one of the best ever concert films; other ones included three of Neil Young and one recently of Justin Timberlake. Then there was Cousin Bobby, about an admirable relative who was an Episcopal minister in Harlem. And there was The Agronomist about Haiti, one of his loves; and Swimming to Cambodia, transcribing one of the late Spalding Gray's hypnotic monologues. Where I parted company was Silence of the Lambs, an ugly, depressing film that however won "the big five," one of only three ever to do so - Best Actress, Actor, Director, Picture and Screenplay; and then Philadelphia, his well-meaning, dutiful but boring AIDS drama. So for me that (1991, 1993) was where he "went wrong" as a feature director, after the Eighties. He was pulled in too many ways. A late success, arguably, was 2008's Rachel Getting Married (Anne Hathaway), a sympathetic portrait a ditsy, confused woman. Clearly Jonathan Demme was a large spirit. He favored many important causes. He was gifted. He was kind. He was knowledgeable. He was generous. Anyone would have been proud to know him.