Anthony Minghella
I was very surprised and saddened to read that writer-director Anthony Minghella has died. His adaptation of The Talented Mr. Ripley is both justly acclaimed and criminally under-appreciated: every shot, every line, every performance is dead on. Every time I watch it, I’m filled with envy and self-doubt — a strangely empowering combination when seen through the lens of Minghella’s needy and murderous hero.
Minghella himself couldn’t seem more different. The two times I sat down with him, he was funny, charming, and much too polite to make me feel stupid. Both occasions were award-season panels, potentially awkward sessions in which filmmakers are asked to talk about their movies in relation to each other. But I could only gush about how much I loved his work, and pitch him my plan to do a mash-up of the Aliens quadrilogy with his Ripley. (It’s still on the to-do list.)
Just this week, the trades announced that Minghella was doing a series with Richard Curtis based on No 1 Ladies Detective Agency, which had already shot its pilot in Botswana. Here’s hoping that project and his other work can make it to the screen. But I already miss all the other movies he won’t be making.
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March 18th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency film is scheduled for broadcast over here in the UK this Sunday (March 23rd) at 9.00 p.m. GMT. I fully expect the broadcast to go ahead, and I fully expect the film to be very fine indeed.
March 18th, 2008 at 4:57 pm
The doctor (s) who screwed up on him are in deep S. Routine, non-life threatening procedure, and the guy DIES? A week later? No way. Someone’s gonna need to spend some time in jail for criminal negligence. License permanently revoked at the very LEAST.
March 18th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
Vale Anthony Minghella. And Arthur C. Clarke as well. We have lost two giants today, which is very sad.
John, a question. According to imdb.com, he was also attached to adapt The Ninth Life of Louis Drax. If this project was offered to you, would you do it?
March 18th, 2008 at 5:40 pm
I was very sad to hear about Anthony Minghella’s death today. He will be missed.
March 18th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
Was not a fan of The English Patient, but agree with you about The Talented Mr. Ripley. And Truly Madly Deeply is one of my favorite films…
I, too, will miss all the movies he won’t be making…
March 18th, 2008 at 6:44 pm
I was really sad to hear about this and Arthur C. Clarke — Such a loss.
March 18th, 2008 at 7:23 pm
Very sad news indeed. I’ve always looked forward to Minghella’s films. It’s a terrible loss for Hollywood.
Doug
March 18th, 2008 at 8:09 pm
What Stella said. Except maybe the bit about Truly, Madly, Deeply.
March 18th, 2008 at 8:14 pm
Minghella’s 2006 Breaking and Entering has become one of my favorite films these days. Just absolutely beautiful characters and drama. Such a sad time to lose two film and literary greats like Anthony Minghella and Arthur C. Clarke.
March 18th, 2008 at 9:04 pm
I guess I never realized how young Anthony Mingella was. To be 54 and have accomplished what he did with film, especially English Patient, is amazing. I was delighted to learn he directed Ladies Detective Agency which I understood to be slated as a series. I loved his films and especially appreciated the respect he paid to the novels on which his films were based. Sad news indeed.
March 18th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
“The doctor (s) who screwed up on him are in deep S. Routine, non-life threatening procedure, and the guy DIES? A week later? No way. Someone’s gonna need to spend some time in jail for criminal negligence. License permanently revoked at the very LEAST.”
Most likely not. The operation was carried out at an NHS hospital and it all depends if Minghella was operated on by a private physician or not. If he was operated on by an NHS doctor then pretty much nothing will happen, as the patient died a week later, and any “complications” could have been from an undiscovered anomaly, and not doctor fault. I won’t get into the horrors my family in England has suffered at the hands of NHS doctors.
Things like this happen all the time even with the best medicine and doctors. Jim Henson went to the doctor’s office with flu-like symptoms and was discharged without any treatment as the doctor could not find any symptoms of pneumonia. The next day Henson was dead of bacterial pneumonia and a combination of rheumatic fever. Wasn’t the doctor’s fault; Henson had a relatively undetectable “perfect storm” of illnesses that combined to kill him.
Minghella was a very talented (dare I say it) auteur, that put most writers and directors to shame. He will be missed.
March 18th, 2008 at 9:25 pm
This saddens me to no end…
I loved the work that him and Jude Law were doing.
March 19th, 2008 at 3:31 am
A sad, sad day. Minghella was definitely one of the most interesting auteurs and “The Talented Mr. Ripley” is an overlooked and underrated masterpiece. His flawed, multi-dimensional characters are always interesting to watch and I truly hope that “The Ninth Life of Louis Drax” will find its way to another talented director.
March 19th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
Another tragic loss. First Gary Gygax, then Arthur C. Clarke and Anthony Minghella. Too many interesting people are passing away lately. The English Patient seems to have many detractors, but I thought it was a fine film, and the acting and direction were superb — as with all of Anthony Minghella’s films. The film world is a lesser place without Mr. Minghella.
March 19th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
Anthony was only 54. This is a terrible loss, for us and especially for his family. For us, there will be no more films from him. For his family, no more smiles. My heart hurts for those who love him.
March 20th, 2008 at 3:09 am
It’s a tragic loss for my own UK industry and the cinema worldwide. Who knows what we’re going to miss from such a talented, humanistic director. He was such an inspiration to me, to be able to make films with such huge scope both visually and internally where you always felt his characters were real and had beating hearts. I’ll miss him a lot.
March 20th, 2008 at 11:28 am
Thanks for posting this, John. I was hit hard by this news as well. It seems most filmmakers are doing their best work in their 50s and 60s. To lose Minghella now is tragic on a number of levels. The whole world has definitely been robbed.
March 22nd, 2008 at 7:35 pm
Hi John,
I’m more a lurker than commenting but with sincere appreciation shout aloud your blog is always overflowing with useful, succinct and very necessary information and support for writers card carrying or otherwise!
Many, many thanks for giving back and giving your time!
I stumbled across this today as I relentlessly avoid working on a current project and it got me pretty good. So, in my continued attempt to run screaming from the blank page before me I thought I’d spend the evening sharing it with those cyber-friends I have that I thought would enjoy it. If you already know it forgive the redundancy!
peace
“…All over America and all over the world people will sit in dark rooms and watch something that only existed in your head. And they’ll be moved, or entertained, or enlightened, or touched…and a part of it will stay with them and become a piece of their memories, a piece of their life. And this movie that you imagined, and that is the product of so many people working hard for so long, this movie that against all odds turned out pretty good, this movie that bears your name, will outlive you. You will have succeeded in leaving something behind with this power to touch people. Something that says I was here. And I tried. And this is what I did when I was here… To have even a chance of accomplishing that is the prime reason we create.
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March 24th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
John,
Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency was shown on BBC1 here in the the UK last night and was ace, would be great if the series (which is definitely happening) has the same cast but i doubt it will. Also Big Fish was on afterwards which I watched all the way through for the first time. Great site visit frequently when should be writing. JB
March 31st, 2008 at 1:26 pm
The Minghella project I’m most upset about now that it’s not going to go ahead is his segment of I LOVE NEW YORK which was to star Isabelle Adjani. The other segments are being filmed now but it looks like my favorite French actress won’t be making another trip stateside to try her hand at an American film. Too bad her last American film looks like it will be the debacle DIABOLIQUE.