Jan de Bont explained

Jan de Bont
Birth Date:22 October 1943
Birth Place:Eindhoven, Netherlands
Yearsactive:1965–2012
Spouse:
  • Trish Reeves
Children:2
Notable Works:Speed
Twister

Jan de Bont (in Dutch; Flemish ˈjɑn də ˈbɔnt/; born 22 October 1943) is a Dutch former cinematographer, film director, and film producer. He is best known for directing the action films Speed (1994) and Twister (1996). As a director of photography, de Bont also worked on numerous blockbusters and genre films, including Roar (1981), Cujo (1983), Flesh and Blood (1985), Die Hard (1988), The Hunt for Red October (1990), Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), and Basic Instinct (1992).

Early life and career

De Bont was born to a Roman Catholic family in Eindhoven, Netherlands, one of 17 children. His earliest works were made while studying at the Amsterdam Film Academy with Dutch avant-garde director Adriaan Ditvoorst.[1] He first became known in the Netherlands as the cinematographer for the infamous 1971 film Blue Movie, followed by the 1973 film Turkish Delight (1973), directed by Paul Verhoeven, starring Rutger Hauer and Monique van de Ven. Since the early 1980s, he has worked frequently in Hollywood, often collaborating with directors including Verhoeven and John McTiernan.

While serving as cinematographer for the 1981 film Roar, de Bont experienced one of many on-set injuries during filming, when a lion lifted his scalp, requiring 220 stitches.[2] After Roar, de Bont shot the 1983 horror film Cujo, an adaptation of the Stephen King novel of the same name.

In 1988, he was director of photography on the critically acclaimed action film Die Hard.[3] The following year, de Bont shot the Ridley Scott-directed action thriller Black Rain.

Directing

De Bont made his directorial debut with the action thriller Speed in 1994, which was a sleeper hit. He followed this up with the even more successful Twister in 1996. His output since has had mixed commercial and critical success. In 1997, he returned to direct the sequel , which was a commercial and critical failure. In 1999, he oversaw the commercially successful remake of The Haunting, which received generally negative reviews from critics at the time. His most recent directorial outing was the 2003 action adventure film , based on the video game series of the same name, and starring Angelina Jolie as the eponymous Lara Croft.

Unrealised projects

De Bont began pre-production on an American Godzilla film for a summer 1996 release, but quit at the end of 1994 when Sony Pictures Entertainment (Columbia Pictures and TriStar Pictures's parent company) refused to approve his budget request. He was eventually replaced by Roland Emmerich, who rewrote the script in addition to directing. While critically panned, Emmerich's Godzilla was moderately successful at the box-office.[4]

In 1999 it was announced that he would direct The Adaptive Ultimate for 20th Century Fox, with Nicole Kidman attached to star but her schedule was too busy to commit at the time.[5]

More recently, de Bont was attached as the director of the Point Break sequel Indo,[6] the live action Mulan, which would have starred Zhang Ziyi,[7] as well as a proposed remake of 1961's Five Minutes to Live written by Raul Inglis.[8]

De Bont's passion project, a film titled Riders in the Sky, about Indian tribes in the Midwest has been stuck in development hell for many years. "It was a beautiful story, very imaginative," said de Bont. The project went as far as locations having already been scouted and the sets designed, before being cancelled.[4]

Personal life

He was married to Dutch actress Monique van de Ven from 1973 to 1988. Monique starred in the 1973 film Turkish Delight, for which de Bont did the cinematography. De Bont has two children from his second marriage with Trish Reeves.[1]

Filmography

YearTitleDirectorProducerWriterNotes
1994SpeedNominated: Saturn Award for Best Director
1996Twister
1997Nominated- Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Picture
Nominated- Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Director
Nominated- Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screenplay
1998SLC Punk!
1999The HauntingNominated: Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Director
2002Equilibrium
Minority Report
2003
ThoughtcrimesTelevision film
2012The Paperboy

As cinematographer

YearTitleDirectorNotes
1971Blue MovieWim VerstappenWith Werner Leckebusch
Business Is BusinessPaul Verhoeven
1973Turkish Delight
1975Keetje Tippel
1981Private LessonsAlan Myerson
RoarNoel MarshallAlso Supervising Editor
1982I'm Dancing as Fast as I CanJack Hofsiss
Night WarningWilliam AsherUncredited
1983CujoLewis Teague
The Fourth ManPaul Verhoeven
All the Right MovesMichael Chapman
1984Bad MannersRobert Houstonalternatively titled Growing Pains
1985Flesh & BloodPaul Verhoeven
The Jewel of the NileLewis Teague
1986Ruthless PeopleJim Abrahams
David Zucker
Jerry Zucker
The Clan of the Cave BearMichael Chapman
1987Who's That GirlJames Foley
Leonard Part 6Paul Weiland
1988Die HardJohn McTiernan
1989Black RainRidley Scott
Bert Rigby, You're a FoolCarl Reiner
1990The Hunt for Red OctoberJohn McTiernan
FlatlinersJoel Schumacher
1992Lethal Weapon 3Richard Donner
Basic InstinctPaul Verhoeven
Shining ThroughDavid Seltzer
1997Beyond WordsLouis van GasterenFilmed in 1967
2012Nema aviona za ZagrebFilmed during the 1960s.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Hurtling to the Top: A Director Is Born. New York Times. Weinraub. Bernard. 14 June 1994. 21 September 2019.
  2. Web site: Utterly Terrifying ROAR, Starring Tippi Hedren And Melanie Griffith, Joins Pride Of Drafthouse Films. Stobezki. Jon. Birth.Movies.Death.. 19 February 2015. 30 March 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190331022245/https://birthmoviesdeath.com/2015/02/19/utterly-brainsick-roar-starring-tippi-hedren-melanie-griffith-joins-pride-o. 31 March 2019. live.
  3. News: Weinraub. Bernard. 14 June 1994. Hurtling to the Top: A Director Is Born. en-US. The New York Times. 21 July 2020. 0362-4331.
  4. Gilchrist. Todd. 'Twister' Director Jan de Bont Never Heard of Sequel 'Twisters' Until Its Trailer Came Out and Pines for 'Godzilla' Movie He Never Got to Make. Variety. 9 July 2024. 14 July 2024.
  5. Petrikin. Chris. De Bont, Fox huddle over sci-fi pic. Variety. 15 July 1999. 17 July 2024.
  6. Web site: Kay. Jeremy. Jan de Bont to direct Point Break sequel in Indonesia. Screen Daily. 13 May 2008. 16 July 2024.
  7. Coonan. Clifford. Jan de Bont to direct 'Mulan'. Variety. 8 September 2010. 17 July 2024.
  8. Web site: Kay. Jeremy. Jan De Bont to remake crime drama Five Minutes To Live. Screen Daily. 20 January 2012. 16 July 2024.