Tony Kaye Movies
With his penchant for issuing such statements as "I consider myself the greatest craftsman/director/imagemaker on this planet," it is not surprising that bald, intense filmmaker Tony Kaye embroiled himself in one of the most colorful creative battles in 1990s Hollywood.Raised in an Orthodox Jewish household, British-born Kaye bucked his working-class roots to forge a career as an artist. To fund his art, Kaye entered the British advertising business, discovering that commercials could become an avenue to filmmaking as well. Honing his craft for ten years, Kaye became a highly paid, award-winning creator of public service announcements and TV spots for Nike and Mercedes-Benz. Kaye also gained notoriety as a conceptual artist whose "hype art" included ads anointing himself "the most important British director since Hitchcock."
Finally ready to put Hollywood money where his mouth was, Kaye signed on with New Line Cinema in 1996 to direct the Nazi skinhead drama American History X (1998). Serving as his own cinematographer, Kaye made it through the production without problems. During the editing, however, Kaye clashed with New Line and star Edward Norton, going so far as to attend a studio meeting with three holy men in tow to foster a more respectful atmosphere. After Norton took over editing, Kaye placed 35 oblique ads in the trades to express his disgust, publicly questioned why he didn't have the creative control afforded Stanley Kubrick, and demanded that his name be taken off the film and replaced with "Humpty Dumpty." After the Directors' Guild refused that request, Kaye sued them for violating his First Amendment rights. When American History X was finally released in 1998, Kaye's stylish combination of black-and-white and color photography, and gritty, hand-held immediacy, as well as Norton's performance, earned critical kudos (and Norton an Oscar nod), but Kaye was not appeased. His plans to shoot a Tennessee Williams script starring fellow Hollywood thorn Marlon Brando have yet to come to fruition. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
Tony Kaye made his feature directorial debut with this dramatic exploration into the roots of race hatred in America. In a shocking opening scene, teen Danny Vinyard (Edward Furlong) races to tell his older brother, neo-Nazi Derek (Edward Norton), about the young blacks breaking into his car in front of the house, whereupon Derek gets his gun and with no forethought shoots the youths in their tracks. Tried and convicted, Derek is sent away for three years in prison, where he acquires a different outlook as he contrasts white-power prisoners with black Lamont (Guy Torry), his prison laundry co-worker and eventual pal. Meanwhile, Danny, with a shaved head and a rebellious attitude, seems destined to follow in his big brother's footsteps. After Danny writes a favorable review of Hitler's Mein Kampf, black high-school principal Sweeney (Avery Brooks) puts Danny in his private "American History X" course and assigns him to do a paper about his older brother, who was a former student of Sweeney's. This serves to introduce flashbacks, with the film backtracking to illustrate Danny's account of Derek's life prior to the night of the shooting. Monochrome sequences of Derek leading a Venice, California gang are intercut with color footage of the mature Derek ending his past neo-Nazi associations and attempting to detour Danny away from the group led by white supremacist, Cameron (Stacy Keach), who once influenced Derek. Director Tony Kaye, with a background in TV commercials and music videos, filmed in L.A. beach communities. Rated R "for graphic brutal violence including rape, pervasive language, strong sexuality and nudity." ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward Norton, Edward Furlong, (more)
With Lake of Fire, American History X helmer and music-video director Tony Kaye climbs inside of the decades-old abortion debate for a 152-minute study of the pro-life and pro-choice positions. In the process, he uncovers not an objective black-and-white issue, but a myriad of circumstances and sub-issues of tremendous moral complexity and ambiguity. He then investigates the sub-philosophies and ideas that belie each side, with generous input and assistance from socialist Noam Chomsky, and via interviews with Christian theologians, and professors of bioethics, sociology, and philosophy. Kaye also gives substantial consideration to the violence directed by certain extremists at abortion doctors, nurses, and clinics. The director worked on the picture for well over 15 years, and it serves as a prime candidate for the definitive abortion documentary. However, be forewarned: Lake of Fire includes lengthy, graphic depictions of abortion procedures and their physical and emotional side-effects, and it is not for the squeamish or suitable for younger audiences. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
