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Nicholas Ray is a Actor, Director, Scriptwriter, Producer, Assistant Director and Additional Writing American born on 7 august 1911 at La Crosse (USA)

Nicholas Ray

Nicholas Ray
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Birth name Raymond Nicholas Kienzle
Nationality USA
Birth 7 august 1911 at La Crosse (USA)
Death 16 june 1979 (at 67 years) at New York City (USA)

Nicholas Ray (August 7, 1911 – June 16, 1979) was an American film director best known for the movie Rebel Without a Cause.

Ray is also appreciated by a smaller audience of cinephiles for a large number of narrative features produced between 1947 and 1963 including Bigger Than Life, Johnny Guitar, They Live by Night, and In a Lonely Place, as well as an experimental work produced throughout the 1970s titled We Can't Go Home Again, which was unfinished at the time of Ray's death from lung cancer. Ray's compositions within the CinemaScope frame and use of color are particularly well-regarded. Ray was an important influence on the French New Wave, with Jean-Luc Godard famously writing in a review of Bitter Victory, "cinema is Nicholas Ray."

Biography

Early life and career
He was born Raymond Nicholas Kienzle in Galesville, Wisconsin and grew up in La Crosse, Wisconsin; his paternal grandparents were both born in Germany. A popular but erratic student prone to delinquency and alcohol abuse, Ray spent much of his adolescence with his older sister in Chicago, Illinois, where he immersed himself in the Al Capone-era nightlife and attended Waller High School. Upon his return to La Crosse in his senior year of high school, he emerged as a talented orator (winning a contest at local radio station WKBH that included a modest scholarship to "any university in the world") and gravitated toward hanging around a local stock theater. With strong grades in English & public speaking and failures in Latin, physics, and geometry, he graduated at the bottom (ranked 152nd in a class of 153) of his class at La Crosse Central High School in 1929. He studied drama at La Crosse State Teachers College (now the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse) for two years before earning the requisite grades to matriculate at the University of Chicago in the fall of 1931. Although he only spent one semester at the institution due to excessive drinking and poor grades, Ray managed to cultivate relationships with Frank Lloyd Wright and dramatist Thornton Wilder, then a professor.
Ray received a Taliesin Fellowship from Wright to study under him as an apprentice.

Ray directed his first and only Broadway production, the Duke Ellington musical Beggar's Holiday, in 1946. One year later, he directed his first film, They Live by Night. It wasn't released for two years because of the chaotic conditions surrounding Howard Hughes' takeover of RKO Pictures. An almost impressionistic take on film noir, it was notable for its extreme empathy for society’s young outsiders (a recurring motif in Ray’s films). Its subject matter, two young lovers running from the law, had an influence on the sporadically popular movie sub-genre often called 'love on the run'. (Other examples are Gun Crazy, Bonnie and Clyde, Badlands, and Robert Altman’s 1974 retelling of the novel used forThey Live by Night, Thieves Like Us.)

The New York Times gave the film a positive review (despite calling Ray's trademark sympathetic eye to rebels and criminals "misguided") and acclaimed Ray for "good, realistic production and sharp direction...Mr. Ray has an eye for action details. His staging of the robbery of a bank, all seen by the lad in the pick-up car, makes a fine clip of agitating film. And his sensitive juxtaposing of his actors against highways, tourist camps and bleak motels makes for a vivid comprehension of an intimate personal drama in hopeless flight."

Ray made several more contributions to film noir, most notably the 1950 Humphrey Bogart movie In a Lonely Place, about a troubled screenwriter, and On Dangerous Ground, a police thriller.

Other minor noir films he directed in this period were Born to Be Bad and A Woman's Secret.

Ray's most productive and successful period was the 1950s. In the mid-fifties he made the two films for which he is best remembered: Johnny Guitar (1954) and Rebel Without a Cause (1955). The former was a Western starring Joan Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge in action roles of the kind customarily played by men. Highly eccentric in its time, it was much loved by French critics. (François Truffaut called it "the beauty and the beast" of the western). In 1955, Ray directed Rebel Without a Cause, starring James Dean in what proved to be his most famous role. When Rebel was released, soon after Dean's early death in an automobile crash, it had a revolutionary impact on movie-making and youth culture, virtually giving birth to the contemporary concept of the American teenager. Looking past its social and pop-culture significance, Rebel Without a Cause is the purest example of Ray’s cinematic style and vision, with an expressionistic use of colour, dramatic use of architecture, and an empathy for social misfits.

Rebel Without a Cause was Ray's biggest commercial success, and marked a breakthrough in the careers of child actors Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo. Ray engaged in a tempestuous "spiritual marriage" with Dean, and awakened the latent homosexuality of Mineo, through his role as Plato, who would become the first gay teenager to appear on film. During filming it was rumored that Ray began a short-lived affair with Wood, who at age 16 was 27 years his junior. This created a tense atmosphere between Ray and Dennis Hopper, who was also involved with Wood at the time, but they were reconciled later.

In 1956, Ray directed the melodrama Bigger Than Life starring James Mason as a small-town school teacher driven insane by the misuse of a new wonder-drug, Cortisone. In 1957, he directed The True Story of Jesse James, which was supposed to have featured Dean but starred Robert Wagner instead.


Later life
Biographers state that Ray—who began to experiment with men during his stint at the University of Chicago— was bisexual; he himself denied this in 1977, but stated that everyone has occasional fantasies or daydreams about same-sex relations.

A heavy user of drugs and alcohol, Ray found himself increasingly shut out of the Hollywood film industry in the early 1960s, though he kept on working. King of Kings (1961 film) is now recognized as a classic 50 years later, with Rotten Tomatoes giving it an 85% approval rating, based on 20 reviews. After collapsing on the set of 55 Days at Peking (1963), he did not direct again until the mid-1970s.

In 1970 at a Grateful Dead concert at the Fillmore East, Ray ran into Dennis Hopper, who asked Ray to join him at his ranch in Taos, New Mexico, where he was editing his new film, The Last Movie. Hopper helped Ray secure a position at Harpur College of Arts and Sciences at Binghamton University in upstate New York. From 1971 to 1973, Ray taught filmmaking where he and his students produced We Can't Go Home Again, an autobiographical film employing multiple superimpositions. In the spring of 1972, Ray was asked to show some footage from the film at a conference. The audience was shocked to see footage of Ray and his students smoking marijuana together. An early version of the film was shown at the Cannes Film Festival in 1973, but Ray, never satisfied with the project, continued editing it until his death in 1979.

The extemporaneous, improvisational nature of the film placed Ray in conflict with colleagues such as Ken Jacobs and Larry Gottheim in the university's New American Cinema-oriented film department, and his contract was not renewed in the spring of 1973. With the help of old friends, he would eventually secure teaching positions at the Lee Strasberg Institute and New York University, where he mentored graduate student Jim Jarmusch.

Shortly before his death he collaborated on the direction of Lightning Over Water (also known as Nick’s Film) with German director Wim Wenders. He died of lung cancer on June 16, 1979 in New York City after a two-year illness. Ray died the same week as John Wayne, the star of Flying Leathernecks, a film Ray directed.

Best films

King of Kings (1961)
(Director)
55 Days at Peking (1963)
(Director)
Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
(Director)
Circus World (1964)
(Story)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945)
(Dialogue)

Usually with

Source : Wikidata

Filmography of Nicholas Ray (35 films)

Display filmography as list

Actor

A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies, 3h45
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Origin USA
Genres Documentary
Themes Films about films, Documentary films about business, Documentary films about the film industry, Documentaire sur une personnalité
Actors Martin Scorsese, Kathryn Bigelow, Frank Capra, John Cassavetes, Francis Ford Coppola, Brian De Palma
Roles Self
Rating85% 4.2853454.2853454.2853454.2853454.285345
Martin Scorsese, célèbre réalisateur américain, énumère les films américains qui l'ont marqué et qui ont influencé son œuvre. Son voyage à travers le cinéma commence au début du siècle pour se terminer en 1969, date de son premier film : Who's That Knocking at My Door.
Lightning Over Water
Directed by Wim Wenders, Nicholas Ray
Origin Suede
Genres Documentary
Themes Films about films, Documentary films about business, Documentary films about the film industry, Documentaire sur une personnalité
Actors Nicholas Ray, Wim Wenders, Ronee Blakley, Jim Jarmusch, Pierre Cottrell, Gerry Bamman
Roles Self
Rating66% 3.3470553.3470553.3470553.3470553.347055
Le réalisateur "Nicholas Ray" est impatient de terminer un dernier film avant sa mort imminente d'un cancer. Wim Wenders travaille sur son propre film Hammett (1983) à Hollywood, mais s'envole pour New York pour aider Ray à réaliser son dernier souhait. L'intention initiale de Ray est de faire un film de fiction sur un peintre mourant qui navigue vers la Chine pour trouver un remède à sa maladie. Lui et Wenders discutent de cette idée, mais c'est évidemment irréaliste compte tenu de l'état de santé de Ray.
Hair
Hair (1979)
, 2h1
Directed by Miloš Forman
Origin USA
Genres Drama, War, Comedy, Comedy-drama, Historical, Musical, Romance
Themes Dance films, Films about music and musicians, Films about religion, Théâtre, Musical films, Political films, Films based on plays, Films based on musicals
Actors John Savage, Treat Williams, Beverly D'Angelo, Donnie Dacus, Annie Golden, Dorsey Wright
Roles The General
Rating74% 3.748133.748133.748133.748133.74813
Claude Hooper Bukowski, an Oklahoma farm boy, heads to New York City to enter the Army and serve in the Vietnam War. In Central Park, he meets a troupe of free-spirited hippies led by George Berger, a young man who introduces him to debutante Sheila Franklin when they crash a dinner party at her home. Inevitably, Claude is sent off to recruit training in Nevada, but Berger and his band of merry pranksters - including Woof Daschund, LaFayette "Hud" Johnson, and pregnant Jeannie Ryan - follow him to give a sendoff. They are met at the base's main gate by a surly MP, who doesn't like their looks and demands that they leave. Accordingly, Sheila flirts with an off-duty Sergeant in order to steal his uniform, which she gives to Berger. He uses it to extract Claude from the base for a last meeting with Sheila, taking his place. However, while Claude is away, the unit is suddenly rallied and flown out to Vietnam; Berger, whose ruse is somehow never detected, is taken with them. The film ends with the main cast singing at Berger's grave, followed by scenes of a large anti-war protest outside the White House in Washington, DC.
The American Friend, 2h7
Directed by Emmanuel Clot, Wim Wenders
Origin German
Genres Drama, Thriller, Crime
Themes Medical-themed films, Peinture, Transport films, Transport en Île-de-France, Films about psychiatry
Actors Dennis Hopper, Bruno Ganz, Lisa Kreuzer, Samuel Fuller, Nicholas Ray, Daniel Schmid
Roles Derwatt
Rating73% 3.697543.697543.697543.697543.69754
Tom Ripley (Dennis Hopper) is a wealthy American living in Hamburg, Germany. He is involved in an artwork forgery scheme, in which he appears at auctions to bid on forged paintings produced by an accomplice, artificially driving up the price. At one of these auctions, he is introduced to Jonathan Zimmermann (Bruno Ganz), a picture framer who is dying of a rare and unspecified blood disease. Zimmerman refuses to shake Ripley's hand when introduced, coldly saying, "I've heard of you" before walking away.
We Can't Go Home Again, 1h28
Directed by Nicholas Ray
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Documentary
Actors Nicholas Ray
Roles Nick Ray
Rating61% 3.0990053.0990053.0990053.0990053.099005
En 1972, à l'université Suny Binghamton, Nicholas Ray enseigne le cinéma à de jeunes étudiants en les incitant à faire un film sans scénario, mais inspiré de leurs histoires personnelles et recourant à diverses expérimentations.
55 Days at Peking, 2h34
Directed by Nicholas Ray, Andrew Marton, Guy Green
Origin USA
Genres Drama, War, Action, Adventure, Historical
Actors Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, David Niven, Flora Robson, Burt Kwouk, John Ireland
Roles US Minister (uncredited)
Rating67% 3.3521453.3521453.3521453.3521453.352145
55 Days in Peking is a dramatization of the siege of the foreign legations' compounds in Peking (now known as Beijing) during the Boxer Rebellion which took place from 1898-1900 in China. It is based on the book by Noel Gerson.
Rebel Without a Cause, 1h51
Directed by Nicholas Ray, Don Alvarado, Gary Nelson
Origin USA
Genres Drama
Themes Films about families, Transport films, Films about automobiles
Actors James Dean, Natalie Wood, Sal Mineo, Ann Doran, William Hopper, Rochelle Hudson
Roles Man in Last Shot (uncredited)
Rating75% 3.7990653.7990653.7990653.7990653.799065
Behind the opening credits, the film opens on a suburban Los Angeles street with teenager Jim Stark (Dean) drunkenly lying down on a sidewalk. He is arrested and taken to the juvenile division of the police station for "plain drunkenness". At the station he meets John "Plato" Crawford (Mineo), who was brought in for shooting a litter of puppies with his mother's gun, and Judy (Wood), who was brought in for curfew violation (she was wearing a bright red dress with matching lipstick and was mistaken for being a streetwalker). The three each separately reveal their innermost frustrations to officers; all three of them suffer from problems at home:
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, 2h9
Directed by Elia Kazan
Origin USA
Genres Drama
Themes Films about alcoholism, Medical-themed films, Films about drugs, Children's films
Actors Dorothy McGuire, Peggy Ann Garner, Joan Blondell, James Dunn, Lloyd Nolan, Ted Donaldson
Roles Bakery Clerk (uncredited)
Rating79% 3.995993.995993.995993.995993.99599
The film covers several months in the life of the Nolans, an Irish American family living in the Williamsburg neighborhood in the borough of Brooklyn in 1912. The film is much shorter than the book, which covers the time from before Francie is born until after she turns 16. The film focuses on the time when Francie is around 13 years old.

Director

Lightning Over Water
Directed by Wim Wenders, Nicholas Ray
Origin Suede
Genres Documentary
Themes Films about films, Documentary films about business, Documentary films about the film industry, Documentaire sur une personnalité
Actors Nicholas Ray, Wim Wenders, Ronee Blakley, Jim Jarmusch, Pierre Cottrell, Gerry Bamman
Rating66% 3.3470553.3470553.3470553.3470553.347055
Le réalisateur "Nicholas Ray" est impatient de terminer un dernier film avant sa mort imminente d'un cancer. Wim Wenders travaille sur son propre film Hammett (1983) à Hollywood, mais s'envole pour New York pour aider Ray à réaliser son dernier souhait. L'intention initiale de Ray est de faire un film de fiction sur un peintre mourant qui navigue vers la Chine pour trouver un remède à sa maladie. Lui et Wenders discutent de cette idée, mais c'est évidemment irréaliste compte tenu de l'état de santé de Ray.
We Can't Go Home Again, 1h28
Directed by Nicholas Ray
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Documentary
Actors Nicholas Ray
Rating61% 3.0990053.0990053.0990053.0990053.099005
En 1972, à l'université Suny Binghamton, Nicholas Ray enseigne le cinéma à de jeunes étudiants en les incitant à faire un film sans scénario, mais inspiré de leurs histoires personnelles et recourant à diverses expérimentations.
55 Days at Peking, 2h34
Directed by Nicholas Ray, Andrew Marton, Guy Green
Origin USA
Genres Drama, War, Action, Adventure, Historical
Actors Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, David Niven, Flora Robson, Burt Kwouk, John Ireland
Rating67% 3.3521453.3521453.3521453.3521453.352145
55 Days in Peking is a dramatization of the siege of the foreign legations' compounds in Peking (now known as Beijing) during the Boxer Rebellion which took place from 1898-1900 in China. It is based on the book by Noel Gerson.
King of Kings, 2h48
Directed by Nicholas Ray, Noël Howard
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Fantasy, Historical, Peplum
Themes Films set in Africa, Films about religion, Films about sexuality, Films based on the Bible, Portrayals of Jesus in film, Films about virginity
Actors Jeffrey Hunter, Siobhán McKenna, Robert Ryan, Hurd Hatfield, Ron Randell, Viveca Lindfors
Rating70% 3.500023.500023.500023.500023.50002
In 63 BC, Pompey conquers Jerusalem and the city is sacked. He enters the Temple to seize the treasure of Solomon and massacres the priests there. He discovers that the treasure is only a collection of scrolls of the Torah. These he holds over a fire until an old priest reaches for them imploringly. Pompey relents and hands them to the old man.
The Savage Innocents, 1h50
Directed by Nicholas Ray
Origin United-kingdom
Genres Drama, Adventure
Actors Anthony Quinn, Peter O'Toole, Yoko Tani, Carlo Giustini, Lee Montague, Marco Guglielmi
Rating67% 3.3969153.3969153.3969153.3969153.396915
Inuk, an Eskimo hunter, kills a priest who rejects his traditional offer of food and his wife's company. Pursued by white policemen, Inuk saves the life of one of them, resulting in a final confrontation in which the surviving cop must decide between his commitment to law enforcement and his gratitude to Inuk.
Wind Across the Everglades, 1h33
Directed by Nicholas Ray, Budd Schulberg
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Action, Adventure, Western
Themes Mise en scène d'une plante
Actors Burl Ives, Christopher Plummer, Gypsy Rose Lee, MacKinlay Kantor, Peter Falk, Curt Conway
Rating65% 3.292573.292573.292573.292573.29257
L'action se passe dans le Sud de la Floride à la toute fin du XIX siècle. La ville de Miami vient tout juste de naître.
Party Girl
Party Girl (1958)
, 1h39
Directed by Nicholas Ray
Origin USA
Genres Drama, Crime, Romance
Themes Mafia films, Films about music and musicians, Musical films, Gangster films
Actors Robert Taylor, Cyd Charisse, Lee J. Cobb, John Ireland, Kent Smith, Claire Kelly
Rating69% 3.4962653.4962653.4962653.4962653.496265
Slick lawyer Thomas Farrell has made a career of defending Chicago mobsters in court. At a party for mob boss Rico Angelo, he meets chorus girl Vicki Gaye, who accepted $100 to attend the party and another $400 from another gangster, Louis Canetto, from his gambling winnings.