Hugh Hudson, a British filmmaker who debuted as a feature director with the Oscar-winning Olympics drama “Chariots of Fire” and later made such well-regarded movies as “My Life So Far” and the Oscar-nominated “Greystroke,” has died at age 86.
Hudson’s family issued a brief statement announcing that he died Friday at a hospital in London “after a short illness.”
A London native, Hudson started out as a documentary editor and producer and also worked in television advertising at a time when commercials were emerging as an artform in the U.K. as he was part of a wave of British directors leading the way, including Ridley Scott, Tony Scott, Alan Parker and Adrian Lyne. Hudson went on to find work in feature films in the late 1970s as a second-unit director on Alan Parker’s “Midnight Express.” In 1981, producer David Puttnam asked Hudson to direct “Chariots of Fire,” which starred Ben Cross and Nigel Havers as British athletes of contrasting religions and backgrounds at the 1924 Olympics.
With its inspirational plot and sentimental theme music by the Greek composer Vangelis, “Chariots of Fire” was a solid commercial success and won four Academy Awards, including best picture and score. Hudson, a nominee for director, later helped produce a stage adaptation of “Chariots” that was timed for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
He had mixed success with future movie projects. “Greystroke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes,” a 1984 movie featuring Ralph Richardson in his final movie role, was a box office success that received three Oscar nominations. But two years later, Hudson was a nominee for a Golden Raspberry for directing the critical and commercial flop “Revolution.” His other credits included “My Life So Far,” “Lost Angels” and “Altamira.” He also co-wrote “Tiger’s Nest,” a 2022 release.
According to his family’s statement, Hudson is survived by his wife, Maryam, his son, Thomas, and his first wife, Sue.
Jennifer Kent On Why Her Feature Directing Debut, “The Babadook,” Continues To Haunt Us
"The Babadook," when it was released 10 years ago, didn't seem to portend a cultural sensation.
It was the first film by a little-known Australian filmmaker, Jennifer Kent. It had that strange name. On opening weekend, it played in two theaters.
But with time, the long shadows of "The Babadook" continued to envelop moviegoers. Its rerelease this weekend in theaters, a decade later, is less of a reminder of a sleeper 2014 indie hit than it is a chance to revisit a horror milestone that continues to cast a dark spell.
Not many small-budget, first-feature films can be fairly said to have shifted cinema but Kent's directorial debut may be one of them. It was at the nexus of that much-debated term "elevated horror." But regardless of that label, it helped kicked off a wave of challenging, filmmaker-driven genre movies like "It Follows," "Get Out" and "Hereditary."
Kent, 55, has watched all of this — and those many "Babadook" memes — unfold over the years with a mix of elation and confusion. Her film was inspired in part by the death of her father, and its horror elements likewise arise out of the suppression of emotions. A single mother (Essie Davis) is struggling with raising her young son (Noah Wiseman) years after the tragic death of her husband. A figure from a pop-up children's book begins to appear. As things grow more intense, his name is drawn out in three chilling syllables — "Bah-Bah-Doooook" — an incantation of unprocessed grief.
Kent recently spoke from her native Australia to reflect on the origins and continuing life of "The Babadook."
Q: Given that you didn't set out to in any way "change" horror, how have you regarded the unique afterlife of "The... Read More