Hugh Hudson was an English filmmaker whose films included “Chariots of Fire” and “Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes.”
- Died: February 10, 2023 (Who else died on February 10?)
- Details of death: Died at a London hospital after a brief illness at the age of 86.
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Filmmaker
Hudson’s greatest success was his feature film debut, 1981’s “Chariots of Fire.” Focusing on two British Olympic runners in the 1920s, the film was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Director, and won four, including Best Picture. Hudson maintained that one of the keys to his success with the film was that he cast unknown actors in the main roles, allowing them to inhabit their characters without the audience having any preconceptions about them. He followed “Chariots of Fire” in 1984 with “Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes.” Commercially and critically successful, the film was another Oscar nominee, though not for Hudson’s direction. Other films by Hudson include “Lost Angels,” “My Life So Far,” and “I Dreamed of Africa.”
Hudson on “Chariots of Fire”
“We cast relative newcomers as we wanted the audience to be with them all equally right from the start, to run with them. Everybody remembers the opening jogging scene along the beach. It was key to establishing character: Harold Abrahams, gaunt and determined; Eric Liddell, Scottish, blond, open and free; Aubrey Montague, the amiable, faithful old dog; Lord Andrew Lindsay, the aristocrat, running for the fun of it.” —from a 2012 interview for the Guardian
Tributes to Hugh Hudson
Full obituary: BBC News
