Desmond Davis | |
|---|---|
 Davis in 2018 | |
| Born | Desmond Stanley Tracey Davis (1926-05-24)24 May 1926 London, England |
| Died | 3 July 2021(2021-07-03) (aged 95) London, England |
| Occupation(s) | Film director, camera operator, producer |
| Years active | 1958–2010 |
| Known for | |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
Desmond Stanley Tracey Davis (24 May 1926 – 3 July 2021) was a British film and television director, best known for his 1981 filmClash of the Titans.
Desmond Davis was born inWandsworth, southwest ofLondon. His parents were Dorothy (nee Newbold) and Isaac (known as William) Davis, director of optical lens manufacturer Newbold & Co.[1] While a student at the Regent Street Polytechnic (nowUniversity of Westminster), Davis studied photography and cinematography.[1]
In 1944 Davis joinedRiverside Studios as aclapper loader. While there, he worked on two comedies,Don't Take It to Heart (directed byJeffrey Dell) andIt's in the Bag (directed byRichard Wallace).[1]
Davis was then drafted to join the BritishArmy Film and Photographic Unit, serving at the end of the Second World War at age 18. He was a sergeant in the army'sSouth East Asia Command from 1945-49. He traveled extensively and the footage of his work can be seen in theImperial War Museum.[1]
After serving his apprenticeship as a clapper boy in the 1940s and finishing his army service, Davis worked as a clapper loader on classic movies such asThe Happiest Days of Your Life (directed byFrank Launder) andThe African Queen (directed byJohn Huston).[1] Davis worked his way up to firstcamera operator in low-budget British films of the 1950s. Davis worked for social-realist film directorTony Richardson. In the 1960s, Davis worked as a camera operator on such internationally acclaimed films asA Taste of Honey (directed by Richardson),The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner,Freud: The Secret Passion (directed by Huston) andTom Jones (also directed by Richardson).[1][2]Tom Jones won fourOscars, including Academy Award for Best Picture, at the36th Academy Awards.[1] He was the camera operator onSeth Holt’s suspense thriller forHammer Films, 1961’sTaste of Fear with cinematographerDouglas Slocombe. Later on, he worked with Slocombe again only this time, Davis was directing, a role reversal he admitted to finding “embarrassing”.[3]
Davis made his directorial debut in 1964 withGirl with Green Eyes, written byEdna O’Brien adapting her novelThe Lonely Girl from her trilogyThe Country Girls.[1][2]Variety wrote, "Davis is imaginative, prepared to take chances and has the sympathy to draw perceptive performances from his cast."[1]Girl with Green Eyes won the United StatesNational Board of Review Award for Best Director that year. It also won a 1965Golden Globe Award in the US for best English language foreign film.[1][4]
At the 1966San Sebastian International Film Festival, Davis won theGolden Shell award forI Was Happy Here. The film starredSarah Miles in another O’Brien adaptation.[1] Davis reunited with the two female stars ofGirl with Green Eyes,Rita Tushingham andLynn Redgrave, inSmashing Time, a 1967 comedy set inswinging London.[1]Smashing Time was nominated for the best English language foreign film Golden Globe in 1968.[5] The final feature film Davis directed in the 1960s was the 1969 comedyA Nice Girl Like Me starringBarbara Ferris.[1]
In the 1970s Davis took a long hiatus from feature films, and turned his focus on television for work, including episodes ofFollyfoot andThe New Avengers, as well as a 1979 adaptation ofWilliam Shakespeare'sMeasure for Measure in theBBC Television Shakespeare series.[1][6]
Davis' best known feature film is the 1981 version ofClash of the Titans, which was his first theatrical release in 12 years. ProducerCharles H. Schneer selected Davis as director after being impressed with Davis's visually inventive work onMeasure for Measure.[1]Clash of the Titans' all-star cast in this epic fantasy/mythological film includedLaurence Olivier asZeus.[1][2]
In the 1980s Davis directed feature-length dramas mostly for television. Davis worked with O'Brien again to adaptThe Country Girls for television in 1983. Davis also directed the 1983 television adaptation ofArthur Conan Doyle'sThe Sign of Four withIan Richardson asSherlock Holmes. In 1984 Davis directedCamille, anotherfeature film for television. This adaptation ofThe Lady of the Camellias starredGreta Scacchi andColin Firth. For his next and last theatrical feature film, Davis directed the 1984 adaptation ofAgatha Christie'sOrdeal by Innocence starringDonald Sutherland andFaye Dunaway.[1][6]
Davis continued his work in television, including directing episodes of the British drama seriesThe Chief in 1991.[6] He retired from directing in 1994.[1]
Davis married Shirley Smith in 1959, and the couple had one son, Tim, before divorcing.[1]
Davis died on 3 July 2021, at the age of 95.[1]
