Marleen Gorris | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Marleen Gorris (1982) | |
| Born | (1948-12-09)9 December 1948 (age 76) |
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Occupation(s) | Film director,screenwriter |
| Known for | Antonia's Line (1995) |
Marleen Gorris (born 9 December 1948) is a Dutch former writer and director. Gorris is known as an outspokenfeminist and supporter of gay and lesbian issues which is reflected in much of her work.[1][2] Her film,Antonia's Line, won anOscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 1995[3][4] making her first woman to do so in this category. She has won 2Golden Calf awards and received numerous other nominations, including one nomination for BAFTA Awards.[5][6]
Marleen Gorris was born on 9 December 1948 inRoermond in the Netherlands.[7] She was born to Protestant, working-class parents in the Catholic southern part of the Netherlands. Gorris studied drama at home and abroad.[7] She studied drama at the University of Amsterdam and has an MA in Drama from the University ofBirmingham, England.
She began working as a filmmaker with almost no previous experience in the cinema and made an auspicious writing and directorial debut in 1982 withA Question of Silence.[7] The Dutch government provided the funding to finance the project.[8]
It was not until the age of 30 that Gorris began writing scripts. She took her first effort to the Belgian filmmakerChantal Akerman, hoping to interest her in directing it. Akerman, however, told Gorris that she must make the film herself. The result,A Question of Silence (1982), caused considerable international controversy telling a story through the eyes of a female psychiatrist whose job it was to question three women who had spontaneously murdered a man casually.[9] Some interpreted the film's feminist message to be about pent up "female rage"[10] and dissatisfaction with a patriarchal system that boiled over the surface while other claimed it went too far and couldn't be taken seriously.[7][11] The film was well received for its quality but still shocked many who watched it for its lack of condemnation of the murderers.[10][11] At the Netherlands' Film Festival in 1982 she was awarded theGolden Calf for Best Feature Film forA Question of Silence, a feat she would repeat in 1995 winning Best Direction for her well known filmAntonia's Line.[12]
Soon after the success of her first film, Gorris released her second:Broken Mirrors (1984). The film hold similarities toA Question of Silence both in production and in theme though many foundBroken Mirrors less impactful.[13][14][15] Large portions of the cast and crew, including the leading women, crossed over to work on this with her.[15] The film follows two parallel plots. The first of women working in a brothel called Club Happy House and the second of a woman kidnapped and starved to death by an unnamed man for his pleasure.[16]Broken Mirrors explores female viewpoint and experiences just likeA Question of Silence, though this time with a larger focus on the oppressive nature of the patriarchy and power dynamics within it.[15] The ending of the film proposed that a defense against these powers are unity and solidarity among women[13][15] though this sentiment did not resonate for everyone.[14][17] She did not make another film untilThe Last Island (1990). The film yet again tells a story of violence where a group of plane crash survivors are marooned on an island; the men turn on each other until only the two women remain alone and stranded.[14]
In 1995, Gorris had her greatest international success to-date withAntonia's Line. StarringWilleke van Ammelrooy, the story of an independent woman and her female descendants was not as radical as the director's previous work, although a number of critics complained that the most male characters in the film were portrayed as either ineffectual idiots and with obviously secondary roles. However, critical support for the film was overwhelming, and it was honored with a number of international awards, including aGolden Calf and anAcademy Award for Best Foreign Film.[7]
Her next film wasMrs Dalloway (1997), based on the novel byVirginia Woolf, with a cast that includedVanessa Redgrave,Natascha McElhone, andRupert Graves. It earned a number of international honors, including anEvening Standard British Film Award.[7] She followed this movie withThe Luzhin Defence (2000), based on a novel byVladimir Nabokov. StarringJohn Turturro andEmily Watson, it tells the story of the love affair between an eccentric chess champion and a strong-willed society woman.[7]Carolina (2003), starringJulia Stiles,Shirley MacLaine, andAlessandro Nivola, was released direct-to-video in 2005.
Gorris's 2009 filmWithin the Whirlwind, starring Emily Watson, was not picked up for distribution. According to Watson, "It was delivered pretty much the day the market crashed so nobody was buying anything."[18]
In June 2017, Gorris announced she had retired from making films. Two years prior, she was diagnosed with aburnout after she had collapsed while on set shootingTulipani, Love, Honour and a Bicycle.Mike van Diem, like Gorris an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film winner, would later take over as director.[19]
In 2012 the London Feminist Film Festival choseA Question of Silence as their 'Feminist Classic' and celebrated it with a 30th anniversary screening of the film.[20] It has since been screened frequently in the UK, most recently at University College LondonUniversity College London in 2019[21] and at the Leeds International Film Festival in 2023.[22]
Marleen Gorris came out as alesbian after the success ofAntonia's Line.[23] Her partner, Maria Uitdehaag, served in its production as first assistant director, and was mentioned by Gorris in her Academy Award acceptance speech.[23][4]
| Year | Title | Director | Producer | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | A Question of Silence (De stilte rond Christine M.) | Yes | Yes | Golden Calf for Best Film | |
| 1984 | Broken Mirrors (Gebroken spiegels) | Yes | Yes | [24] | |
| 1990 | The Last Island | Yes | Yes | ||
| 1995 | Antonia's Line (Antonia) | Yes | Yes | [25][26][27][28][29] | |
| 1997 | Mrs Dalloway | Yes | Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Screenplay[30][31][32][33] | ||
| 2000 | The Luzhin Defence | Yes | [34] | ||
| 2003 | Carolina | Yes | |||
| 2009 | Within the Whirlwind | Yes | [2] |
| Year | Title | Director | Producer | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | De geest van gras (The Spirit of Grass) | Yes | TV movie | ||
| 1993 | Verhalen van de straat (Stories of the Street) | Yes | Yes | 5 episodes | |
| 2007 | The L Word | Yes | Episode: "Livin' La Vida Loca" | ||
| 2011 | Rembrandt en ik (Rembrandt and Me) | Yes | Yes | Director: 4 episodes; Writer: 1 episode |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | BAFTA | Best Film Not in the English Language | Antonia's Line | Nominated | [5] |
| 1995 | Golden Calf | Best Director of a Feature Film | Antonia's Line | Won | [6] |
| Silver Hugo,Chicago International Film Festival | Best Screenplay | Won | [35] | ||
| Academy Awards | Academy Award for Best International Feature Film | Won | [3] | ||
| 1982 | Golden Calf | Best Film | A Question of Silence (De stilte rond Christine M.) | Won | [6] |
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