Paul Schrader | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Schrader in 2018 | |
| Born | Paul Joseph Schrader (1946-07-22)July 22, 1946 (age 79) Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S. |
| Education | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1974–present |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Leonard Schrader (brother) |
| Awards | Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement AFI Franklin J. Schaffner Award Venice Film Festival Golden Lion |
| Website | paulschrader |
Paul Joseph Schrader (/ˈʃreɪdər/; born July 22, 1946) is an American screenwriter, film director, and film critic. He first became known for writing the screenplay ofMartin Scorsese'sTaxi Driver (1976). He later continued his collaboration with Scorsese, writing or co-writingRaging Bull (1980),The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), andBringing Out the Dead (1999). Schrader has also worked extensively as a director: his 23 films includeBlue Collar (1978),Hardcore (1979),American Gigolo (1980),Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985),Light Sleeper (1992),Affliction (1997), andFirst Reformed (2017), with the last of these earning him his firstAcademy Award nomination. Schrader's work frequently depicts "man in a room" stories which feature isolated, troubled men confronting anexistential crisis.[1][2]
Raised in a strictCalvinist family, Schrader attendedCalvin College before pursuingfilm studies atUCLA on the encouragement of film criticPauline Kael. He then worked as a film scholar and critic, publishing the bookTranscendental Style in Film: Ozu, Bresson, Dreyer (1972) before transitioning to screenwriting in 1974. The success ofTaxi Driver in 1976 brought greater attention to his work, and Schrader began directing his own films, beginning withBlue Collar (co-written with his brother,Leonard Schrader). Schrader has described three of his recent films as a loose trilogy:First Reformed (2017),The Card Counter (2021), andMaster Gardener (2022).
Schrader was born inGrand Rapids, Michigan, the son of Joan (née Fisher) and Charles A. Schrader, an executive.[citation needed] Schrader's family attended theCalvinistChristian Reformed Church.[3][4] Schrader's mother was of Dutch descent, the daughter of emigrants fromFriesland, while Schrader's paternal grandfather was from a German family that had come to the U.S. through Canada.[5][6]
His early life was based upon the religion's strict principles and parental education. He did not see a film until he was seventeen years old when he was able to sneak away from home. In an interview, he stated thatThe Absent-Minded Professor was the first film he saw. In his own words, he was "very unimpressed" by it, whileWild in the Country, which he saw sometime later, had quite some effect on him.[7] Schrader attributes his intellectual rather than emotional approach towards movies and movie-making to his having no adolescent movie memories.[8]
Schrader earned his B.A. in philosophy with a minor in theology fromCalvin College but decided against becoming a minister.[9] He then earned anM.A. infilm studies at theUCLA Film School upon the recommendation ofPauline Kael, who encouraged him to be a film critic.[10]
Schrader first became afilm critic, writing for theLos Angeles Free Press and later forCinema magazine. His bookTranscendental Style in Film: Ozu, Bresson, Dreyer, which examines the similarities betweenRobert Bresson,Yasujirō Ozu, andCarl Theodor Dreyer, was published in 1972. Other film-makers who made a lasting impression on Schrader areJohn Ford,Jean Renoir,Roberto Rossellini,Alfred Hitchcock, andSam Peckinpah. Renoir'sThe Rules of the Game he called the "quintessential movie" which represents "all of the cinema".[8]
In 1974, Schrader and his brotherLeonard co-wroteThe Yakuza, a film set in the Japanese crime world. The script became the subject of a bidding war, eventually selling for $325,000. The film was directed bySydney Pollack and starredRobert Mitchum.Robert Towne, best known forChinatown, also received a credit for his rewrite. AlthoughThe Yakuza failed commercially, it brought Schrader to the attention of thenew generation ofHollywood directors. In 1975, he wrote the script forObsession forBrian De Palma. Schrader wrote an early draft ofSteven Spielberg'sClose Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), but Spielberg disliked the script, calling it "terribly guilt-ridden", and opted for something lighter.[11] He also wrote an early draft ofRolling Thunder (1977), which the film's producers reworked without his participation. He disapproved of the final film.[8] Schrader's script about an obsessed New York City taxi driver became Martin Scorsese's filmTaxi Driver, which was nominated for theOscar forBest Picture and won thePalme d'Or at theCannes Film Festival. BesidesTaxi Driver (1976), Scorsese also drew on scripts by Schrader forRaging Bull (1980), co-credited toMardik Martin;The Last Temptation of Christ (1988); andBringing Out the Dead (1999).
Thanks partly to critical acclaim forTaxi Driver, Schrader was able to direct his first feature,Blue Collar (1978), co-written with his brother Leonard.Blue Collar featuresRichard Pryor,Harvey Keitel, andYaphet Kotto as car factory workers attempting to escape their socio-economic rut through theft andblackmail. He has described the film as challenging to make, because of the artistic and personal tensions between him and the cast. During principal photography, he suffered an on-set mental collapse, which led him to reconsider his career seriously.John Milius acted as executive producer on the following year'sHardcore, again written by Schrader, a film with many autobiographical parallels in his depiction of the Calvinist milieu of Grand Rapids, and in the character ofGeorge C. Scott, which was based on Schrader's father.[8] Among Paul Schrader's films in the 1980s wereAmerican Gigolo starringRichard Gere (1980), hisCat People (1982) a remake of the 1942 filmCat People, andMishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985). Inspired by Japanese writerYukio Mishima, the film interweaves episodes from Mishima's life with dramatizations of segments from his books.Mishima was nominated for the top prize (thePalme d'Or) at theCannes Film Festival.Francis Ford Coppola andGeorge Lucas served as executive producers. Schrader also directedPatty Hearst (1988), about the kidnapping and transformation of theHearst Corporation heiress. In 1987, he was a member of the jury at the37th Berlin International Film Festival.[12]
His 1990s work included the travelers-in-Venice taleThe Comfort of Strangers (1990), adapted byHarold Pinter from theIan McEwan novel, andLight Sleeper (1992), a sympathetic study of a drug dealer vying for a normal life. In 2005, Schrader describedLight Sleeper as his "most personal" film.[13] In 1997, he madeTouch (1997), based on anElmore Leonard novel about a young man seemingly able to cure the sick by the laying on of hands. In 1998, Schrader won critical acclaim for the dramaAffliction. The film tells the story of a troubled small-town policeman (Nick Nolte) who becomes obsessed with solving the mystery behind a fatal hunting accident. Schrader's script was based on the novel byRussell Banks. The film was nominated for multiple awards, including two Academy Awards for acting (for Nolte andJames Coburn). Schrader received theAustin Film Festival's Distinguished Screenwriter Award the same year. In 1999, Schrader received theLaurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement from theWriters Guild of America.
In 2002, he directed the well receivedbiopicAuto Focus, based on the life and murder ofHogan's Heroes actorBob Crane. In 2003, Schrader made entertainment headlines after being fired fromThe Exorcist: Dominion, a prequel film to the horror classicThe Exorcist from 1973. The film's production companiesMorgan Creek Productions andWarner Bros. Pictures intensely disliked the film Schrader had made. DirectorRenny Harlin was hired to re-shoot nearly the entire movie, which was released asExorcist: The Beginning on August 20, 2004, to disastrously negative reviews and embarrassing box office receipts. Warner Bros. and Morgan Creek put over $80 million into the endeavor, and Harlin's film only made back $41 million domestically. Schrader's version of the film eventually premiered at theBrussels International Festival of Fantastic Film on March 18, 2005, asExorcist: The Original Prequel. Due to extreme interest in Schrader's version from critics and cinephiles alike, Warner Bros. agreed to give the film a limited theatrical release later that year under the titleDominion: Prequel to the Exorcist. The film was only shown on 110 screens around the United States and made just $251,000. The critics liked Schrader's version much better than Harlin's. However, Schrader's film ultimately met with a generally negative reaction.
After that, Schrader filmedThe Walker (2007), starringWoody Harrelson as a male escort caught up in a political murder enquiry, and the Israel-setAdam Resurrected (2008), which starsJeff Goldblum andWillem Dafoe. Schrader headed the International Jury of the 2007 Berlin International Film Festival and in 2011 became a jury member for the ongoingFilmaka short film contest.[14] On July 2, 2009, Schrader was awarded the inaugural Lifetime Achievement in Screenwriting award at the ScreenLit Festival inNottingham,England. Several of his films were shown at the festival, includingMishima: A Life in Four Chapters, which followed the presentation of the award by directorShane Meadows.
After five years of trying and failing to find funding to make feature films, Schrader returned withThe Canyons (2013), an erotic dramatic thriller written byBret Easton Ellis and starringLindsay Lohan and adult-film starJames Deen. The film was one of the first films to use the websiteKickstarter to crowd-source its funding. Schrader also used the website Let It Cast to have unknown actors submit their audition tapes over the internet.American Apparel provided some wardrobe for the film. The film was ultimately made for just $250,000 and had a limited theatrical release fromIFC Films on August 2, 2013. The film was poorly received by general critics and audiences. The film only made $56,000 in theaters but found later success when released on variousVideo on Demand platforms.
In 2014, Schrader directedThe Dying of the Light, an espionage thriller starringNicolas Cage as a government agent suffering from a deadly disease,Anton Yelchin andIrène Jacob. In post-production Schrader was denied final cut by the film's producers.[15] The film was negatively received by many film critics and was abox-office bomb. Schrader later recutDying of the Light into the separate, more experimental workDark, which received more positive reviews.
Schrader's dramatic thrillerFirst Reformed, starringEthan Hawke, premiered at the 2017Venice Film Festival and received critical acclaim. Schrader received his firstAcademy Award nomination for the film in the categoryBest Original Screenplay. In 2021, he directed the crime drama filmThe Card Counter, starringOscar Isaac andTiffany Haddish. The film also premiered at the 2021 Venice Film Festival and was widely lauded by critics. Schrader grouped these two films into a loose trilogy with another thriller,Master Gardener, starringJoel Edgerton andSigourney Weaver. Like the rest of the trilogy, it premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2022, where Schrader was awarded theGolden Lion Honorary Award.
In 2023, it was confirmed Schrader would write and directOh, Canada, an adaptation of his friendRussell Banks' novel,Foregone, starringRichard Gere andJacob Elordi.[16] Additionally, Schrader has written a western calledThree Guns at Dawn, forAntoine Fuqua to direct; a drama about a trauma nurse calledR.N forElisabeth Moss to star in and direct; and a script about a sex addict calledNon Compos Mentis which he intended to direct.[17][18][19]
Schrader has written two stage plays,Berlinale andCleopatra Club. The latter saw its premiere at thePowerhouse Theater inPoughkeepsie,New York, in 1995 and its foreign language debut inVienna in 2011.[8][20][21]
A recurring theme in Schrader's films is the protagonist on a self-destructive path, or undertaking actions which work against himself, deliberately or subconsciously. The finale often bears an element of redemption, preceded by a painful sacrifice or cathartic act of violence.[citation needed]
Schrader has repeatedly referred toTaxi Driver,American Gigolo,Light Sleeper,The Canyons,The Walker,First Reformed, andThe Card Counter as "a man in a room" stories. The protagonist in each film changes from an angry, then narcissistic, later anxious character, to a person who hides behind a mask of superficiality.[8][22][23]
Although many of his films or scripts are based on real-life biographies(Raging Bull,Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters,Patty Hearst,Auto Focus), Schrader confessed having problems with biographical films due to their altering of actual events, which he tried to prevent by imposing structures and stylization.[8]
Schrader battled a cocaine addiction, which contributed to his divorce from his first wife, art directorJeannine Oppewall. He then moved from Los Angeles to Japan in hopes of getting his life on track, finally quitting drugs around 1990. His second marriage is to actressMary Beth Hurt, who has appeared in smaller roles in a variety of his films.[24] Together they have two children, a daughter and a son.[25]
In September 2022, Schrader was hospitalized for "breathing problems".[26] In January 2023, he and his wife moved from New York's suburbanPutnam County to a luxuryassisted-living facility in Manhattan'sHudson Yards area, where Hurt receives treatment for herAlzheimer's.[27]
Schrader is aChristian. RaisedCalvinist, Schrader abandoned religion in his young adulthood, before returning to Christianity later in life. He became anEpiscopalian after the birth of his children. As of 2018, he attends aPresbyterian church.[28] His films frequently feature religious themes.[29] However, Schrader has now emphasized that he considers himself to be just a Christian.[30]
In December 2016, Schrader referred to the then-upcomingTrump presidency as "a call to violence" and said "we should be willing to take arms. Like OldJohn Brown." He quickly deleted the post, but was visited by theNew York City Police Department Counterterrorism Bureau for threatening violence. Schrader expressed some regret for his post (blaming it on him drinking alcohol and taking anAmbien), apologizing for his post's violent rhetoric, but not for his comments critical of Trump.[31]
In 2021, Schrader attackedcancel culture, describing it as "infectious...like theDelta virus".[32] In 2022, Schrader criticized that year'sSight and Sound Greatest Films poll, describing it as a "politically correct rejiggering", with its selection ofJeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles as the greatest film of all time being the product of "distorted woke reappraisal".[33] In 2023, he also criticized the perceived politicization of the95th Academy Awards, writing that the Oscars' "scramble to be woke" have made their ceremony "mean less each year".[34]
In 2025 civil court documents made public allegations ofsexual harassment andsexual assault made against Schrader by an unidentified woman who was his assistant. The alleged incidents took place between 2021 and 2024. Schrader reportedly had agreed to a confidential settlement with his accuser but ultimately reneged. Schrader’s attorney, Phillip Kessler, responded that there were two kisses during nights of drinking — one at theCannes Film Festival in May 2024 and another some months prior — but that Schrader backed down after his advances were unreciprocated.[35][36]
In 2012, Schrader participated in theSight & Sound film polls of that year. Held every ten years to select the greatest films of all time, contemporary directors were asked to select ten films of their choice. Schrader gave the following ten in alphabetical order.[37]
In 2022, Schrader updated his list, including:[33]
| Year | Title | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | "Tight Connection to My Heart (Has Anybody Seen My Love)" | Bob Dylan |
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1987 | Berlinale |
| 2004 | The Cleopatra Club |
