Directed by Sam Mendes: filmography, biography. "American Beauty" and other famous movies

Sam Mendes is an American director who created "007: Spectrum" and other famous paintings, his former husband Kate Winslet, the Oscar winner. This man achieved fame at the age of 34, since that time he managed to shoot about 10 tapes, warmly received by the audience and critics. What is known to the public about the past and the present master, his creative path and the best film projects?

Sam Mendes: Biography

The director, who equally succeeds in thrillers and melodramas, was born in England in 1965 in the family of a teacher and a writer. Among his ancestors are present not only the British, but also Jews, Portuguese. Childhood of the boy is difficult to call cloudless, as the mother and father broke up when he was 5 years old.

Sam Mendes does not belong to the number of celebrities who chose their way of life in their childhood. Studying at school, the guy changed many hobbies, from music to sports. After completing his secondary education, he continued his studies at Cambridge University.

Sam Mendes fell in love with the theater during his student years, which prompted him to reflect on the director's profession. After university, he spent several years at the Chichester Theater. The first work of the young man was the play "The Cherry Orchard", which drew the public's attention to him. However, the fame came to him not through theatrical works.

Debut in the cinema

The film, with the help of which the master told the world about his existence, is "American Beauty". Sam Mendes, at the age of 34, had already established himself as a talented theater director and began to think about filming a movie. Go to the action he was forced by an interesting scenario, proposed by Alan Ball. The plot of the future film was so impressive to Mendes that he did not object to a very modest fee for Hollywood standards, which amounted to 150 thousand dollars.

"Beauty in American style," which was released in 1999, was a huge success thanks to the unique director's style of the creator. Critics dubbed the drama label satire, ridiculing the American way of life. Disputes about what is the main message of the tape, are still being conducted. The director himself says that he made a movie about how a person can suppress life. It is this picture, which earned more than 350 million at the box office, gave the new star "Oscar".

The drama turned out to be the best project that Sam Mendes ever took. Filmography began with the story of a man who suddenly fell into a midlife crisis. The hero loses his job, conflicts with the household and is attracted to the same age as his own daughter.

"The Damned Way" (2002)

The next film project, which directed director Sam Mendes, could not repeat the success of the previous one and collected a much more modest amount at the box office. Nevertheless, the "Damned Way", submitted to the public in 2002, fell in love with critics and allowed its creator to consolidate the status of a genius. It is interesting that the new work of the master did not at all resemble the old one.

"The Cursed Way" takes viewers to Chicago during the Great Depression. The first acquaintance with Michael Sullivan makes viewers think of him as a positive character, a responsible employee who loves husband and father. However, his son can not understand where Michael is going to his car every day, who are the strange people standing next to him. After the investigation, the son learns that his father is a gangster, besides he managed to set up against himself the rulers of the criminal empire.

Stories about Bond

Sam Mendes - a man not only talented, but also versatile, one who is interested in working with dissimilar subjects. In 2012, the next brainchild of Maitre appeared on the screens - tape 007: Coordinates Skyfoll. The adventure thriller, sometimes turning into a thriller, has already become the 23rd in a series of ribbons about the famous Bond. The success of the film proves the colossal box office.

This picture was followed by another story about the misadventures of the brave James Bond. The tape was called "007: Spectrum", it is a bright finale, weaving together the story lines laid down in three films about the agent, who saw the light earlier. In this picture, Sam Mendes renounces realism, giving preference to the world, functioning according to the laws of sleep. The focus is on the experiences that Bond gives, pressing on him the burden of the past. It's not surprising that another agent's friend works as a psychiatrist.

What else to see

For 15 years of work he managed to present to the public and other fascinating paintings of Sam Mendes. Films also did not exceed his very first work, but worthy of attention of the audience. For example, the military drama "Marines" deserves to be watched. Events take place during the battle in the Persian Gulf. The main characters were in an unfamiliar country, they are pursued by dangerous enemies and friends are not supporting. The director wanted to show how difficult it is to remain faithful to his ideals, having lost touch with his homeland.

"The Road of Change" is another successful film by Mendes, whose story is borrowed from the acclaimed work of Yeats. The main characters get the opportunity to turn their lives around, but they do not dare to take a difficult step. History acquaints the audience with a married couple who dreams, but can not escape from the routine that is dragging into the quagmire.

Personal life

Of course, Sam Mendes does not only work, finding time and privacy. His most serious passion for the moment is actress Kate Winslet, with whom he gave his marriage for several years. The couple dispersed without scandal, the director takes an active part in the life of her child from Kate. At the moment he does not officially meet with anyone.