big picture
- A versatile filmmaker, Howard Hawks struggled to gain critical acclaim despite his influential films.
- Hawks was a pioneer in genre films, known for his witty dialogue and work with Hollywood icons.
- French New Wave critics like Godard elevated Hawks to greatness, but his achievements remain underappreciated to this day.
The list of greatest managers of all time includes the following names: orson welles, Alfred Hitchcockand stanley kubrick It pops up periodically but it doesn’t howard hawks‘. Among certain parameters on this website, the Hawks seem to be forgotten. But if you look at Hawks’ accomplishments, you’ll see that he’s one of the greatest of all time. his admirers are Jean-Luc Godard to martin scorsese, is taken exactly from these lists. Despite working with everyone in Hollywood. john wayne and Humphrey Bogart to marilyn monroe, Howard Hawks was nominated for an Oscar for Best Director once, but never won.. So why has a legend like Hawks been so ignored?
Sergeant York
A Tennessee farmer and marksman struggles with his pacifist tendencies until he is drafted into World War I and becomes one of the war’s most famous heroes.
- release date
- July 2, 1941
- director
- howard hawks
- cast
- Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan, Joan Leslie
- runtime
- 134
- Main genre
- biography
Who exactly is Howard Hawks?
Howard Hawks was born in 1896 into a wealthy family who made their fortune in the flour milling industry. His family moved to Pasadena, California, and he was then sent to the prestigious Phillips Exeter Academy in New England, and then to Cornell University, where he majored in mechanical engineering. He struggled with his schoolwork and mainly indulged in the vices of a privileged child. During the summer vacation, he began working at Paramount. For friendship with fellow race enthusiasts victor fleming. Hawks said of his entry into the film industry that he simply “wanted a job over the summer.”
He was unable to earn a degree from Cornell University because he enlisted in the military to fight in World War I. Although he was a flight instructor, he never flew in combat. He returned to Hollywood after the war and broke contracts with several studios in his ambition to become a director, but by 1925 he had gotten his wish. He directed six silent films before moving to talkie films. And his legendary career is known today.
Howard Hawks found his niche in genre films
These few details already explain a lot about Hawks’ filmography. Hawks never aspired to high art and worked primarily in genre films. He was the prototype and remains perhaps the best journeyman director of all time. His comedy works include: Cary Grant Love comedy, raise a baby and his girl fridaythe former also stars Katharine Hepburn. Later in his career, Gentlemen prefer blonde hair, featuring one of Marilyn Monroe’s best-loved and most memorable performances. On the other hand, and in sharp contrast, he frequently made westerns with John Wayne. red river and rio bravothe former also stars montgomery clift.he also discovered lauren bacall She and her future husband made two films together. Humphrey Bogartwas an adaptation of Hemingway. What to have and what not to have and film noir big sleep.
His World War I background and lifelong interest in aviation also figured prominently in his career. dawn patrol and only angels have wings It was an aviation movie. He was the only World War I film nominated for Best Director. and Gary Cooper-Leading actor Sergeant York. These titles only scratch the surface of Hawks’ 40-film career, and his legacy continues today. His witty and fast-talking style can also be seen in his upcoming films. robert altman and Quentin TarantinoAnd just last year, Greta Gerwig quoted his girl friday as something that has a major influence on barbie.
Howard Hawks’ changing reputation
Howard Hawks’ films were commercially successful.often the highest-grossing film of the year; he was not taken seriously by critics. Not only did he appear in genre films that were always considered to lack prestige, but his style was not flashy and epitomized the grammar of classic Hollywood films, consisting mainly of simple shots and reverse shots. I was there. He preferred to let the text and actors speak rather than the camera. This stylistic anonymity, coupled with Hawks’ versatility and even restlessness between genres, makes it difficult to pin down Hawks as a particular kind of director, something even American critics have been reluctant to attempt. So much so that it never happened.can be associated john ford I couldn’t help but associate Hitchcock with westerns and Hawks with thrillers.
The academy has long had a genre bias. That movies are still struggling to break through (even though things are finally improving). At least with Hitchcock, we can see that his showy mastery was on display, but even Hitchcock never won a competitive Oscar. For a more laid-back coach like the Hawks, the situation is only worse, which is why he never got the recognition he deserved. The Academy finally caught up with Hawks in 1974 by awarding him an honorary Oscar., but by that time his health was deteriorating. To this day, the Academy struggles to nominate underrated journeyman directors such as: Christopher McQuarrie and matt reevesdespite the excellent results obtained.
Like other American directors who worked primarily in genre films, Hawks was “rescued” by French New Wave directors in the 1950s, who started out as critics for legendary magazines. cinema note. These people contributed to the birth of auteur theory., contrary to popular belief today, this is not necessarily defined by the same person writing and directing the films, but has more to do with personal obsessions between different films. Hitchcock and Hawks were movie poster boys. Note group author worship, and godard He particularly respected Hawks as the “greatest American artist.”At that time, the critic Andrew Sallis wrote his seminal book american movies He brought the auteur theory to America, adding Hawks to his “pantheon” of 14 great directors. Hawks himself was perplexed by this new attention, stating that he “my mouth falls open and I wonder where they got some of the things they’re saying about me.”
Top 10 Howard Hawks Movies According to IMDb
Howard Hawks is a classic Hollywood master filmmaker.
Howard Hawks still doesn’t get the recognition he deserves.
Despite the valiant efforts of each country, Note It was a group that flaunted the reputation of the Hawks, but somehow they ended up back in the sky. clearly, Hawks is loved by many movie fans., and his work is commemorated by a shelf of discs in the Criterion Collection. But despite his enduring genre film familiarity, he never became famous like Hitchcock or Kubrick. With so much of his work easily available in the streaming era, there is absolutely no excuse for continued ignorance. The greatest thing about Hawks is that he made a number of diverse films during his career. No matter your mood, you can easily hang the “Hawks” film. The mistakes made by the Academy can be easily corrected.
Many of Howard Hawks’ movies are available for streaming, but you can also watch his critically acclaimed films. Sergeant York On Tubi in the US
Watch on Tubi
