Fame Director Feels the Pinch

[dropcap]H[/dropcap]e’s famous the world over for flicks such as Bugsy Malone, Evita and, ironically of course, Fame. Yet the much-celebrated director Alan Parker has apparently fallen on hard times.

Ok, maybe not hard times in the purest sense of the phrase, but every movie needs some funding. If Sir Alan’s (no, not that one) recent concerns are anything to go by, could the film industry also be feeling the effects of a global economic downturn?

In an interview with ITV News at Ten this week, he said: “Everyone struggles, certainly me.” Yet many of Hollywood’s most decorated seem to be doing very nicely, thank you. See the box office figures for Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained, or the critical acclaim heaped upon Ang Lee’s Life of Pi.

Unbelievably, it’s been a decade since Parker made a movie, something he obviously misses dearly, especially “the camaraderie of the film set.” His last contribution was The Life of David Gale in 2003, which came shortly after he received his knighthood. Has the tag of ‘Sir’ weighed too heavily perhaps? Maybe he has spent so much time off the radar that he has lost some of the clout the biggest players command.

As I’ve watched it so many times, I can’t let this article pass without a mention of my personal favourite from his back catalogue, The Commitments. The film is an absolute riot from start to finish. Not only does it make for brilliant viewing, but it also spawned two hit albums of soul classics. It would also seem that this is the one, above all the others, that the man himself enjoyed making the most.

It would be great to see him back in the director’s chair, especially if he gets his wish and is able to make his own version of Blood Brothers for the screen: “If someone else gets something and I don’t, it drives me crazy.” Watch this space…..