A significant figure in American cinema post-World War II, Roger Corman, has passed away aged 98 in California. His exploitation films, famous for their strict budgeting, paved the way for a number of prominent actors and directors, such as Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, James Cameron, Peter Bogdanovich, John Sayles, and Jonathan Demme.
Corman played a vital role in propelling the Irish film industry towards its present thriving condition. During the late 90’s, his Concorde Anois studio, located in Connemara, facilitated the creation of films like Spacejacked, A Very Unlucky Leprechaun, and the highly controversial Criminal Affairs by Jeremiah Cullinane, thereby fostering upcoming talent. A viewing of Criminal Affairs at the 1997 Galway Film Fleadh resulted in a minor furore which, in retrospect, reveals much about Ireland’s cultural climate in the years leading up to the new millennium.
Corman was known for his intellect and good taste. Coming from a middle-class upbringing, he attended Stanford University to study engineering and the University of Oxford for English literature. However, after a brief stint at US Electrical Motors, he realised his true passion lay in the film industry.
He began his journey in the film industry as a messenger at 20th Century Fox, later becoming a story reader and eventually establishing himself as an independent producer. The debut film he produced, Monster from the Ocean Floor, released in 1954, marked the launch of seven decades of his reign as the Cult King. Corman’s films, quick to produce and catered to a pre-existing audience demographic, were often contracted to American International Pictures. He had an affinity for the genre, and knew the importance of catchy titles and compelling posters.
While having a knack for thriving in low-budget filmmaking, Corman was undeniably a cultured man who truly appreciated cinema. He directed several extravagant yet economical adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe’s tales during the 60s. Examples include The Fall of the House of Usher, The Tomb of Ligeia and The Masque of the Red Death. His 1962 film, The Intruder, which featured William Shatner pre-Star Trek as an enigmatic newcomer to a small town, exhibited his keen insight into societal issues.
Among his favourite movies, he counted Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon and Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita. He was tasked with the US distribution of works by such directors as Kurosawa, François Truffaut and Bergman upon their release. Corman once confided to Xan Brooks at the Cannes film festival, a dozen years ago, the reasons he didn’t venture into art house like his icons.
“Firstly, I’m uncertain I possess the aptitude for such films,” he shared. “Also, it comes down to plain economics. Many of those films were created in Europe, fuelled by government funding. So, Fellini, Bergman, Truffaut were not bound by the need to recover their expenses and therefore had creative freedom. The US context is dissimilar. Here, it’s an industry driven by profit; you cater to that demand.”
This statement notably reflects Corman’s pragmatic approach to filmmaking. Known American filmmaker, John Sayles, relayed an instance where he and his team used to hurriedly hide new props if Corman visited their set, due to his aversion to unnecessary expenditure.
Despite such frugality, no other producer has had as significant an influence on the generation of filmmakers that emerged in the 1970s. Notable director, Frances Ford Coppola, who had the opportunity to work with Corman in Ireland on the 1963 horror flick Dementia 13, later incorporated a role for his mentor in the famous The Godfather Part II. Even James Cameron, who was involved in various aspects of Corman’s projects including model-making, art direction, and special effects, found the experience invaluable in his progress towards directing grand productions like Titanic. Cameron confessed in 2021, “I found myself amidst a crowd of people who thought similarly. We held no impressive records. But that didn’t concern us. We were thrilled by the thought of turning the impossible into reality.”
The obituaries that appear this week will most likely point to his reputation as a discerning talent scout and mentor. He gave a poignant comment to Brooks, saying, “Most of the capable ones exhibited their skills from the get-go of their first film. Perhaps Jonathan Demme’s talent was not that apparent in his opening movie. But I trusted his potential and he progressed.”
Renowned filmmaker Martin Scorsese declined an offer from famed producer Corman to financially back his film ‘Mean Streets’ as a blaxploitation picture, after completing his second creation, ‘Boxcar Bertha’, with him. Nicholson, a decade-long associate of the frugal Corman, eventually sought greener pastures.
In relation to the Concorde Anois studios, controversy was sparked not only by financial tensions but also by the ongoing debate over sex and violence in cinema, which piqued media interest. Initiated with a grant from then Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht, Michael D Higgins, the Tully-based studio produced approximately 20 films. Controversy was ignited when the explicit thriller ‘Criminal Affairs’ was chosen for the Galway Film Fleadh.
Antony Sellers, the Film Fleadh’s programme director at the time, addressed the questionable choice in a letter but conceded that the film reflects botched sexual politics. The Sunday Times sensationalised the controversy with the headline, ‘Irish agency ‘funding porn films’. The reaction brought to mind the stunned audiences of Mel Brooks’s ‘The Producers’, as noted by a quoted ex-Corman worker, Hugh Linehan.
In his early seventies, Corman diversified into television movies, working with Showtime and the SyFy channel. By then, his legendary status was well established. He was awarded an honorary Oscar in 2018 and made a striking appearance at the closing event of the Cannes film festival the following year. Upon his death, fellow director, Ron Howard, lamented the passing of this influential figure in the American film industry. Howard began his own directing career under Corman’s guidance and commended him as remaining engaged and vital up until the age of 98.