Happy 75th Birthday, Roland Joffé! Born today in 1945, this British producer of film and television and director began his career in television. This was due to being steeped in the traditions of British stage and television.
Joffé was educated at two independent schools: the Lycée français Charles de Gaulle in London, England and Carmel College in Wallingford, Oxfordshire, which was Europe's only Jewish boarding school, until it closed in 1997.
He later completed his formal education at the University of Manchester.
Post university, Joffé joined Granada Television as a trainee director in 1973.
This was where he directed episodes of Coronation Street (1960–present), Crown Court (1972–1984) Sam (1973–1975), The Stars Look Down (1975), Bill Brand (1976), and Headmaster (1977).
During this time, Joffé was also the youngest director ever engaged by Britain's National Theater in 1973. This was shortly before his 28th birthday.
In 1977, British film and television producer and actor Tony Garnett. He is best known for his thirteen-year association with English filmmaker Ken Loach ('Kes', 'I, Daniel Blake') his work as a producer continued into the 21st century.
Garnett was later commissioned by the BBC to direct the 1978 television play The Spongers within BBCs British television anthology drama series Play for Today (1970–1984).
He later informed the BBC drama department that he wanted to hire Joffé as director, but was told that Joffé did not possess BBC clearance and was regarded a "security risk".
The reason was that Joffé had attended some Worker's Revolutionary Party meetings in the early 1970s, although he never became a party member.
In 1977, Joffé also directed an episode in BBC's Second City Firsts (1973–1978) and later directed two more plays for Play for Today: The Legion Hall Bombing (1979) and United Kingdom (1981).
In 1979, he directed the television play No, Mama, No by English novelist and theatre director Verity Bargate for the ITV Playhouse series.
In 1980, Joffé made a version of 17th century English playwright and poet John Ford's play 'Tis Pity She's a Whore as a television film for the BBC.
Four years later, Joffé directed the film of which he is best known. This was the 1984 British biographical war/drama film 'The Killing Fields'.
It was written by English actor, director, screenwriter and novelist Bruce Robinson ('Withnail & I') and was based on American journalist Sydney Schanberg's 1980 biographical book The Death and Life of Dith Pran.
Based upon true accounts of the bloody 'Year Zero', the tyrannical cleansing campaign known as the Khmer Rouge regime takeover in the mid-1970s Cambodia, was led by the heinous former prime minister and communist revolutionary Pol Pot.
American journalist and reporter for the New York Times Sydney Schanberg (Sam Waterston) is on assignment covering the Cambodian Civil War.
This is along with the help of local interpreter Dith Pran (Dr. Haing S. Ngor) and American photojournalist Al Rockoff (John Malkovich).
When the U.S. Army pulls out amid escalating violence, Schanberg makes exit arrangements for Pran and his family.
Pran, however, tells Schanberg that he intends to stay in Cambodia to help cover the unfolding story -- a decision he may regret as the Khmer Rouge rebels move in.
Upon release, 'The Killing Fields' was a success at the box office and an instant hit with critics. On a budget of $14.4 million, it grossed $34.7 million at the box office.
The politically charged picture also managed to connect with both critics and audiences alike. Joffé has been quoted as saying: "I like cinema audiences. I respect them, and I talk to them just like I would anybody I know."
Roger Ebert wrote of the film: "One of the risks taken by "The Killing Fields" is to cut loose from that tradition, to tell us a story that does not have a traditional Hollywood structure, and to trust that we'll find the characters so interesting that we won't miss the cliché.
It is a risk that works, and that helps make this into a really affecting experience."
The following year, 'The Killing Fields' won eight BAFTA Awards. These included Best Film and Best Actor in a Leading Role (Dr. Haing S. Ngor), Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles (Dr. Haing S. Ngor).
These also included Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Sound, and Best Production Design. This occurred at the 38th British Academy Film Awards on March 5, 1985.
Three weeks later, the film was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor in a Leading Role (Sam Waterston) and Best Screenplay.
However, it won three Oscars for Best Editing, Best Cinematography, and Best Supporting Actor (Dr. Haing S. Ngor, of whom had experienced the injustices of Cambodia firsthand). This occurred at the 57th Academy Awards on March 25, 1985.
One year later, Joffé directed the 1986 British/French period drama/historical drama film 'The Mission'. It starred Robert De Niro, Jeremy Irons and Liam Neeson.
The following year, 'The Mission' won the Palm d'Or at the 39th Cannes Film Festival in May 1986.
One year later, the film won three BAFTA Awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Ray McAnally), Best Original Music and Best Editing. This occurred at the 40th British Academy Film Awards 0n March 22, 1987.
One week later, 'The Mission' won an Oscar for Best Cinematography. This occurred at the 59th Academy Awards on March 30, 1987.
Garnett had explained around 1988: "I was very interested in politics at that time. But I was interested in what all the political parties were doing, not just the WRP, and I was never actively involved."
It was only after Garnett threatened that he would "go public", was the veto on Joffé's appointment withdrawn.
In the early 1990s, Joffé co-produced and partially directed the big budget adaptation of the 1993 British/American/Japanese/French fantasy/adventure comedy film 'Super Mario Bros.'
The film was also known as 'Super Mario Bros.: The Movie'), and starred Bob Hoskins, John Leguizamo, Dennis Hopper, and Fiona Shaw.
The film was loosely based on the Mario video game by Nintendo and was the first feature-length live-action film to be based on a video game.
Upon release, the film was a flop, as it struggled to make back its budget.
On a budget of $42–48 million, it grossed $27.8 million+ in the United States, Canada, England and Japan. It sold only 5.8 million ticket in the United States, France, Germany, and Seoul, South Korea.
Two years later, Joffé directed the 1995 American romance/adaptation film ‘The Scarlet Letter'. Joffé had "freely” adapted the film from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1850 historical psychological romance fiction novel of the same name.
'The Scarlet Letter' starred Demi Moore, Gary Oldman Robert Duvall, and Joan Plowright.
Upon release, 'The Scarlet Letter’ was met with overwhelmingly negative reviews and bombed at the box office; a critical and financial disaster. On a budget of $46 million, the film only grossed $10.4 million.
The following year, ‘The Scarlet Letter’ was nominated for seven Golden Raspberry Awards, winning "Worst Remake or Sequel". This occurred at the 16th Golden Raspberry Awards in late March 1996. The film has now garnered a legacy as one of the worst films ever made.
In the late 2000s, Joffé directed the 2007 American/Russian psychological horror/thriller ‘Captivity’, starring Canadian actress and model Elisha Cuthbert.
Pre-release, the film had drawn controversy with its advertising billboards. Today, it is widely regarded as exploitative and misogynistic.
One year later, Joffé received Razzie Nominations for Worst Director. This occurred at the 28th Golden Raspberry Awards in late February 2008.
In 1999, the British Film Institute voted 'The Killing Fields' the 100th greatest British film of the 20th century.
In 2016, British film magazine Empire ranked it number 86 in their list of the 100 best British films
According to Joffe's personal life, he was been married to English actress Jane Lapotaire in 1974. However, they were divorced in 1980.
Joffé has two children. The first is English screenwriter Rowan Marc Joffé.
The other is English actress Nathalie-Kathleen Mary Lunghi-Joffé, of whom Joffé had with English film, television, and theatre actress Cherie Lunghi.
Joffé is a board member of the nonprofit organization Operation USA. He was the official patron of the 2011 Cambodia Volleyball World Cup held from July 23–29 at the National Olympic Stadium Phnom Penh.
Joffé currently resides on the island of Malta and is also an active member of the team organizing the Valletta Film Festival.
Joffé has fashioned a career which veers between highbrow, left-leaning historical epics and sexually charged high camp, sometimes within the same film.
Joffé has been active from 1960–present.
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