Richard Marquand
Richard Marquand (22 September 1937 – 4 September 1987) was a Welsh film director,[1] best known for directing 1983's Return of the Jedi. He also directed the critically acclaimed 1981 drama film Eye of the Needle and the 1985 thriller Jagged Edge.
Richard Marquand | |
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Born | |
Died | 4 September 1987 49) Tunbridge Wells, England | (aged
Occupation | Film director |
Children | James Marquand |
Parent(s) | Hilary Marquand (father) |
Relatives | David Marquand (brother) |
Early life
Marquand was born in Llanishen, Cardiff, Wales. He was the son of Rachel E. (née Rees) and Hilary Marquand, who was a Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP) and Minister in the Post Second World War Labour Government.[2] He is the younger brother of David Marquand, who also served as a Labour Party MP.
Richard Marquand was educated at Emanuel School, London, the University of Aix (now Aix-Marseille University) in Aix-en-Provence, France and King's College, Cambridge. During National Service he studied Mandarin and was posted to Hong Kong where he also read the news on the English language Hong Kong Television.
Career
By the late 1960s, Marquand had begun a career directing television documentaries for the BBC, where he worked on projects such as the 1972 series Search for the Nile[3] and an edition of One Pair of Eyes (1968),[4] about the novelist Margaret Drabble who had been a friend of his at Cambridge.[5] He collaborated with the celebrated foreign correspondent James Cameron on a long-running series called Cameron Country for BBC television and also with John Pilger on a series of films for ITV. In 1979, Marquand incorporated many of his documentary techniques in his biographical television movie Birth of the Beatles. He directed several films specifically for children including the 1977 Emmy winning Big Henry and the Polka Dot Kid.
On the strength of his direction of the 1981 feature, Eye of the Needle, Marquand was hired by writer-producer George Lucas to direct Return of the Jedi.[6] In his commentary track on the DVD, Lucas explains that Marquand "had done some great suspense films and was really good with actors. Eye of the Needle was the film I'd seen that he had done that impressed me the most, it was really nicely done and had a lot of energy and suspense."
Marquand subsequently directed the 1985 courtroom thriller Jagged Edge, starring Jeff Bridges and Glenn Close.
Death
In 1987, Marquand died of a stroke aged 49. His last film, Hearts of Fire, starring Bob Dylan, was released posthumously.[6]
Marquand had four children;[7] Hannah, Sam, Molly, and James, the last of whom is also a film director.
Filmography
Theatrical feature films
Year | Title | Credited as | Notes | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Director | Producer | Writer | Himself | |||
1978 | The Legacy | Yes | No | No | No | |
1979 | Birth of the Beatles | Yes | No | No | No | |
1981 | Eye of the Needle | Yes | No | No | No | |
1983 | Return of the Jedi | Yes | No | No | Yes | Cameo as "Maj. Marquand" and voice cameo as "EV-9D9" |
1984 | Until September | Yes | No | No | No | |
1985 | Jagged Edge | Yes | No | No | No | |
1987 | Hearts of Fire | Yes | Yes | No | No | Posthumous release |
1993 | Nowhere to Run | No | No | Story | No | Posthumous release |
Short films
Year | Title | Credited as | Notes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Director | Producer | Writer | |||
1973 | The Iron Village | Yes | No | No | Documentary |
Between the Anvil and the Hammer | Yes | No | No | Documentary | |
1975 | The Puritan Experience: Making of a New World | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
The Puritan Experience: Forsaking England | Yes | Yes | No | ||
Do Yourself Some Good | Yes | No | No | Documentary |
Television films
Year | Title | Credited as | Notes | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Director | Producer | Production assistant |
Himself | |||
1964 | The Long Journey | No | No | Yes | No | |
The Colony | No | No | Yes | No | ||
Home for Heroes? | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||
Birmingham '64 | No | Yes | No | No | ||
1970 | Edward II | Yes | No | No | No | Co-directed with Toby Robertson |
E.M. Forster 1879-1970 | No | No | No | Yes | Documentary | |
1983 | Classic Creatures: Return of the Jedi | No | No | No | Yes | Documentary |
From 'Star Wars' to 'Jedi': The Making of a Saga | No | No | No | Yes | Documentary |
Television series
Year | Title | Credited as | Notes | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Director | Producer | Writer | Himself | |||
1963 | This Nation Tomorrow | Yes | No | No | No | Mini-series, 3 episodes |
The Sky at Night | Yes | No | No | No | Documentary, 2 episodes | |
1963-64 | Adventure | Yes | Yes | No | No | Documentary, 2 episodes |
1964-65 | Landmarks | Yes | No | No | No | Documentary mini-series, 2 episodes |
1965 | Inside America | Yes | No | No | No | Mini-series, 4 episodes |
1966 | Inside Ireland | Yes | No | No | No | Mini-series, 2 episodes |
Women, Women, Women | Yes | No | No | No | Mini-series, 2 episodes | |
1967 | Inside Australia | Yes | No | No | Yes | Mini-series: Director (4 episodes) / Narrator (12 episodes) |
1967-70 | One Pair of Eyes | Yes | No | No | No | Mini-series, 4 episodes |
1968-70 | Cameron Country | Yes | Yes | No | No | Director (8 episodes) / Producer (episode ''Nobody Ever Asks Why'') |
1971 | The Search for the Nile | Yes | No | No | No | Mini-series, 2 episodes |
1971-73 | Omnibus | Yes | Yes | No | No | Documentary: Director (2 episodes) / Producer (episode ''That's My Little Masterpiece'') |
1975-76 | Pilger | Yes | Yes | No | No | Documentary: Director (4 episodes) / Producer (episode ''Zap!! The Weapon Is Food'') |
1976 | NBC Special Treat | Yes | No | Yes | No | Director (2 epsiodes) / Writer (episode ''Luke Was There''); |
1987 | Omnibus | No | No | No | Yes | Documentary (episode ''Getting to Dylan'') |
References
- "Welsh film facts". BBC. 5 March 2010. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
- Richard Marquand Biography (1937–)
- https://www.nytimes.com/1987/09/06/obituaries/richard-marquandmoviemaker-dies.html
- One Pair of Eyes: Margaret Drabble, BBC2, 9 March 1968, BBC Archive site
- Margaret Drabble "Once upon a life: Margaret Drabble", The Guardian, 5 December 2010
- Richard Marquand > Biography – AllMovie. Retrieved 25 September 2010.
- https://www.nytimes.com/1987/09/06/obituaries/richard-marquandmoviemaker-dies.html