Nicolas Roeg
Nicolas Roeg at 43rd KVIFF (2008)
Born	Nicolas Jack Roeg (1928-08-15) 15 August 1928 (age 83) London, England
Occupation	film director
Spouse(s)	Susan Stephen (1957–1977) Theresa Russell (1982 – ? ) Harriet Harper (2004 – present)

Nicolas Jack Roeg, CBE, BSC (born 15 August 1928) is an English film director and cinematographer. Roeg was born in London, the son of Mabel Gertrude (née Silk) and Jack Nicolas Roeg.^[1]

He started his film career by contributing to the visual look of Lawrence of Arabia and Roger Corman's The Masque of the Red Death, and co-directing Performance in 1970. He would later direct such landmark films as Walkabout, Don't Look Now and The Man Who Fell to Earth.

Film career[link]

Roeg's films are known for having scenes and images from the plot presented in a disarranged fashion, out of chronological and causal order, requiring the viewer to do the work of mentally rearranging them to comprehend the storyline. They seem, "to shatter reality into a thousand pieces" and are "unpredictable, fascinating, cryptic and liable to leave you wondering what the hell just happened. . . ."^[2]

Roeg displays a "freedom from conventional film narration," and his films often consist of an "intriguing kaleidoscopic multiplication of images."^[3]

A characteristic of Roeg's films is that they are edited in disjunctive and semi-coherent ways that make full sense only in the film's final moments, when a crucial piece of information surfaces; they are "mosaic-like montages [filled with] elliptical details which become very important later."^[4] These techniques, and Roeg's foreboding sense of atmosphere, have influenced later filmmakers such as Steven Soderbergh,^[5] Tony Scott,^[6] Ridley Scott, Christopher Nolan, François Ozon and Danny Boyle.^[7]

Roeg's influence on cinema is not limited to deconstructing narrative. The "Memo From Turner" sequence in Performance predates many techniques later used in music videos.^{[citation needed]} And the "quadrant" sequence in Bad Timing, in which the thoughts of Theresa Russell and Art Garfunkel are heard before words are spoken, set to Keith Jarrett's piano music from the Köln Concert, again stretched the boundaries of what could be done with film.

His work was documented at the Riverside Studios, London from 12-14 September 2008, showcasing nine of his films. He introduced the retrospective along with Miranda Richardson, who starred in Puffball.

The retrospective included Bad Timing, Puffball, Far from the Madding Crowd, The Man Who Fell to Earth, The Witches, Eureka, Don't Look Now and Insignificance. The London Film Academy organised this event for Roeg in honour of his patronage of the school.

Personal life[link]

Roeg was married to Susan Stephen from 1957 to 1977. They had four children, Waldo, Nico, Sholto and the producer Luc Roeg, who also stars in Roeg's first film, Walkabout, as Lucien John. Roeg married Theresa Russell in 1982 and they had two children, actor Max Roeg, and Statten Roeg. Following their divorce, Roeg married Harriet Harper in 2004.

Filmography[link]

Films as director[link]

Features[link]

Directed by Roeg[link]

• Walkabout (1971)
• Don't Look Now (1973)
• The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)
• Bad Timing: A Sensual Obsession (1980)
• Eureka (1983)
• Insignificance (1985)
• Castaway (1986)
• Track 29 (1988)
• The Witches (1990)
• Cold Heaven (1991)
• Two Deaths (1995)
• Puffball (2007)

Co-directed by Roeg[link]

• Performance, with Donald Cammell (1970)
• Glastonbury Fayre (1972)
• Aria (1987) (segment: "Un ballo in maschera")

Shorts[link]

• Hotel Paradise (1995)
• The Sound of Claudia Schiffer (2000)

Television[link]

• Sweet Bird of Youth (1989)
• The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (episode: "Paris, October 1916")
• Heart of Darkness (1994)
• Full Body Massage (1995)
• Samson and Delilah (1996)

Selected films as cinematographer[link]

• Jazz Boat (1960)
• The Caretaker (1963)
• The Masque of the Red Death (1964)
• Nothing But the Best (1964)
• Doctor Zhivago (1965) (uncredited) (some scenes)
• Fahrenheit 451 (1966)
• A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966)
• Casino Royale (1967) (Additional Cinematographer)
• Far from the Madding Crowd (1967)
• Petulia (1968)
• Performance (1970)
• Walkabout (1971)

References[link]

• Nicolas Roeg, Neil Feineman, Boston: Twayne, 1978
• The Films of Nicolas Roeg: Myth and Mind, John Izod, Basingstoke, Macmillan, 1992
• Fragile Geometry: The Films, Philosophy and Misadventures of Nicolas Roeg, Joseph Lanza, New York: Paj Publications, 1989.
• The Films of Nicolas Roeg, Neil Sinyard, London: Letts, 1991

External links[link]

• Senses of Cinema Great Directors
• Nicolas Roeg at the Internet Movie Database
• Nicolas Roeg biography and credits at the British Film Institute's Screenonline
• Nicolas Roeg @ pHinnWeb
• Classic interview with Roeg from 1980
• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences – An Academy Tribute to Nicolas Roeg 2007
• A BAFTA tribute to Nicolas Roeg, British Filmakers pay tribute as Roeg is presented with the Academy's Special Award (27 March 2009)