Joel Schumacher (New York, August 29, 1939), is a director, producer and screenwriter of American cinema. It has been the director of works such as lost boys, the customer, Batman Forever, 8 mm and A day of wrath.

Career

Early years

Schumacher was born in New York City. His mother Marian was a Jew of Swedish descent while his father Frank was a Baptist from Knoxville (Tennessee), who died when Joel was four years old. He studied at the Parsons The New School for Design and The Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. After his early work in the fashion world, found his true passion in cinema. He moved to Los Angeles, where to begin its work as a designer of costumes in films such as the sleeper and developed their knowledge on television and made listener at UCLA. In 1976, held his first screenplay for the film low budget Car Wash with little success to continue titles like the magician (1978), an adaptation of the work brought to the screen by Sidney Lumet.

Career as a director

His directorial debut came with the incredible shrinking woman in 1981, starring Lily Tomlin and dealing with the history of the shrinking man, but with female protagonist. The film was a success in the world of independent cinema. In the 1980s, Schumacher specialize in different areas, producer as the comedy the crazy taxi (1983), St. Elmo, meeting point, or the Lost generation, horror film regarded as two archetypal as two of the great successes of the career of Schumacher and 80 films. This led studies battle by having your service a Director so relevant. In the 1990s, Schumacher majored in thrillers of great acceptance as deadly line (1990), A day of rage (1993) or moving to film the best-sellers of John Grisham, the client (1994), and time to kill (1996), the last a choice of Grisham.

Another element that was known Schumacher is replaced Tim Burton as director of the Batman saga. The New Yorker directed Batman Forever in 1995, which was one of the biggest successes in spite of receiving very positive reviews, and Batman & Robin, who was a major disaster in critical and box-office. These few expectations were that the Warner Bros. cancelase Batman’s next project and was to be directed by the own Schumacher Batman Triumphant.

From here, Schumacher would undertake other projects as 8 mm (1999) with Nicolas Cage and the comedy Flawless (1999) with Robert De Niro which received good reviews but not included large numbers at the box office. In 2000, Schumacher would give a u-turn and get better criticisms of his career with the drama set in the war of the Viet Nam Tigerland, where would be known to a young Colin Farrell.

The work of Schumacher would continue with the controversial call last (2002), where the director returns with Colin Farrell and the political thriller nine days (2002) starring Anthony Hopkins and Chris Rock.

In 2004, Schumacher returns to the load with the Phantom of the Opera, based on the musical and where the director made the casting of actors. The film won 3 Oscar nominations and 3 Golden Globe, though it would gain none of them. The last work of Schumacher has been the number 23, a thriller with Jim Carrey as protagonist.

Director of video clips

* He directed the video for the song “Kiss from to rose”, singer Seal, which is part of the Batman Forever soundtrack.

* He directed the video for the song “The End is the Beginning is the End”, the Smashing Pumpkins, group which is part of the Batman & Robin soundtrack.

* In 1999, Schumacher directed clip “Letting the Cables Sleep” by the British band Bush.

Sexuality

Schumacher has openly declared his homosexuality and has shown it in his career. In the memories of Liz Smith In Natural Blonde, writes that “itself itself, an”out of the sexual act”and talks about their sexual affairs and his friends.” Schumacher has also been criticized by Vito Russo in his book The Celluloid Closet for negative contribution to the collective gay Hollywood image.

Filmography

* The incredible shrinking woman (1981)

* Crazy taxi (D.C. Cab) (1983)

* St. Elmo, meeting point (St. Elmo’s Fire) (1985)

* Hidden young (The Lost Boys) (1987)

* A touch of infidelity (Cousins) (1989)

* Flatliners (Flatliners) (1990)

* Choose a love (Dying Young) (1991)

* A day of wrath (Falling Down) (1993)

* Customer (The Client) (1994)

* Batman Forever (1995)

* Time to kill (A Time to Kill) (1996)

* Batman and Robin (Batman & Robin) (1997)

* 8 mm (1999)

* Nobody is perfect (Flawless) (1999)

* Tigerland (2000)

* Nine days (Bad Company) (2002)

* Phone Booth (2002)

* Veronica Guerin (2003)

* The Phantom of the Opera (The Phantom of the Opera) (2004)

* The number 23 (The Number 23) (2007)

* Blood Creek (2009)