Deaths in Cinema in 2014

The year 2014, like every year, had many good and bad news, among which the bad news included the deaths of various figures who are etched in the memories of cinema lovers; from their natural deaths at old ages to bitter suicides at young ages. The auteur filmmaker Alain Resnais, the famous French director, passed away on March 1, 2014, at the age of 91 in Paris, just two or three weeks after the premiere of his last film, "Life of Riley" at the Berlin Festival. The history of French cinema is closely linked with Alain Resnais; a filmmaker who has permanently registered his place in cinema history with several brilliant documentaries such as Guernica (about Picasso's famous painting of the same name) and Night and Fog (about the Holocaust), and with his first two feature films, Hiroshima Mon Amour and Last Year at Marienbad, he reached an astonishing combination of reality and dream in a personal way that makes these two films—whether we love them or not—extremely distinct and unique. Resnais continued the strange atmosphere of his early films in the following decades and added different enigmatic films such as Muriel to his repertoire. However, in his later years as a filmmaker, he showed a peculiar interest in the combination of theater and cinema. Resnais' last films are sometimes remarkable comedies about the world of theater. In "Life of Riley" and the previous film, "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet," everything is extremely theatrical; a different attempt that some welcomed and some did not. Miklós Jancsó, the most famous Hungarian filmmaker, also passed away on January 31 at the age of 92 in Budapest. Jancsó was praised for films such as Red and Black (1967) and The Red Psalm (1972) due to the political climate of the world, but nowadays his name is mentioned less, and although he continued to make films until his death, his works did not receive much attention. Nevertheless, films like Red and Black, which today seem outdated due to their ideological themes, are fascinating experiences of a style that heavily relies on very long takes that define Jancsó's signature. One of the most shocking news in the cinema world was the suicide of Malik Bendjelloul, a Swedish documentary filmmaker, on May 13 at the age of 36. Bendjelloul had recently created one of the most beautiful documentaries in cinema history: "Searching for Sugar Man"; the beautiful story of a singer who had sold only five copies of his records in America but had found millions of fans in South Africa after several decades, without knowing it. Just a year earlier, Bendjelloul was present on stage at the Oscars to rightfully receive the Oscar for Best Documentary, but the body of the creator of a film full of hope that brings tears to the eyes of its viewers was found under one of the bridges in Stockholm; surrounded by a multitude of ifs and buts and storytelling about the reason for this suicide. Robin Williams, who always brought smiles to his viewers, committed suicide in his home on August 11 at the age of 63. This movie star had suffered from mental health issues for a long time without anyone knowing. Apparently, financial problems had also added to his other issues, resulting in the loss of one of the most famous comedic actors in cinema, immortalized by films such as Mrs. Doubtfire (1989) and Dead Poets Society (1993). The body of Philip Seymour Hoffman, who had joined the ranks of Hollywood's top actors in recent years, was found in his apartment in New York on February 2, alongside packages of drugs. This 46-year-old actor had long suffered from addiction problems, but his roles in films such as "Capote" as the famous writer Truman Capote, and "Cold Mountain" immortalized him in cinema. One of the last survivors of Hollywood's golden age in the 1940s, Lauren Bacall, passed away on August 12 at the age of 89 in New York: the co-star and wife of Humphrey Bogart. The beautiful Bacall was only nineteen when she appeared opposite Humphrey Bogart in "To Have and Have Not" (1944, directed by Howard Hawks based on a story by Ernest Hemingway), and although Bogart was twenty-five years older than her, they fell in love and married the following year. The result of this love was several top films in cinema history in which Bogart and Bacall shone, such as The Big Sleep (1946), Dark Passage (1947), and Key Largo (1948). Mike Nichols, a German-American filmmaker, passed away on November 19 at the age of 83; the creator of acclaimed films such as Catch-22 (1970) and The Graduate (1967). Richard Attenborough, an English actor and director, passed away on August 24 at the age of 90; an Oscar winner for directing the film Gandhi (1983) and known for his roles in films such as Jurassic Park (1993). Maximilian Schell, an Austrian/Swiss actor and director, passed away on February 1 at the age of 83; an Oscar winner for Best Actor for the film Judgment at Nuremberg (1961). Paul Mazursky, an American filmmaker, passed away on June 30 at the age of 84; known for films such as An Unmarried Woman (1978). Eli Wallach, an American actor, passed away on June 24 at the age of 98; known for his roles in films such as The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966), The Magnificent Seven (1960), and Baby Doll (1956). Mickey Rooney, an American actor, passed away on April 6 at the age of 93; known for appearing in over three hundred films over eighty years, including Babes in Arms (1939) and The Human Comedy (1943). Bob Hoskins, an English actor, passed away on April 29 at the age of 71; known for films such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) and Mona Lisa (1986). Gordon Willis, an American cinematographer, passed away on May 18 at the age of 82; known for cinematography in The Godfather series and famous Woody Allen films such as Manhattan (1979) and Annie Hall (1977).