Curtis Lee Hanson (March 24, 1945 – September 20, 2016) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. Born in Reno, Nevada, Hanson grew up in Los Angeles. After dropping out of high school, Hanson worked as photographer and editor for Cinema magazine. In the 1970s, Hanson participated as a writer for the horror film The Dunwich Horror (1970) and made his directorial debut the B-Movie Sweet Kill (1973), where he lacked creative control to fulfill his vision. While Hanson continued directing, he rose to prominence screenwriting critically acclaimed films such as The Silent Partner (1978), White Dog (1982), and Never Cry Wolf (1983).
After working on projects that kept him unsatisfied, he decided that he should write and direct thriller films based on the success of The Silent Partner. Hence, he followed up with The Bedroom Window (1987) where his writing and directing finally came to merge. By this point, his body of work made an impression on screenwriter David Koepp, who was convinced that he could handle the directorial duties for his script, which led to Bad Influence (1990). Finally he directed The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992), which was both a critical and commercial success.
Moving forward he directed the thriller The River Wild (1994), which grossed $94.2 million. Afterwards, he directed the acclaimed neo-noir crime film L.A. Confidential (1997) earning him the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay as well as nominations for Best Picture and Best Director. The film was also nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival and is preserved by the Library of Congress in the National Film Registry as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
His next directorial effort was the critically acclaimed comedy-drama Wonder Boys (2000). Then came the hip-hop drama 8 Mile (2002), starring rapper Eminem and based on his life experiences. The film was a triumph with critics and at the box-office grossing $242.9 million. Finally the romantic comedy In Her Shoes (2005), was also critically acclaimed and a financial success.
Prior to his 2014 retirement, due to poor health, Hanson directed Lucky You (2007), and Chasing Mavericks (2012), both had troubled productions and the final results did not come near his previous critical and financial accomplishments. Hanson's last significant directorial effort was the HBO television film Too Big to Fail (2011) receiving nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited Series or Movie and Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series or Movie. Hanson died of natural causes in 2016.
Early life Hanson was born in Reno, Nevada, and grew up in Los Angeles. He was the son of Beverly June Curtis, a real estate agent, and Wilbur Hale "Bill" Hanson, a teacher. Hanson dropped out of high school, finding work as a freelance photographer and editor for Cinema magazine.
Film career 1970 to 1982: early writing and directing efforts In 1970, Hanson is listed among the writers of Daniel Haller's The Dunwich Horror, a film adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's short story.
In 1973, Hanson wrote and directed his first feature, Sweet Kill starring Tab Hunter. The film came about when Hanson approached the executive producer Roger Corman about the possibility of writing and directing a film for him. Corman replied he might also be interested in a modern horror film along the lines of Psycho (1960).Chris Nashawaty, Crab Monsters, Teenage Cavemen and Candy Stripe Nurses – Roger Corman: King of the B Movie, Abrams, 2013 p 102 Hanson wrote the script originally with the killer as a female. Corman liked it but felt it was "a little too different" for the killer to be female so asked she be turned male.Christopher T Koetting, Mind Warp!: The Fantastic True Story of Roger Corman's New World Pictures, Hemlock Books. 2009 p 36 According to Hanson, the film cost $130,000 and Corman was supposed to put up two-thirds of the money. After Corman decided to only put up a third, Hanson said "I went to my parents and persuaded them to put a mortgage on their home in order to finance this film." After creative interference from Corman, Hanson later described the experience as a "very unhappy" one.
That same year, Hanson, with the pseudonym Edward Collins, shot a film called And God Bless Grandma and Grandpa. Producer Peter S. Traynor wanted to shoot new scenes. Which he did with actor Dean Jagger, in 1974, who played a character named "Dr. Shagetz." It was renamed God Bless Dr. Shagetz. In 1975, a litigation started between Traynor and the film's financial investors. It is rumored that with the name God Bless Dr. Shagetz, it had limited released in 1977. In 1983, a producer named Mardi Rustam, bought the films rights and shot new footage. In 1985, Rusham's version was released as a direct to video title name Evil Town.
In 1978, Hanson wrote and was an associate producer for Daryl Duke's Canadian film The Silent Partner. The film came about when Hanson was being asked to direct b-level picture and decided to write something more ambitious. He said that "The Silent Partner was a film I wrote on spec. I was hoping to direct it but I didn't get the opportunity. But I ended up finishing the movie. I was brought back by the producers to do a week of pick-up shots and all of the post-production. The Silent Partner did well in Canada both critically and financially, winning several Canadian Film Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director.Rist, 1995. pp.211 The film was a sleeper upon its US release, with Brendon Hanley of the film database Allmovie noting that the film"...stands out as one of the best sleepers of the late '70s".
In 1980, Hanson directed The Little Dragons starring Chris and Pat Petersen.
In 1982, Hanson was among the screenwriters of Samuel Fuller's White Dog. The film depicts the struggle of a dog trainer named Keys, who is black, trying to retrain a stray dog trained to make vicious attacks upon, and to kill, any black person. White Dog was a 1970 novel, whose story was purchased for use by Paramount in 1975, with Hanson selected to write the screenplay and Roman Polanski hired to direct. Before shooting commenced, Polanski had legal problems, leaving the production in limbo. Over a span of six years, the project was given to various writers and producers. By 1981, Hanson, back on board as the film's screenwriter, suggested that Samuel Fuller be named the film's director as he felt Fuller was the only one available with the experience needed to complete the film on short notice, while still doing so responsibly with regard to the sensitive material. The film was praised by critics, particularly for its treatment of racism and Fuller's directorial talents.
1982 to 1994: rise to prominence and breakthrough In 1982, Hanson directed Losin' It, a teen-comedy starring Tom Cruise, about teenagers going to Tijuana to visit a brothel. Hanson explains that it was "not a happy experience. A picture I'm proud of the work we all did, but it was again taken away, retitled, re-edited and music was stuck in I didn't like." The film received negative reviews from critics. It has an 18% score on Rotten Tomatoes based on 11 reviews. It opened in 180 theaters in New York and Los Angeles, opening with $437,257 for the weekend; it grossed $1,246,141 domestically.
That same year he was credited among the writers of Carroll Ballard's Never Cry Wolf. The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 100% based on reviews from eighteen critics, with an average rating of 7.7 out of 10."Never Cry Wolf ." Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved: November 4, 2014. The film grossed in the US$27,668,764."Never Cry Wolf (1983); Arctic tale." The Numbers (Nash Information Services). Retrieved: November 4, 2014.
In 1986, Hanson directed the made-for-television crime drama film The Children of Times Square.The New York Times
In 1987, Hanson directed The Bedroom Window starring Steve Guttenberg, Isabelle Huppert, and Elizabeth McGovern. The film came about, while Hanson was only offered teen-comedies after Losin' It and wanted to accomplish something like The Silent Partners. He explains that, when he read the novel The Witness by Anne Holden and tried to get the film rights. Already bought by Paramount, Hanson made a deal with them. Hanson says McGovern was his "only choice" for the part of Denise. Hanson decided to cast French actress Huppert for a part of an American character, who felt she added sophistication to the role. Hanson says Guttenberg was not his first choice for the lead but rather a suggestion by producer Dino De Laurentiis, due to his popularity in comedies. Hanson agreed to cast Guttenberg, when he saw the actor's enthusiasm, and his eagerness to escape typecast. Upon its original release, the film received mixed reviews from other film critics. As of April 2021, the film holds a 70% rating on Rotten Tomatoes with the consensus: "A likable cast and mostly solid story..." Of the film Hanson concluded "that was the one where my writing and directing finally merged."
In 1990, Hanson directed Bad Influence, starring Rob Lowe and James Spader. Hanson stated that the film bears similarities to his earlier movies, The Silent Partner and The Bedroom Window. He said all are about a "character who takes a step out of line. In these pictures the guy is very guilty ... and his guilt gets him in deeper and deeper. Because he's guilty he pays a terrible price, but we feel better because he paid that price and he ends up with a strict moral code he didn't have at the start of the picture."Director uses temptation theme Dudek, Duane. Milwaukee Journal; Milwaukee, Wis. [Milwaukee, Wis]09 Mar 1990: NO PG CIT. He explained that he got the directing duties because screenwriter David Koepp "was a big fan of a picture I had written called The Silent Partner. When he wrote Bad Influence, which actually had elements in it that were kind of inspired by The Silent Partner, I think this is something David would be the first to say himself, the people who financed the movie were going, "Who should we get to direct this?" As it happened, one of them was a big fan of The Bedroom Window and said, "Well, what about that guy?" and David went, "That's a great idea!" During rehearsals, a sex scandal story broke about Lowe. "I don't believe in the theory that any publicity is good," said Hanson. "For Rob's sake and the picture's sake, I wish it had never happened. The story broke shortly before rehearsals and my reaction was completely selfish. I kept wondering, 'How does this affect the movie? How does it affect his performance?' It was like a carnival atmosphere around him."SCANDAL GOOD FOR ROB LOWE: [1* Edition] Persico, Joyce J. The Province 6 Mar 1990: 39. Hanson said of the final result that "Bad Influence is a movie that I'm very proud of, actually. It was the first movie where I was pretty much, within the confines of budget and obvious considerations like that, I was pretty much able to follow through with this all the way to the end including the choice of music, right down to the end." Bad Influence received mixed to positive reviews from critics. It holds a 65% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 20 reviews.
In 1992 Hanson directed The Hand That Rocks the Cradle starring Rebecca De Mornay and Annabella Sciorra. The film opened on January 10, 1992, and grossed $7.7 million in its opening weekend. The film lasted at #1 for four consecutive weeks and by the end of its run earned $88 million in the United States and Canada and $52 million internationally, for a worldwide total of $140 million.
1994 to 2005: continued success In 1994, Hanson directed the adventure film The River Wild starring Meryl Streep, Kevin Bacon, and David Strathairn. It grossed $94,216,343 worldwide, earning $46,816,343 in the United States and Canada and $47,400,000 internationally.