Benedict Fitzgerald, best known as the screenwriter of The Passion of the Christ, died at home in Marsala, Sicily after a long illness on January 17, 2024. He was 74 and no cause of death was given by his family.
He first won acclaim for his screenplay adaptation of Flannery O’Connor’s novel Wise Blood, cowritten with his brother, Michael. The film, produced in 1979 by Michael and Kathy Fitzgerald and directed by John Huston, starred Brad Dourif, Harry Dean Stanton, and Ned Beatty.
Fitzgerald specialized in literary adaptions, among them Zelda, (starring Natasha Richardson and Timothy Hutton) in 1993; Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness in 1993 (starring John Malkovich); a television mini-series of Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood in 1996 and Moby Dick in 1998 (starring Patrick Stewart as Ahab and nominated for 5 primetime Emmy awards).
The Passion Of The Christ (2004), the...
He first won acclaim for his screenplay adaptation of Flannery O’Connor’s novel Wise Blood, cowritten with his brother, Michael. The film, produced in 1979 by Michael and Kathy Fitzgerald and directed by John Huston, starred Brad Dourif, Harry Dean Stanton, and Ned Beatty.
Fitzgerald specialized in literary adaptions, among them Zelda, (starring Natasha Richardson and Timothy Hutton) in 1993; Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness in 1993 (starring John Malkovich); a television mini-series of Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood in 1996 and Moby Dick in 1998 (starring Patrick Stewart as Ahab and nominated for 5 primetime Emmy awards).
The Passion Of The Christ (2004), the...
- 1/21/2024
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Benedict Fitzgerald, co-screenwriter of “The Passion of the Christ,” died Jan. 17 in Marsala, Sicily, after a long illness, his cousin Nancy Ritter told Variety. He was 74.
Fitzgerald co-wrote 2004’s “The Passion of the Christ” with director and producer Mel Gibson. The biblical epic remains the highest-grossing independent film of all time.
Fitzgerald first received acclaim for his screenplay adaptation of the Flannery O’Connor novel “Wise Blood,” which he co-wrote with his brother Michael. Michael and Kathy Fitzgerald produced the John Huston-directed film, which starred Brad Dourif, Harry Dean Stanton and Ned Beatty.
“Wise Blood” marked the beginning of Fitzgerald’s many literary adaptations, including 1993’s “Zelda” with Natasha Richardson and Timothy Hutton, and Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness” (1993), starring John Malkovich. He wrote the miniseries adaptations of Truman Capote’s “In Cold Blood” (1996) and Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick” (1998), starring Patrick Stewart as Captain Ahab. Both series were nominated for several Emmy Awards.
Fitzgerald co-wrote 2004’s “The Passion of the Christ” with director and producer Mel Gibson. The biblical epic remains the highest-grossing independent film of all time.
Fitzgerald first received acclaim for his screenplay adaptation of the Flannery O’Connor novel “Wise Blood,” which he co-wrote with his brother Michael. Michael and Kathy Fitzgerald produced the John Huston-directed film, which starred Brad Dourif, Harry Dean Stanton and Ned Beatty.
“Wise Blood” marked the beginning of Fitzgerald’s many literary adaptations, including 1993’s “Zelda” with Natasha Richardson and Timothy Hutton, and Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness” (1993), starring John Malkovich. He wrote the miniseries adaptations of Truman Capote’s “In Cold Blood” (1996) and Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick” (1998), starring Patrick Stewart as Captain Ahab. Both series were nominated for several Emmy Awards.
- 1/21/2024
- by Caroline Brew
- Variety Film + TV
Susan L. Schulman, a longtime Broadway publicist whose five-decade career included such theater milestones as Applause starring Lauren Bacall, Death of a Salesman with George C. Scott and Bob Fosse’s Dancin’, died Wednesday, October 18, at Mt. Sinai West Hospital in New York City following a brief illness.
Her death was announced by friends Leslie Krakowe, actor Kathleen Chalfant and Roy Bernstein. Her age was not immediately available.
A member of the theatrical union Atpam (Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers) since 1973, Schulman, a New York native, opened her own theatrical Times Square press office in 1978, with early clients including Jack Gilford, Manhattan Theatre Club, Joffrey Ballet, and Garrison Keillor.
Over the years she would take on clients from Broadway, Off Broadway, dance, film, TV and books. A small Broadway sampling: Requiem For A Heavyweight (with John Lithgow and George Segal), City Of Angels, Death And The Maiden with Glenn Close,...
Her death was announced by friends Leslie Krakowe, actor Kathleen Chalfant and Roy Bernstein. Her age was not immediately available.
A member of the theatrical union Atpam (Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers) since 1973, Schulman, a New York native, opened her own theatrical Times Square press office in 1978, with early clients including Jack Gilford, Manhattan Theatre Club, Joffrey Ballet, and Garrison Keillor.
Over the years she would take on clients from Broadway, Off Broadway, dance, film, TV and books. A small Broadway sampling: Requiem For A Heavyweight (with John Lithgow and George Segal), City Of Angels, Death And The Maiden with Glenn Close,...
- 10/20/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
This list was updated on June 7, 2022 in celebration of this year’s Pride month. It was first published on August 25, 2017.
The last few years have not only brought LGBTQ films and stories further into the mainstream, but queer films have dominated awards seasons and found commercial success in unlikely places. This has been more than a long time coming: The New Queer Cinema was a major influence on the indie film boom of the ’90s, and set the bar high for the many queer films to follow.
No longer limited by minuscule budgets, films with gay and lesbian stories have flourished in the first two decades of the 21st century. There is something about the scrappy DIY aesthetic that will always be essentially queer — and the films below reflect a notable shift in the ambition and scope of contemporary queer films. While there may not be a new wave of...
The last few years have not only brought LGBTQ films and stories further into the mainstream, but queer films have dominated awards seasons and found commercial success in unlikely places. This has been more than a long time coming: The New Queer Cinema was a major influence on the indie film boom of the ’90s, and set the bar high for the many queer films to follow.
No longer limited by minuscule budgets, films with gay and lesbian stories have flourished in the first two decades of the 21st century. There is something about the scrappy DIY aesthetic that will always be essentially queer — and the films below reflect a notable shift in the ambition and scope of contemporary queer films. While there may not be a new wave of...
- 6/7/2022
- by Jude Dry and Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Chances are, you haven’t seen Rachel Mason’s debut film, The Lives of Hamilton Fish, a surreal, arty musical about two men—one a politician, the other a cannibal—who died on the same day in 1936. It toured the indie festival circuit, and that’s about all, and Mason didn’t expect a whole lot more from her follow-up, the highly personal documentary Circus of Books. That all changed when Ryan Murphy came on board as executive producer, and she was amazed to see the film’s profile rise dramatically.
“I actually didn’t realize how big of an impact having Ryan Murphy attached would be,” she laughs. “But his support of the film was, right out of the box, a game-changer. When we showed up at the Tribeca Film Festival last year, we went from being the underdog film that nobody really looked at to the film that people were talking about.
“I actually didn’t realize how big of an impact having Ryan Murphy attached would be,” she laughs. “But his support of the film was, right out of the box, a game-changer. When we showed up at the Tribeca Film Festival last year, we went from being the underdog film that nobody really looked at to the film that people were talking about.
- 2/6/2021
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
In this episode, Ben and Daniel talk to cabaret superstar Natalie Douglas about Nina Simone's 1961 album 'Forbidden Fruit.' They also discuss The Eagles, 'South Pacific,' Mitzi Gaynor, Roberta Flack, Barbra Streisand, Karen Mason, Joe Williams, and Dolly Parton. Natalie shares stories about moving to New York and working at famous piano bars such as Brandy's and The Duplex. She now sings to audiences around the world and can be seen performing at her monthly residency at Birdland in New York City.
- 11/25/2019
- by Ben Rimalower
- BroadwayWorld.com
"These are called cock rings," says Karen Mason as she unloads a recent shipment of pornographic supplies. The sight of this evidently sweet, gray-haired and bespectacled older woman nonchalantly handling such intimate apparel (not to mention VHS videocassettes with titles like The Sum of All Feet) rises below vulgarity, as Mel Brooks might say. Gut-busting as the moment is, however, it's no joke. This has been Karen's life for many years, as one of two managers — alongside her endearingly nerdy husband, Barry — of the West Hollywood-based adult store Circus of Books.
What led such ...
What led such ...
- 4/29/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
"These are called cock rings," says Karen Mason as she unloads a recent shipment of pornographic supplies. The sight of this evidently sweet, gray-haired and bespectacled older woman nonchalantly handling such intimate apparel (not to mention VHS videocassettes with titles like The Sum of All Feet) rises below vulgarity, as Mel Brooks might say. Gut-busting as the moment is, however, it's no joke. This has been Karen's life for many years, as one of two managers — alongside her endearingly nerdy husband, Barry — of the West Hollywood-based adult store Circus of Books.
What led such ...
What led such ...
- 4/29/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Like any good Jewish mother, Karen Mason has a lot of opinions. Specifically, opinions about why her daughter is making a movie about her. “What are you gonna do with this?” she asks skeptically, as she tosses around boxes of gay porn magazines and DVDs with the workmanlike nonchalance of any small-business owner. Later, when she drops off a donation at USC’s National Gay & Lesbian Archives, she will marvel over a zine display: “You should be doing the documentary about this.” Of course, Karen’s dogged pragmatism, and her complex relationship to the smut that provided her family’s livelihood for thirty years, is why “Circus of Books” is such a rare delight — and a nearly perfect documentary.
Documentaries in which the filmmaker plays a part pose a particular challenge; they can elevate the form, but must be undertaken carefully. “Circus of Books” doesn’t mine the meta-theatrical...
Documentaries in which the filmmaker plays a part pose a particular challenge; they can elevate the form, but must be undertaken carefully. “Circus of Books” doesn’t mine the meta-theatrical...
- 4/27/2019
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Chasing Rainbows: The Road To Oz, a new Judy Garland bio-musical that got an industry presentation in New York last week, has received the rare endorsement of Garland’s daughter Liza Minnelli and the Garland Estate.
“My mother said that her biography is in her music, and now a talented creative team is using that music to tell the story of her early years and her extraordinary rise to fame,” Minnelli said in an exclusive statement to Deadline. “I’m grateful and happy they’re telling the fascinating story of her early history.”
Deadline also has an exclusive sneak peek at a new Chasing Rainbows promo – a “remix” video of the production’s take on “Got a Pair of New Shoes,” a song Garland performed in Thoroughbreds Don’t Cry, her 1937 film with Mickey Rooney. Watch it below.
The musical – being performed in a concert version at New York...
“My mother said that her biography is in her music, and now a talented creative team is using that music to tell the story of her early years and her extraordinary rise to fame,” Minnelli said in an exclusive statement to Deadline. “I’m grateful and happy they’re telling the fascinating story of her early history.”
Deadline also has an exclusive sneak peek at a new Chasing Rainbows promo – a “remix” video of the production’s take on “Got a Pair of New Shoes,” a song Garland performed in Thoroughbreds Don’t Cry, her 1937 film with Mickey Rooney. Watch it below.
The musical – being performed in a concert version at New York...
- 1/14/2019
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Direct from the highly successful production of Love Never Dies in Hamburg, Germany, Gardar Thor Cortes will portray the man behind the mask, 'The Phantom,' with Meghan Picerno as 'Christine Daae,' Karen Mason as 'Madame Giry,' Sean Thompson as 'Raoul,' Mary Michael Patterson as 'Meg Giry,' and Casey Lyons and Jake Heston Miller sharing the role of 'Gustave.' The trio of Phantom's henchmen include Katrina Kemp as 'Fleck,' Richard Koons as 'Squelch,' Stephen Petrovich as 'Gangle,' Gardar Thor Cortes is appearing with the permission of Actors' Equity Association. The Producers gratefully acknowledge Actors' Equity Association for its assistance of this production.
- 3/7/2018
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
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