Jonathan Demme: Farewell and Gratitude

This one really kills me. The great Jonathan Demme has passed away - another victim of cancer, at the age of 73. Easily one of America's greatest filmmakers, he moved with ease from dramas to comedies - from concert films to documentaries, all the while maintaining one of the most likable dispositions in the business. He cut his teeth on Roger Corman films and an episode of Columbo, before directing Melvin and Howard in 1980, which won two Oscars. At that point, there was no stopping him.

Demme is responsible for three of my personal favorites. Of course, The Silence of the Lambs, which was a critical and box office triumph, leaving an indelible icon of infamy in the landscape of cinema. Like The Godfather, it's one of those films that feels new every time you see it, and is endlessly quotable, impossible to stop watching.

In 1986, I discovered Something Wild, with Melanie Griffith and Jeff Daniels, and it blew me away. It was awash in eighties music, and dared to do what few comedies had ever tried before: introduce a truly terrifying villain and upend the tone, with Ray Liotta's breakout performance. It's as unique as they come, and full of life, something all of Demme's films have in common.

But one of my all time favorites of Demme's is a little known production from 1982 - Who Am I This Time? - an episode of the PBS anthology series American Playhouse. Adapted from a short story by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Who Am I This Time? stars Susan Sarandon and Christopher Walken as two lonely strangers who meet in a small town's amateur theater production. It's probably the sweetest love story I've ever seen, and Demme managed to capture these amazing performances that are simply beautiful to behold. You really owe it to yourself to seek this one out, it's a helluva gem.

From The Talking Heads to Neil Young, from Howard Hughes to Hannibal Lecter, Jonathan Demme was fascinated by rhythms and lives, and was a filmmaker who truly captured the unique nature of America at its best. He was a true original, and leaves behind a glorious canvas of color and sound.