Mike Nichols, the Oscar-winning director of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf and The Graduate, has died at the age of 83. I first saw those two movies on TV when I was in middle school. It was clear to me even then, even to a tween at the beginning of my adventures in Oscarology, that the films of Mike Nichols represented something unique. Something previously unseen. Because, before the mid-’60s, few American directors ever had the right combination of clout, talent and balls to film such things. It seemed to 7th-grade me that Mike Nichols must surely have helped pull American movies out of the strangle-hold the self-imposed “production code” had used to enforce stale ideas of onscreen morality for nearly 30 years. I wasn’t sure about details because I was still groping around to connect the dots, but anybody with eyes and ears could see and hear how movies had grown up in the ’60s virtually overnight. To a pubescent kid the difference was stark: there were movies where sex was whispered about and then suddenly there were movies where sex was yelled and screamed about, movies where sex was no longer a hint but the primary hot topic. Those late-night TV broadcast were my first introduction to Mike Nichols. Because by then his movies were already classics, Nichols was one of the first contemporary directors whose name I latched onto. It took a while longer for me to understand that his position on the cusp of that dramatic change in American cinema meant something more: Mike Nichols was largely responsible for that change.
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Lovely ode to Mr, Nichols, Ryan.
Julian, check out You Don’t Know Jack. I thought Pacino was excellent in that. He may do better in TV these days. I heard he had a banner year this year in film though.
Ryan, Julian – nice
Ok, I have just delivered my 2000-word eulogy on Nichols to my editor… even though I have just written that many words (and they poured out of me) on why Nichols was such a gifted man and his filmography such a joy to behold, I still – honestly – feel at a loss for words. Words seem so insignificant, when you just want to shout one thing in a pleading voice: “Watch this man’s work!”
There are obvious touchstones in Nichols’ career that will stand the test of time, but this minute I feel the urge to highlight some of his ‘lesser’ work of the 80s, ‘Silkwood’ (to me, that’s Streep’s best performance ever!) and ‘Working Girl’ (was Sigourney Weaver on fire back then or what!?). Oh, and ‘The Birdcage’ really is one of the best comedies of the 90s.
Best performance in a Nichols movie? Impossible to pick one, so here’s five: Burton (Virginia Woolf), Hoffmann (Graduate), Streep (Silkwood), Weaver (WG) and Pacino (Angels in America… ok, that’s cheating, but that’s Pacino’s last GREAT piece of acting).
I will be forever grateful, the work of Mike Nichols enriched my life in so many ways.
despite all the awards and the way his films have been firmly etched as true trendsetters in american… hell, western culture in general – any “youth in unrest” film from most western countries owe a MASSIVE debt to “The Graduate” – and the fact that the man had the most auspicious debut in mainstream filmmaking since “Citizen Kane”, I still find Nichols to be oddly underrated.
maybe because he spoke in a softer voice than most directors. he was, unquestionably, a visionary nonetheless. and one of the very best of the very best. hell, just look at his filmography.
very sad to hear this.
ok, 4 things
1) I’ve read Catch-22 three times.
2) I’ve never seen Catch-22 the movie, not till tonight.
3) tonight I’m watching Catch-22 the movie. like, right now. it’s literally on pause.
4) then I’m going to listen to Steven Soderbergh and Mike Nichols talking and being cool as hell for 120 minutes.
agree entirely with Antoinette about Angels in America. It was the first time I saw TV as a equal or even superior form.
I remember well having just seen The Graduate in a downtown theater, driving around in my best friend’s Mustang convertible on a cold winter night yelling out loud in exhilaration.
But of them all, I have such affection for Working Girl.
What is astonishing about Nichols’ work is the consistency. Sure not everything he did was spectacular, but nothing he did was mediocre or average. He was obviously a man of extremely high standards. And what particularly impresses me about him are the glowing words I have been reading on line about his generosity, humor, and understanding. It is a loss for sure, but he has left a wonderful legacy.
I don’t love Catch-22, but I *do* love watching it while listening to its DVD commentary of Steven Soderbergh slobbering all over Mike Nichols for 2 hours. Somehow that elevates it for me.
Catch-22 and Carnal Knowledge are both great films in need of greater acclaim.
A rare director where his last films were almost as great as his first ones even if his middle period was mostly just good. Saw both Carnal Knowledge and Closer this year and thought both were great; Knowledge was probably the better movie but I think Closer is the best work Portman for example has ever done…
I’d like to vindicate 2 of my favorite films from him, “Primary Colors” and “Charlie Wilson’s War”… the man has been sharp as a razor till the end. Just by chance, I bought the “Charlie Wilson’s War” book, only one week ago. Rest in peace…
Aside from a manifest admiration of those two seminal films of his from the mid ‘1960’s, one way or another, CATCH-22 earnestly snuck up on me. I repeatedly told myself that it was far from being as good as the book, but it somehow just works — curiously, parts that aren’t in the book are especially wicked.
Forever grateful for Carnal Knowledge…
Ryan,
Thanks for the response.
Sathorn is great not only for being part of the #CBD area in a sense but, to me, also for it to possibly represent the last section, if any, in Bangkok to suffer inundations during the long rainy season, thanks to the large, deep canal that goes along the way from the Rama IV-Sathorn intersection to the other end. (And personally, there are no street vendors on sidewalks so it is easier to enjoy a short stroll.) The Australian Embassy has made a great choice. US Embassy, too, for selecting Wireless (Vittayu) Road, just vertically next to the Rama IV-Sathorn intersection.
(#No offense to Thai readers here, if any: strictly speaking, it doesn’t make sense to use the term #central business district, since it doesn’t really exist in Bangkok or many other major cities in non-first world countries; as Ryan’s mentioned in his reply, people from all social strata all geographically mingle and roll into this one big Mango.)
In one of our relatively rare but pleasant exchanges a few months back I remember you saying you’ve been in Thailand for 7 years, renting a house in Soi Nana (Sukhumvit, Bangkok) or something from this police guy, who has got a “mia-noi” (minor wife). The beginning of Sukhumvit area is great too for commute, IMO – because it’s located near Ploenchit and other so-called central business district area.
Re movie-going, somehow in general we don’t have much trouble watching Hollywood movies, some Chinese, Japanese and Korean films, in terms of variety and choice here. We are almost as good as, let’s say, our friends in US, UK, Japan, etc. But the nuisance is that, understandably for marketing purposes, some supposedly great films, mostly from US, have to wait until the Oscar nom days, if not that important morning for some hopeful serious contenders, so that they could make the most out of it; as a result, [no sarcastic tone intended] unlike our prestigious American counterparts, we [not a royal we, though, haha] have to wait for some top-tier pieces to come our way in March or so, next year.
[Sorry, blabbering again]
Ryan he didn’t just inject sex into movies…
of course. I wanted to get the sad news online fast, and felt like filtering my feelings through the first impression I had of Mike Nichols when I was just a kid. In no way did I mean to reduce his achievements to anything so tawdry as having my own sexual awareness tweaked during a last late show midnight movie broadcast on my bedroom TV. Just that it was one of my earliest memories of my own awakening to the fact that individual filmmakers were having a profound impact on my life — and one of my earliest eureka moments, realizing how milestone movies by a handful of directors fit into the scope of film history.
Wow what horrible news to wake up to.
I may tweet you about this today Ryan – look out.
Filmboy Michael – Do you watch Modern Family? There was an episode this season that paid homage to Working Girl. I hope Nichols saw it, because as an artist it’s nice to see your art continuing to live.
Ryan he didn’t just inject sex into movies; by casting Dustin Hoffman as Benjamin Braddock, he elevated the character actor to the status of leading actor. That’s what my book (published by Palgrave Macmillan) is about. (I won’t be so crass as to link to it here.) I wrote a whole chapter on Carnal Knowledge, a fascinating film. It played in theaters throughout the early 1970s, and before Star Wars came out, it was actually on the all-time Top 10 for the decade. But hey, young moviegoers were adults then. We prefer superheroes.
I haven’t heard a lot of people talking about his theater work, but of course that was seminal. He would modernize texts only to get to the better heart of them.
Miss you Mike.
One of the first movies we watched when I studied Film in University was ‘The Graduate’. Every shot can be analyzed and so much information can come out of them. Ever since then I’ve loved Mike Nichols work (‘Closer’ is one of the best acted films I’ve ever seen, ‘Angels in America’ is easily one of the finest miniseries ever aired on TV). The man had one hell of a directing career for nearly 50 years, it’s a shame he’s gone.
JPNS Viewer, nice list, interesting rankings
(you replied to me a couple of days ago, but I didn’t see it till this morning:
To answer your question: Where, ahem, those rich guys live — Sathorn [sp] (though I’m just a relatively poor guy).
ah, the Sathorn/Silom corridor, upscale fun of all sorts. I lived on Sukhumvit for 7 years so I understand being relatively poor in a ritzy area. That’s what we love about Bangkok, yes? The rich and not-so-rich and downright poor mingle freely with loose concern for silly boundaries. Likewise the multiplex in Siam Square — that neighborhood is globally cosmopolitan next to a market whose traditions go back 100 years. Makes good sense that a mecca for farang like Siam Square understands how movies like Boyhood will appeal to sophisticated visitors.)
i loved this man’s work intensely
I love “Angels in America”. It was the first time I remember watching something on TV and thinking it was better than most movies. I actually hadn’t realized that he directed “Spamalot” on Broadway until today. I was able to see it when Tim Curry and David Hyde Pierce were in it. Such a great show. It was also the first time I’d heard of Sara Ramirez. Talent all around.
Thoughts to the family. Since this seems sudden it’s even harder. But we all got robbed.
So many great movies, but The Birdcage to me is one of the fucking funniest movies I’ve ever seen.
My favorites from the late Mike Nichols in no particular order:
[Note: I have seen Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? but not properly; so, to be fair to those who like/love/dislike it, it doesn’t count]
The Graduate
Silkwood
Heartburn
Working Girl
Postcards from the Edge
The Birdcage* (*LOVED both Nathan Lane and Robin Williams’ performances; the writing, too.)
RIP Mr. Nichols.
—
Side note but equally important a piece to me [no nuance here]:
RIP to Ken TAKAKURA (Feb. 16, 1931-Nov. 10, 2014) a well-known Japanese actor both in Japan and China (, etc.?).
My guess is that many of North American viewers in their 50s up would probably spot his performances more or less from The Yakuza (1975), Black Rain (1989), (Japanese film) Poppoya (1999), etc. (I understand that among other awards garnered throughout his long career, he’d also won a relatively prestigious prize from one certain celebrated Canadian film festival in Best Actor category from the Japanese film Poppoya as well.
RIP Ken-san.
As I posted on Facebook earlier – I’m watching not one of his best, but one of my favorites – working girl….i encourage all of you who haven’t seen it to check it out. It’s on netflix.
Gotta throw Catch-22 in there. Impossible to ever be the equal of the Heller novel, but it’s got some great moments and casting, not to mention nailing the tone of the book. Also, the Birdcage! And just about the best theatre director around too.
RIP truly one of the greats.
I saw The Graduate for the first time in german, and though I didn’t understand much of what the characters were saying, I could still see what was going on and it was great. Is that a proof of his “visual flair”?
Truly one of the greatest. Loved his earliest works (The Graduate, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Carnal Knowledge) and of course his latest efforts (Closer, Angels in America, Charlie Wilson’s War). Not to mention Silkwood and Postcards from the Edge. Always loved his films ever since I first saw Virginia Woolf and Graduate when I was a teenager (I’m 41 yrs old). There was nothing better on a dull day than a Mike Nichols film.
A lot of people probably don’t realise too that Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf was his debut feature. Start as you mean to go on? And then The Graduate. Wow.
Angels in America is my preference though, what an astonishing six hours of television.
My day took a massive dip with this sad news. God bless.
He was the last living director who won Best Director in the sixties. Right now out of the living filmmakers, the one who won this award the earliest is William Friedkin (in 1972).
Who but Mike Nichols would even consider the same actress who won an Oscar as wholesome Annie Sullivan for the role of Mrs. Robinson?
His biggest casting coup could have gone like this, at the initial meeting to discuss Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?:
“So who do we get to play George and Martha?”
“How ’bout Liz and Dick?”
Everybody roars with laughter
– except Mike Nichols.
He always looked beyond the wattage of fame. Look what he got from Cher, MacClaine, Arkin…endless list.
And Angels in America? Classic.
I’m speechless and shocked.
I’ve never thought he was 83 already…..
He was definitely one of my favorite directors. I loved all his films and even the “lesser” movies like Wolf were at least interesting.
Liz Talor’s win for Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf is my personal 2nd best actress win ever.
And of course I love all his collaborations with Meryl.
Silkwood was intense, Heartburn a guilty pleasure I’m actually proud of, Postcards from the Edge such a great satire and Angels in America a true masterpiece.
I feel bad for Meryl now, but not because Master Class will probably not getting made now, but that she lost a great friend.
This year has taken away so many great legends…. it’s just sad.
RIP Mike and thank you for just everything!
What a sad year. We lost truly visionary director, his movies will never get old.