Julien Temple
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Biography
Filmography
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Biography
While attending the National Film School in London, British film director Julien Temple became fascinated with the emerging punk culture, particularly the notorious Sex Pistols, and made a sensational feature debut with "The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle" (1979), a gripping, anarchic account of that quintessential punk rock band. Variety (March 3, 1980) called "Swindle" the "Citizen Kane" of rock 'n' roll movies and gushed that it "represents the most imaginative use of a rock group since The Beatles debuted in "A Hard Day's Night." Following its success, Temple became established as one of the pioneers of music videos, directing such diverse talents as the Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Neil Young and Janet Jackson, as well as helming feature-length projects like the concert-comedy fest "The Secret Policeman's Other Ball" (1981) and "Running Out of Luck" (1985), essentially a long-playing vidclip of Mick Jagger's first solo album, "She's the Boss." He also directed the original period musical "Absolute Beginners" (1986), set in 1958 London and featuring the likes of Bowie, Patsy Kensit and Sade, not to mention the "Rigoletto" segment of the disappointing "Aria" (1987).
Temple helmed the infectiously daffy "Earth Girls Are Easy" (1989), a musical comedy about aliens landing in the San Fernando Valley and getting their introduction to Southern California from a ditsy manicurist (Geena Davis). The pic also starred Jeff Goldblum and Jim Carrey and featured flamboyant art direction reminiscent of "Little Shop of Horrors" (1986) and the movies of John Waters. His first non-musical offering, "Bullet" (1996, starring Mickey Rourke and Tupac Shakur), was a bit of a mess, suffering from its gangsta rap video look, and went straight-to-video in the USA, despite a compelling performance by Shakur. He fared somewhat better with "Vigo - Passion for Life" (1998), a love story based on the relationship of French director Jean Vigo (James Frain) and his wife Lydu Lozinska (Romane Bohringer), but it was "The Filth and the Fury" (2000), his second Sex Pistols documentary, that finally earned him accolades comparable to his debut. Whereas "Swindle" had represented manager Malcolm McLaren as the Fagin-like Svengali who invented the Pistols, "Filth" set the record straight by emphasizing the point-of-view of John Lydon, a.k.a. band leader Johnny Rotten, who had no part in "Swindle." Temple followed with "Pandaemonium" (lensed 1999), another period drama focusing on the lives of Romantic poets William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
Filmography
Director (Feature Film)
Cast (Feature Film)
Cinematography (Feature Film)
Writer (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Music (Feature Film)
Location Manager (Feature Film)
Misc. Crew (Feature Film)
Director (Special)
Life Events
1979
First documented the Sex Pistols in his feature directorial debut, "The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle"; wrote screenplay and co-wrote title song
1981
Helmed "The Secret Policeman's Other Ball", a compilation of two concerts (both fundraisers for Amnesty International), also featured the Monty Python gang
1985
Produced, directed and scripted "Running Out of Luck", essentially a long-playing vidclip of Mick Jagger's album "She's the Boss"
1986
Directed "Absolute Beginners", an energetic, original musical set in 1958 London; received writing credit for three of the songs
1987
Wrote and directed the "Rigoletto" segment of "Aria"
1989
Helmed the sci-fi musical comedy "Earth Girls Are Easy", starring Geena Davis, Jeff Goldblum and Jim Carrey
1991
Served as location director and creative consultant on "The Rolling Stones 'At the Max'", first feature-length IMAX concert film
1995
First non-musical film, the crime drama "Bullet", staring Mickey Rourke and Tupac Shakur
1998
Directed "Vigo - Passion for Life", a love story based on the relationship between French director Jean Vigo and his wife Lydu Lozinska
2000
Returned to the Sex Pistols as subject of "The Filth and the Fury"; screened at the Sundance Film Festival
2000
Helmed "Pandaemonimum", a feature film starring Robert Carlyle, based on the relationship between the 18th-century British poets Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth
2006
Directed "Glastonbury," a documentary on Britain's best-known music festival
2007
Helmed "Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten," a documentary about the late Clash frontman; premiered at Sundance
Videos
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