Robert Fuest(1927-2012)
- Director
- Production Designer
- Writer
Well regarded for his stylish genre work of the 1970s, Robert Fuest may
not have a very extensive list of feature film credits, but the quality
of his output is what matters, not the quantity.
He certainly came to the business with a real talent for art. Born in
London in 1927, he would spend some time serving in the Royal Air
Force. After his service he would teach art as well as turning out his
own paintings, which would be displayed at the Royal Academy. He moved
into copywriting, with an eye towards getting into the movie business.
In the late 1950s he joined the art department of Associated British
Television, and became the art director for the legendary TV series
The Avengers (1961). His first
feature film was a low-budget production titled
Just Like a Woman (1967), which
got him some good notices, but other directorial offers did not start
flooding in. At that point he went back to "The Avengers", albeit in
the new capacity of a director. Two producers of the series,
Brian Clemens and
Albert Fennell, wanted to move into
movies themselves, and chose Fuest to direct their debut effort, the
incredible, chilling, rural thriller
And Soon the Darkness (1970),
which proved to be a success. After that came the literary adaptation
Wuthering Heights (1970), made
for American-International Pictures; the studio would cut a lot from
the picture, only concerned with how much money it made, and it made
enough to keep them happy. This would lead to Fuest's directing the
revered Vincent Price vehicle
The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971),
which critics admired for its dark humor, sets and nasty but inventive
murder sequences. A sequel proved to be inevitable, and
Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972)
followed two years later. It was intended to be more blatantly comedic
and a send-up the original, but the studio reduced the comedy content
and, unfortunately, it was not so successful.
Next for Fuest came the cult favorite
The Final Programme (1973),
for which he himself wrote the script and convinced investors he could
make it for 600,000 pounds or less. It would be a critical but not
commercial success.
The Devil's Rain (1975) was
offered to him by producer
Sandy Howard. Filmed in Mexico, it
cost approximately $1.5 million to make and took about 29 days to
shoot. However, the resources available weren't really enough, and it
became quite a difficult shoot for the director, who says he nearly
suffered a nervous breakdown. He would then return to TV for
The New Avengers (1976) and
spent three years in America shooting such TV movies as
Revenge of the Stepford Wives (1980).
His last theatrical movie to date was the 1982 French-made
Aphrodite (1982). After more TV work,
he became semi-retired, returning to painting and also lecturing at the
London International Film School.
Years later, his movies continue to earn their share of admirers.
not have a very extensive list of feature film credits, but the quality
of his output is what matters, not the quantity.
He certainly came to the business with a real talent for art. Born in
London in 1927, he would spend some time serving in the Royal Air
Force. After his service he would teach art as well as turning out his
own paintings, which would be displayed at the Royal Academy. He moved
into copywriting, with an eye towards getting into the movie business.
In the late 1950s he joined the art department of Associated British
Television, and became the art director for the legendary TV series
The Avengers (1961). His first
feature film was a low-budget production titled
Just Like a Woman (1967), which
got him some good notices, but other directorial offers did not start
flooding in. At that point he went back to "The Avengers", albeit in
the new capacity of a director. Two producers of the series,
Brian Clemens and
Albert Fennell, wanted to move into
movies themselves, and chose Fuest to direct their debut effort, the
incredible, chilling, rural thriller
And Soon the Darkness (1970),
which proved to be a success. After that came the literary adaptation
Wuthering Heights (1970), made
for American-International Pictures; the studio would cut a lot from
the picture, only concerned with how much money it made, and it made
enough to keep them happy. This would lead to Fuest's directing the
revered Vincent Price vehicle
The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971),
which critics admired for its dark humor, sets and nasty but inventive
murder sequences. A sequel proved to be inevitable, and
Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972)
followed two years later. It was intended to be more blatantly comedic
and a send-up the original, but the studio reduced the comedy content
and, unfortunately, it was not so successful.
Next for Fuest came the cult favorite
The Final Programme (1973),
for which he himself wrote the script and convinced investors he could
make it for 600,000 pounds or less. It would be a critical but not
commercial success.
The Devil's Rain (1975) was
offered to him by producer
Sandy Howard. Filmed in Mexico, it
cost approximately $1.5 million to make and took about 29 days to
shoot. However, the resources available weren't really enough, and it
became quite a difficult shoot for the director, who says he nearly
suffered a nervous breakdown. He would then return to TV for
The New Avengers (1976) and
spent three years in America shooting such TV movies as
Revenge of the Stepford Wives (1980).
His last theatrical movie to date was the 1982 French-made
Aphrodite (1982). After more TV work,
he became semi-retired, returning to painting and also lecturing at the
London International Film School.
Years later, his movies continue to earn their share of admirers.