Sidney J. Furie (born February 28, 1933) is a Canadian film director. Furie is perhaps best known for directing American Soldiers, The IPCRESS File, The Entity, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, Lady Sings the Blues, The Boys, Gable and Lombard, Sheila Levine Is Dead and Living in New York and the Iron Eagle films.Also credited with co-creating NBC's off-beat legal drama Petrocelli, which ran from 1974 to 1976 (it was a spin-off from his 1970 film The Lawyer), he also directed Cliff Richard and The Shadows in the 1964 musical Wonderful Life.
Linda Potkin (m. 1968), Sheila Hiltz (m. 1956–1968)
Awards
BAFTA Award for Best British Film
Nominations
DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film
TV Shows
Petrocelli
Star Sign
Pisces
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Trademark
1
Dynamic camera movement that captures the action of a scene, in lieu of cutting to coverage
2
Long takes that play out in intricately composed master shots (some clock in at over five minutes in length)
3
Shoots through and around foregrounded objects to offer a "refracted" view of the action. The style is overt and especially prevalent in The Ipcress File (1965), The Appaloosa (1966) and The Naked Runner (1967), his Wild Angle Trilogy.
4
An imagistic visual style, often with a patented use of multiple cameras.
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Quote
1
I don't actually consider The Entity (1982) to be a horror film--it's a supernatural suspense movie. Horror is such a huge topic that has slasher films and other horrible crap attached to it and I'm not a fan of that stuff at all. I like something that gets you thinking and "The Entity" was certainly that kind of film. Horror is a convenient word that is often applied but I don't think horror is a genre at all. Its more of a term.
2
The truth is, whether your film is about the great mythological character you have to do right, or it's a little movie that nobody ever heard of, you still approach it like it's the most important thing in the world. But failing goes with the territory. Filmmakers are like gunslingers, and you don't win every duel.
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Fact
1
His college classmates at Carnegie Tech included Alan Oppenheimer and legendary Beverly Hills Playhouse director/acting teacher Milton Katselas.
When meeting cinematographer Vittorio Storaro on the set of Francis Ford Coppola's One from the Heart (1981), Storaro was reported to have exclaimed to Furie, "You don't have to tell me who you are! I've stolen from you!" He explained that when The Ipcress File (1965) was released in Italy, it was one of the most influential films for Italian cinematographers just getting started.
7
Cites seeing Captains Courageous (1937) as a young boy as having been the formative movie-going experience growing up in Canada. He told his mother about wanting to make movies after seeing it.
He was personally asked by Rodney Dangerfield to direct My 5 Wives (2000). Dangerfield had a rocky history with most of his directors, and left many sets in disgust, never to return to many of them. Furie was Dangerfield's favorite directing collaborator.
Attended Carnegie Institute of Technology, or Carnegie Tech (now Carnegie Mellon University) in Pittsburgh in the early 1950s.
12
Lady Sings the Blues (1972) was inducted into the Classic Cinema Hall of Fame at the 2006 Black Movie Awards. Furie was given a trophy as the film's director.
He was fired from The Jazz Singer (1980) and quit Night of the Juggler (1980). Of the former, he claims that he wanted to get fired from that production.
Furie was originally in line to direct The Godfather (1972) for Paramount. Producer Albert S. Ruddy had just come off Little Fauss and Big Halsy (1970) with Furie, and was handed the task of producing "The Godfather" after "Little Fauss" had been brought in under-budget and under-schedule. Ruddy personally requested Furie to direct the picture, but Francis Ford Coppola's Italian heritage won the day.
17
Stanley Kubrick was a big fan of The Boys in Company C (1978) and that film as the direct inspiration for +Full Metal Jacket (1987)_. Many critics have identified similarities between the two films including, not least of all, the casting of R. Lee Ermey who plays Marine Drill Instructor Sgt. Joyce in Furie's film and Gunnery Sgt. Hartman in Kubrick's.
18
In 1999 his espionage thriller The Ipcress File (1965) was included at #59 on the BFI's list of the 100 greatest British films of the 20th century.
Was originally hired to direct The Defender (2004), but left due to illness during the prep period. Leading actor Dolph Lundgren directed the film.
21
He originally had a budget of $36 million for Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987). Just before filming was to begin Cannon Pictures, which was starting to suffer financial problems, slashed the budget to $17 million. As a result, Furie had to cut corners by doing things like reusing special effects.
Director
Title
Year
Status
Character
Partners in Action
2002
The Circle
2002
Global Heresy
2002
Going Back
2001/II
Just Cause
2001
TV Series
18 Wheels of Justice
2000-2001
TV Series 2 episodes
Road Rage
2000
TV Movie
My 5 Wives
2000
Pensacola: Wings of Gold
1998-2000
TV Series 8 episodes
Cord
2000
Video
V.I.P.
1998-2000
TV Series 5 episodes
The Collectors
1999
TV Movie
In Her Defense
1999
Married to a Stranger
1997
TV Movie
Top of the World
1997/II
The Rage
1997
Hollow Point
1996
Iron Eagle IV
1995
Lonesome Dove: The Series
1994
TV Series 3 episodes
Ladybugs
1992
The Taking of Beverly Hills
1991
Iron Eagle II
1988
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
1987
Iron Eagle
1986
Purple Hearts
1984
The Entity
1982
The Boys in Company C
1978
Gable and Lombard
1976
Sheila Levine Is Dead and Living in New York
1975
Hit!
1973
Lady Sings the Blues
1972
Little Fauss and Big Halsy
1970
The Lawyer
1970
The Naked Runner
1967
The Appaloosa
1966
The Ipcress File
1965
Swingers' Paradise
1964
The Leather Boys
1964
The Boys
1962
Wonderful to Be Young!
1961
Three on a Spree
1961
The Snake Woman
1961
Doctor Blood's Coffin
1961
Night of Passion
1960
A Cool Sound from Hell
1959
Hudson's Bay
1959
TV Series 19 episodes
A Dangerous Age
1957
Drive Me to Vegas and Mars
2016
post-production
Pride of Lions
2014
Conduct Unbecoming
2011
The Four Horsemen
2008
Video
The Veteran
2006
TV Movie
American Soldiers
2005
Direct Action
2004
Detention
2003
Writer
Title
Year
Status
Character
Drive Me to Vegas and Mars
2016
post-production
Direct Action
2004
story
Going Back
2001/II
story
The Rage
1997
story
Aces: Iron Eagle III
1992
characters
The Taking of Beverly Hills
1991
story
Iron Eagle II
1988
characters / written by
Iron Eagle
1986
written by
Purple Hearts
1984
The Boys in Company C
1978
written by
Petrocelli
1974-1976
TV Series creator - 44 episodes
Night Games
1974
TV Movie characters
The Lawyer
1970
written by
Night of Passion
1960
written by
A Cool Sound from Hell
1959
writer
Hudson's Bay
TV Series 1 episode screenplay - 8 episodes, 1959 story - 4 episodes, 1959
A Dangerous Age
1957
writer
Playbill
1955
TV Series 2 episodes
Producer
Title
Year
Status
Character
Raise Your Kids on Seltzer
2015
executive producer
American Soldiers
2005
producer
Purple Hearts
1984
producer
The Boys
1962
producer
Night of Passion
1960
producer
A Cool Sound from Hell
1959
producer
Hudson's Bay
1959
TV Series producer - 19 episodes
A Dangerous Age
1957
producer
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
On Camera
1955
TV Series
Encounter
1954-1955
TV Series
Playbill
1954
TV Series
Thanks
Title
Year
Status
Character
You Will Believe: The Cinematic Saga of Superman
2006
Video documentary special thanks
The Defender
2004
special thanks
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
Sidney J. Furie: Fire Up the Carousel!
2017
Documentary post-production
Making of 'Direct Action'
2004
Video documentary short
Himself
Detention: An Afta' Skool Special
2004
Video documentary short
Himself
Michael Caine: Breaking the Mold
1994
TV Movie documentary
Hollywood U.K.
1993
TV Series documentary
Himself
Film '72
1987
TV Series
Himself
Lady Sings the Blues (Featurette)
1972
Documentary short
Himself (uncredited)
Won Awards
Year
Award
Ceremony
Nomination
Movie
2010
DGC Lifetime Achievement Award
Directors Guild of Canada
1967
Bronze Wrangler
Western Heritage Awards
Theatrical Motion Picture
The Appaloosa (1966)
1966
BAFTA Film Award
BAFTA Awards
Best British Film
The Ipcress File (1965)
Nominated Awards
Year
Award
Ceremony
Nomination
Movie
2003
DVD Premiere Award
DVD Exclusive Awards
Best Director
Global Heresy (2002)
1989
International Fantasy Film Award
Fantasporto
Best Film
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)
1981
Razzie Award
Razzie Awards
Worst Director
The Jazz Singer (1980)
1966
DGA Award
Directors Guild of America, USA
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures
The Ipcress File (1965)
1965
Palme d'Or
Cannes Film Festival
The Ipcress File (1965)
Known for movies
Iron Eagle II (1988) as Director
Iron Eagle (1986) as Director
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) as Director
$13 Million
