77-600: Thomas George Hooper (born 5 October 1972) is a British-Australian filmmaker. Known for his work in film and television he has received numerous accolades including an Academy Award , a BAFTA Award , a Primetime Emmy Award and three Golden Globe Awards . Hooper began making short films as a teenager and had his first professional short, Painted Faces , broadcast on Channel 4 in 1992. At Oxford University, he directed plays and television commercials. After graduating, he directed episodes of Quayside , Byker Grove , EastEnders , and Cold Feet on British television. In
154-584: A Cold Climate , Prime Suspect , Red Dust and Elizabeth I . Hooper also uses uncommon framing techniques to emphasise story; in John Adams , he wanted to imply American independence seemed unlikely during the Revolutionary War, so he used "a very rough camera style—almost all hand held, wide lenses close to the actors, lots of movement, many cameras shooting at once so there was often not a settled master "point of view", and lots of unmatching dutch tilts so
231-515: A boy who discovers a bomber jacket and a photograph hidden in a cupboard and learns his grandfather died in World War II . Another of Hooper's short films, entitled Countryside , depicts a nuclear holocaust . Hooper finished school aged 16, then wrote the script for his first professional short film, entitled Painted Faces . He spent the next two years raising capital for the short by courting advertisement directors, whose financial dominance during
308-413: A film adaptation of Mandela's autobiography Long Walk to Freedom . By 2012, however, he had left the project. He was offered the chance to direct Iron Man 3 for Marvel Studios but declined and instead signed on to direct Les Misérables for Working Title Films , which he had first heard about while discussing a different project with screenwriter William Nicholson in 2010. Hooper had not seen
385-583: A large number of leading independent schools, including public schools such as Radley College . The county has two universities: the ancient University of Oxford and the modern Oxford Brookes University , which are both located in Oxford. In addition, Wroxton College , located in Banbury , is affiliated with Fairleigh Dickinson University of New Jersey . The "dreaming spires" of the University of Oxford are among
462-642: A limited theatrical release. After taking a gap year to finance Painted Faces , Hooper read English at University College, Oxford . He joined the Oxford University Dramatic Society , where he directed Kate Beckinsale in A View from the Bridge and Emily Mortimer in The Trial . Hooper also had his first paid directing work, earning £200 for a corporate Christmas video, and he directed his first television advertisements, including one for Sonic
539-421: A lower population than neighbouring Berkshire and Buckinghamshire, which are both smaller. During most of its history, the county was partitioned as fourteen divisions called hundreds , namely Bampton , Banbury , Binfield , Bloxham , Bullingdon , Chadlington , Dorchester , Ewelme , Langtree , Lewknor , Pyrton , Ploughley , Thame and Wootton . The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry ,
616-768: A new digital remix and remaster of Les Misérables in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos , in collaboration with producer Cameron Mackintosh , music producer Lee McCutcheon, music director Stephen Metcalfe and sound mixer Andy Nelson . This version of the film was released theatrically in Dolby Cinema on 14 February 2024 in the United Kingdom and 23 February 2024 in North America to celebrate the stage musical's upcoming 40th anniversary in 2025. In February 2024, Hooper revealed that some upcoming projects with him set to direct are in
693-421: A normal movie." Unlike other musical films, Les Misérables features the actors singing live on camera, rather than miming to backing vocals. Hooper told Los Angeles Times that he thought there was a "slightly strange falseness" when he saw musical films where the actors sang to recordings. The actors wore wireless earpieces on set so they could sing to accompanying piano music. Hooper believed this method allowed
770-508: A similarity between the "egotistical, flawed, brilliant" Adams and the "egotistical, flawed, brilliant" Clough. He was not put off by joining the project later, as Morgan's script was in only its first draft. During pre-production, Hooper engaged in meticulous research, particularly on the locations and the football grounds of the era. He cast Timothy Spall as Clough's assistant Peter Taylor , Colm Meaney as Don Revie and Jim Broadbent as Derby County chairman Sam Longson . During editing, it
847-584: A stark picture of the zealotry of a vengeful nation and its press over the supposed embodiment of evil." Hooper's continued successes led him to be ranked at number four in the Directors category of Broadcast magazine's annual Hot 100. The following year he was nominated for the British Academy Television Craft Award for Best Director for Longford . Elizabeth I and Longford led directly to Hooper being selected by Tom Hanks to direct
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#1732869486888924-470: A variety of focal length camera lenses to distort the resulting picture. In The Damned United he used a 10mm lens, notably in the scene where Clough stays inside during the Derby–Leeds match. Hooper operated the camera in this scene himself. In The King's Speech , Hooper used "typically 14mm, 18mm, 21mm, 25mm and 27mm" lenses and put the camera close to the actors' faces. Hooper said the use of this method in
1001-587: Is a List of awards and nominations received by Tom Hooper Tom Hooper is a British-Australian director known for his work in film and television. Over his career he has received an Academy Award , a BAFTA Award , a Primetime Emmy Award , and three Golden Globe Awards . He received the Academy Award for Best Director and the BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Film for the biographical drama film The King's Speech (2010). For his work in television he earned
1078-584: Is a non-metropolitan county with five districts. The part of the county south of the River Thames , largely corresponding to the Vale of White Horse district, was historically part of Berkshire . The lowlands in the centre of the county are crossed by the River Thames and its tributaries, the valleys of which are separated by low hills. The south contains parts of the Berkshire Downs and Chiltern Hills , and
1155-412: Is an English media businessman. Hooper was educated at Highgate School and Westminster School . His initial interest in drama was triggered by his English and drama teacher at Highgate, former Royal Shakespeare Company actor Roger Mortimer, who produced an annual school play. At the age of 12, Hooper read a book entitled How to Make Film and Television and decided he wanted to become a director. For
1232-568: Is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign. Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( / ˈ ɒ k s f ər d ʃ ər , - ʃ ɪər / OKS -fərd-shər, -sheer ; abbreviated Oxon ) is a ceremonial county in South East England . The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to
1309-522: Is in turn, based on T. S. Eliot 's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats . Filming commenced in November 2018 and the film, which stars Jennifer Hudson , Ian McKellen , Judi Dench , James Corden , Idris Elba and Taylor Swift , was released on 20 December 2019 but was a critical and commercial failure . Hooper co-produced the original song " Beautiful Ghosts " with Lloyd Webber and Greg Wells , written by Swift and Lloyd Webber. In 2023, he co-supervised
1386-440: Is produced through international production company SMUGGLER. After graduating from Oxford, Hooper directed further television commercials, intending to break into the film industry the same way Ridley Scott , Tony Scott and Hugh Hudson did. He was introduced by his father to the television producer Matthew Robinson , who mentored Hooper and gave him his first television directing work. For Robinson, Hooper directed episodes of
1463-468: Is responsible for the most strategic local government functions, including schools, county roads and social services . The county is divided into five local government districts : Oxford , Cherwell , Vale of White Horse (after the Uffington White Horse ), West Oxfordshire and South Oxfordshire , which deal with such matters as town and country planning , waste collection and housing. In
1540-588: The New Statesman : "Tom Hooper proved an outstanding director, imposing a bleak, overlit hyper-realism on the search for a killer in a hospital, isolating Mirren in rows of empty chairs and playing on the eyewitness/optical visual metaphors." The serial was also broadcast on PBS in the United States. Hooper received nominations for the British Academy Television Award for Best Drama Serial and
1617-649: The 2016 European Union referendum , Oxfordshire was the only English county as a whole to vote to remain in the European Union by a significant margin, at 57.06% (70.27% in the City of Oxford), despite Cherwell (barely) voting to leave at 50.31%. Oxfordshire has a comprehensive education system with 23 independent schools and 35 state secondary schools. Only eight schools do not have a sixth form ; these are mostly in South Oxfordshire and Cherwell districts. Oxfordshire has
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#17328694868881694-533: The 2019 live-action adaptation of the musical Cats , for which he won three Golden Raspberry Awards for Worst Director, Worst Picture, and Worst Screenplay. That same year he directed two episodes of the HBO fantasy series His Dark Materials (2019). Tom Hooper was born on 5 October 1972 in London, England, the son of Meredith Jean (Rooney) and Richard Hooper . Meredith is an Australian author and academic and Richard
1771-682: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences , were first held in 1929 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel . Hooper has received one award from one nomination. The BAFTA Award is an annual award show presented by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts . The awards were founded in 1947 as The British Film Academy, by David Lean , Alexander Korda , Carol Reed , Charles Laughton , Roger Manvell and others. Hooper has received one award from four nominations. The Golden Globe Award
1848-676: The Caversham area of Reading , now administratively in Berkshire , was historically part of Oxfordshire, as was the parish of Stokenchurch , now administratively in Buckinghamshire . The areas of Oxford city south of the Thames, such as Grandpont , were transferred much earlier, in 1889. Oxfordshire includes parts of three Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty . In the north-west lie the Cotswolds ; to
1925-569: The Iraq War : "When I started making it you could watch the movie with a wonderful sense of 'we'd never do it in our own country…they're the horrible people but it's not us.' By the time the film came out (there were) these revelations that the Americans were torturing, the British were torturing. The film became a lot more uncomfortable for the very audiences it was designed to target. I have learned that sadly
2002-497: The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for the HBO miniseries Elizabeth I (2005) as well as three Golden Globe Awards for Best Limited or Anthology Series or Television Film for Elizabeth (2005), Longford (2006), and John Adams (2008). The Academy Awards are a set of awards given annually for excellence of cinematic achievements. The awards, organized by
2079-489: The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special for his work on Prime Suspect . Hooper made his debut as a feature film director with the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission drama Red Dust (2004), which stars Hilary Swank , Chiwetel Ejiofor and Jamie Bartlett . The film was not widely seen, which Hooper attributed to media coverage of torture during
2156-484: The battle of Blenheim . The gardens, which can be visited, were designed by the landscape gardener "Capability" Brown , who planted the trees in the battle formation of the victorious army. Sir Winston Churchill was born in the palace in 1874. It is open to the public. Chastleton House , on the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire borders, is a great country mansion built on property bought from Robert Catesby , who
2233-563: The 1970s, and he and Ben Smithard decided to adopt the framing style while scouting locations. Hooper used the same style in The King's Speech , particularly in the scene where Bertie and Logue meet in Logue's consulting room; Colin Firth is framed to the extreme left of the picture, leaving most of the shot dominated by the rough wall behind Firth. Another frequently used technique is Hooper's tendency to use
2310-467: The 2000s, Hooper directed the major BBC costume dramas Love in a Cold Climate (2001) and Daniel Deronda (2002), as well as the 2003 revival of ITV 's Prime Suspect series. He gained acclaim for directing the HBO projects Elizabeth I (2005), Longford (2006), and John Adams (2008), the former of which earned him the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series or Movie . Hooper made his feature film debut with
2387-421: The British drama Red Dust (2004) followed by the sports drama The Damned United (2009). He directed the historical drama The King's Speech (2010) which earned him the Academy Award for Best Director . He followed up with the musical epic Les Misérables (2012), and the romantic drama The Danish Girl (2015), the later of which was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best British Film . He directed
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2464-481: The Hedgehog 3 featuring Right Said Fred . He continues to direct advertisements alongside television and film projects. In 1996 he joined the commercial production company John S. Clarke Productions and in 2001 he signed with Infinity Productions. Hooper has also directed commercials including an ad for Jaguar with Tom Hiddleston , Ben Kingsley , and Mark Strong , which aired during Super Bowl XLV . His commercial work
2541-528: The Midlands and follows the Cherwell from Banbury via Kidlington into the city of Oxford, where these join the navigable Thames. About 15% of the historically named Wilts & Berks Canal , in sporadic sections, has been restored to navigability, including the county-relevant 140 metres near Abingdon-on-Thames where it could, if restored, meet the Thames. Oxfordshire contains a green belt area that fully envelops
2618-547: The Midlands to the north, with spurs running south to Henley-on-Thames and north to Banbury . Although it had some significance as an area of valuable agricultural land in the centre of the country, it was largely ignored by the Romans and did not grow in importance until the formation of a settlement at Oxford in the 8th century. Alfred the Great was born across the Thames in Wantage , in
2695-580: The Vale of White Horse. The University of Oxford was founded in 1096, although its collegiate structure did not develop until later on. The university in the county town of Oxford (whose name came from Anglo-Saxon Oxenaford = "ford for oxen ") grew in importance during the Middle Ages and early modern period. The area was part of the Cotswolds wool trade from the 13th century, generating much wealth, particularly in
2772-463: The actors to have emotional control over their songs: "When Annie [Hathaway, who plays Fantine] is singing ' I Dreamed a Dream ', if she needs to take a tenth of a second to have a thought before she sings it, or to have an emotion before she sings a line, she can take it." Les Miserables was released in North America on 25 December 2012, and received eight Academy Award nominations including Best Picture. Hooper's fifth feature film, The Danish Girl ,
2849-400: The announcement, "The resolution carries," the scene remains perfectly silent for one long moment. The terror of responsibility hangs heavily in the room, while a victorious soundtrack surely would have chased it away. John Adams received 23 Emmy Award nominations, including another Outstanding Direction nomination for Hooper, and won 13, the highest number for any nominee in a single year. He
2926-584: The child-killer drama Longford , but he complements them, too, with this kind of immediate point of view. And when he does give us panoramic shots from afar – of the Adams farm in Braintree, for example – they're askew, to keep us out of the classroom mode. At the end of episode 2 [...] Hooper showcases all his directorial strength with one bold choice. When the long-fretting Congress finally decides to break with Britain, he refrains from using any visual or aural tweaks. Upon
3003-540: The city in the middle, runs the Thames with its flat floodplains. This river forms the historic limit with Berkshire , remaining so on some lowest reaches. The Thames Path National Trail follows the river from upper estuary to a source. Many smaller rivers in the county feed into the Thames, such as the Thame , Windrush , Evenlode and Cherwell . Some of these have trails running along their valleys. The Oxford Canal links to
3080-590: The city of Oxford and extends for some miles to protect surrounding towns and villages from inappropriate development and urban growth. Its border in the east extends to the Buckinghamshire county boundary, while part of its southern border is shared with the North Wessex Downs AONB . It was first drawn up in the 1950s, and all of the county's districts contain some portion of the belt. The Oxfordshire County Council , since 2013 under no overall control ,
3157-423: The epic miniseries John Adams for Playtone and HBO. Hooper had been working on a biographical film with Joan Didion about Katharine Graham , publisher of The Washington Post , since 2006 when he was asked by Hanks to helm the programme. The miniseries, starring Paul Giamatti as John Adams , was based on David McCullough 's Adams biography and was Hooper's first wholly American production. He worked on
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3234-705: The film and listening to their feedback. Hooper completed the final cut of the film at the end of August 2010 and presented it a few days later at the Telluride Film Festival . The film won the People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival and Hooper won the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures . In February 2011, he
3311-421: The first consulting room scene served to "suggest the awkwardness and tension of Logue and Bertie's first meeting". Following the release of Cats, reports came from the film's visual effects departments of Hooper's "hurtful", "horrible", "disrespectful" and "demeaning attitude" towards them and their work. The VFX team reportedly were forced to work upwards of 90 hour working weeks, with some employees staying at
3388-448: The first was the episode in which Carol Jackson ( Lindsey Coulson ) learns her daughter Bianca ( Patsy Palmer ) had an affair with her fiancé Dan Sullivan ( Craig Fairbrass ). The Jackson episode marked the beginning of a week of episodes that led to Palmer's departure from the soap, and Robinson had hired Hooper to direct the key episodes of that storyline. Hooper worked 10-hour days on EastEnders , and learned to direct with speed. He
3465-546: The horizon lines of the frame were often being thrown off." The America-set scenes were contrasted by the scenes set in France, in which more traditional filming techniques were employed to evoke a feel of entrenched values. Similarly, in The Damned United , Hooper began to experiment with using wide-angle lenses and putting actors in the extreme edges of the frame. He was influenced by the unusual framing from social photography of
3542-407: The late 1980s was noticed by Hooper. Director Paul Weiland invested in the short, which provided Hooper with the equipment he needed. After two years of financing and production, Painted Faces was completed. Hooper wrote, produced, directed and edited it. It was sold to Channel 4 and broadcast on the channel's First Frame strand in 1992, had a screening at the 35th London Film Festival and had
3619-615: The main army unit in the area, was based at Cowley Barracks on Bullingdon Green, Cowley . The Vale of White Horse district and parts of the South Oxfordshire administrative district south of the River Thames were historically part of Berkshire , but, in 1974, Abingdon , Didcot , Faringdon , Wallingford and Wantage were added to the administrative county of Oxfordshire under the Local Government Act 1972 . Conversely,
3696-494: The miniseries for a total of 16 months; principal photography lasted 110 days on locations in the United States, France, England and Hungary and he controlled a $ 100 million budget. The Boston Globe ' s Matthew Gilbert complimented Hooper's style of direction in the first two episodes "Join or Die" and "Independence": Director Tom Hooper lets his actors shine, as he did so marvelously in Helen Mirren's Elizabeth I and
3773-638: The movie, and it pays off with beautifully crafted, crowd-pleasing drama." Following the success of The King's Speech during the awards season, Hooper joined the 15-person board of governors at the British Film Institute , was invited to join the directors branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and was ranked at number 19 in The Times ' British Film Power 100. In March 2009, Hooper met with Nelson Mandela in preparation for directing
3850-424: The musical, so watched a performance of it in London's West End. Adapted from the musical , the film starred Hugh Jackman , Russell Crowe , Anne Hathaway , Amanda Seyfried , Helena Bonham Carter , Sacha Baron Cohen , and Eddie Redmayne . As the film required the actors to sing and dance, they were auditioned in front of Hooper, producers and composers. The role of Fantine was hugely contested; Hooper said, "It
3927-536: The next year Hooper researched filmmaking from publications such as On Camera by Harris Watts. Aged 13, he made his first film, entitled Runaway Dog , using a clockwork 16mm Bolex camera his uncle had given to him. Hooper said: "The clockwork would run out after thirty seconds, so the maximum shot length was thirty seconds. I could only afford a hundred feet of Kodachrome reversal film, which cost about twenty-five [pounds], and you had to send off for two weeks to be processed. I could only make silent movies, because sound
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#17328694868884004-447: The north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Gloucestershire to the west. The city of Oxford is the largest settlement and county town . The county is largely rural, with an area of 2,605 km (1,006 sq mi) and a population of 691,667. After Oxford (162,100), the largest settlements are Banbury (54,355) and Abingdon-on-Thames (37,931). For local government purposes Oxfordshire
4081-513: The north-west includes part of the Cotswolds ; all three regions are Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty . The county's highest point is White Horse Hill (261-metre (856 ft)), part of the Berkshire Downs. Oxfordshire was recorded as a county in the early years of the 10th century and lies between the River Thames to the south, the Cotswolds to the west, the Chilterns to the east and
4158-481: The offices for two to three days at a time just to finish the film. One member of the VFX team said Hooper's treatment "was pure, almost slavery for us", with six months to complete the trailer, and only four months to complete the film. Hooper supposedly had little understanding of the process of visual effects, thus the VFX department could not show Hooper the step-by-step process of what he wanted, such as animatics, unless it
4235-426: The production by interviewing Nancy's sister Deborah . In 2002, Hooper directed Daniel Deronda , adapted from George Eliot 's novel. The Guardian ' s Mark Lawson said of Hooper's two costume dramas, "he brought verve and intelligence to television's most conservative form". Hooper returned to Granada the next year to direct the revival of Prime Suspect , entitled The Last Witness . The two-part serial
4312-596: The reasons for which Oxford is the sixth most visited city in the United Kingdom by international visitors. Among many notable University buildings are the Sheldonian Theatre , built 1664–68 to the design of Sir Christopher Wren , and the Radcliffe Camera , built 1737–49 to the design of James Gibbs . Blenheim Palace , close to Woodstock , was designed and partly built by the architect John Vanbrugh for John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough , after he had won
4389-607: The relationship between King George the Sixth and his Australian speech therapist. She came back and said 'you've got to read this play,' and I read it and it was brilliant ...". Hooper cast Colin Firth as George VI and Geoffrey Rush as Lionel Logue and spent three weeks with the actors reading the script and rehearsing. Principal photography took place on location around the UK from November 2009 to January 2010. During editing, Hooper continued to consult with Firth and Rush by sending them cuts of
4466-399: The scenes authentic. For The Damned United , Hooper and director of photography Ben Smithard researched the look of the late 1960s and early 1970s through football photography books. Hooper has also been influenced by cinematographer Larry Smith , who worked with Stanley Kubrick and advised Hooper of techniques used by Kubrick. Hooper and Smith have worked together on Cold Feet , Love in
4543-558: The short-lived Tyne Tees Television soap opera Quayside in 1997, four episodes of the Children's BBC television series Byker Grove in the same year, and his first episodes of the BBC One soap opera EastEnders in 1998. Hooper directed several EastEnders episodes between 1998 and 2000, two of which were hour-long specials that represented the soap when it won the British Academy Television Award for Best Soap Opera in 2000 and 2001;
4620-592: The south and south-east are the open chalk hills of the North Wessex Downs and the wooded hills of the Chilterns . The north of the county contains the ironstone of the Cherwell uplands. Long-distance walks within the county include the Ridgeway National Trail , Macmillan Way , Oxfordshire Way and the D’Arcy Dalton Way. From the mid-point western edge to the southeast corner of Oxfordshire, via
4697-602: The theatrical audience does not run to see films that are openly issue-led." The premiere of the film in the United Kingdom came on BBC Two in 2005, making it eligible for the BAFTA Television Awards; it was nominated in the Best Single Drama category at the 2006 ceremony. In 2005, Hooper was asked by Helen Mirren to direct the Company Pictures/HBO Films two-part serial Elizabeth I , in which she
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#17328694868884774-490: The western portions of the county in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds. Morris Motors was founded in Oxford in 1912, bringing heavy industry to an otherwise agricultural county. The role of agriculture as an employer declined rapidly in the 20th century; currently under one per cent of the county's population are involved due to high mechanisation. Nevertheless, Oxfordshire remains a very agricultural county by land use, with
4851-649: The works, following a five-year hiatus from the medium caused by the critical and financial failure of Cats and spending time directing commercials for clients such as Vodafone , McDonald's , Santander and Vanish, saying "I'm certainly quite close on a couple of things ... I've been busy. I'm very happy to get back behind the camera." Hooper uses camera styles "that encode the DNA of the storytelling in some way" and will reuse and develop filming styles in successive productions. Hooper identifies research as being key to his process of directing period dramas such as John Adams to make
4928-479: Was already rendered. He reportedly would send emails to individual VFX artists on the film to denigrate their work. Hooper would also insult them during conference meetings, calling the work "garbage". Neither Hooper nor Universal have commented on the accusations. Directed Academy Award performances Hooper has directed multiple Academy Award-nominated performances, three of which have won. List of awards and nominations received by Tom Hooper This article
5005-441: Was also nominated for the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement. At the beginning of 2009, he was profiled for The Observer ' s film Hotlist. The wake of John Adams ' Emmy wins brought offers to Hooper from studios to direct spy and comic book films, which he declined. In November 2007, he signed on to direct The Damned United , reuniting him with Peter Morgan and Andy Harries. The film
5082-480: Was an adaptation of David Peace 's novel The Damned Utd , a fictional version of the 44 turbulent days English football manager Brian Clough spent as manager of Leeds United . It was originally developed by Stephen Frears for Michael Sheen to play Clough. Frears quit the project after he was unable to translate the book to film. Hooper received a copy of the script while shooting John Adams in Hungary and noticed
5159-609: Was broadcast on Channel 4 in October 2006. Seb Morton-Clark for the Financial Times called Longford one of the most accomplished television dramas of 2006, and praised the writer and director: "Morgan and director Tom Hooper wove a seamless narrative about obsession – and not just that of the misguided philanthropist for the incarcerated Hindley or even that that existed between the sadistic lovers themselves. More significantly, by using chunks of original television footage, they painted
5236-482: Was decided to make the tone of the film lighter to attract audiences and to appease the real people depicted in the film. The Damned United was released in 2009. Work on Hooper's next film, The King's Speech , began in the same year. Hooper explained: "It was a stage play, and my mother who's Australian was invited to a fringe [theatre] reading in London because she's part of the Australian community. The play's about
5313-533: Was influenced in his early career by the cinematic style of American TV series such as ER , NYPD Blue and Homicide: Life on the Street and tried to work that style into his EastEnders episodes; one scene featuring Grant Mitchell ( Ross Kemp ) involved a crane shot , which Hooper believes made him infamous among the EastEnders production crew. In 1999, Hooper directed two episodes of Granada Television 's comedy-drama television series Cold Feet , which marked his move to bigger-budget productions. There
5390-418: Was initially concern at Granada that Hooper might be an unsuitable director for the series given his background in drama. In 2001, Hooper directed his first of two costume dramas for the BBC; Love in a Cold Climate was based on Nancy Mitford 's novels The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate . Hooper, the writer Deborah Moggach , and the producer Kate Harwood researched the period details of
5467-406: Was like half a dozen of the biggest female movie stars on the planet wanted to play the role". Hooper investigated filming the feature in 3D , and performed some camera tests before deciding to film it with traditional 2D methods. He stated "[...] I slightly worry with 3D that some people will physically struggle with it. If you have a certain type of eyesight, it can be more demanding than watching
5544-626: Was one of the men involved in the Gunpowder Plot with Guy Fawkes . Stonor Park , another country mansion, has belonged to the recusant Stonor family for centuries. Mapledurham House is an Elizabethan stately home in the south-east of the county, close to Reading . The Abbey in Sutton Courtenay is a medieval courtyard house . It has been recognised by the Historic Building Council for England (now Historic England ) as
5621-402: Was presented with the Academy Award for Best Director , though lost the BAFTA Award for Best Direction to David Fincher . In comparing the two films, Variety ' s Adam Dawtrey wrote, "Hooper's 2009 film The Damned United did not register among awards selectors, but King's Speech is a much more personal project. His Anglo-Australian parentage reflects the culture clash at the heart of
5698-429: Was released in late 2015. It loosely tells the story of Lili Elbe , one of the first people to undergo sex reassignment surgery , and wife Gerda Wegener . It stars Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander , both of whom received Academy Award nominations. Critics were generally positive about the film. In May 2016, it was announced that he would direct an adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber 's stage musical, Cats , which
5775-463: Was starring. The serial won Hooper his first Emmy Award, for Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special. In January 2006, Hooper commenced filming the Granada/HBO television film Longford . The film dramatises the failed efforts of Lord Longford (played by Jim Broadbent ) to secure the release from prison of Moors murderer Myra Hindley (played by Samantha Morton ). The film
5852-520: Was the first Prime Suspect instalment to be made since 1995, when star Helen Mirren quit. Hooper initially declined to direct the production because he believed the series was tired. Granada's head of drama Andy Harries introduced Hooper to Mirren, who persuaded him to take the job by promising that he could make the serial his own way. The two-part serial was broadcast on the ITV network in November 2003. Hooper's direction received praise from Andrew Billen in
5929-466: Was too expensive and complicated." He slowed down the frame rate of the camera so he could maximise what little film stock he had. Hooper classified the short, about a dog which kept running away from its owner, as a comedy, and filmed it on location in Oxfordshire . When Hooper was 14, his film Bomber Jacket came runner-up in a BBC younger filmmakers' competition. The short starred Hooper's brother as
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