Richard Lester

Richard Lester

Birth : 1932-01-19, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.

History

Richard Lester (born 19 January 1932)  is an American-born British-based film director notable for his work with The Beatles in the 1960s and his work on the Superman film series in the 1980s.

Profile

Richard Lester

Movies

The Enigmatic Charlotte Rampling
Self (archive footage)
Screen icon Charlotte Rampling has fascinated the world of cinema, fashion and photography with her mysterious and almost inaccessible beauty. A major figure in genre and auteur films, she is unclassifiable: between presence and absence, shyness and audacity, she's always hypnotic, magnetic and fascinating. From her film debut in the mid-1960s in England, to her unconventional career path, through the tragic loss suicide of her older sister that will irremediably mark her acting, this film is a dive into the existential quest of a complex actress, whose every facet is discovered through her roles. Through a conversation with the actress herself, along with personal archives and extracts from her films, this documentary raws a dazzling portrait of her life and career.
The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years
Self
The Beatles stormed through Europe's music scene in 1963, and, in 1964, they conquered America. Their groundbreaking world tours changed global youth culture forever and, arguably, invented mass entertainment as we know it today. All the while, the group were composing and recording a series of extraordinarily successful singles and albums. However the relentless pressure of such unprecedented fame, that in 1966 became uncontrollable turmoil, led to the decision to stop touring. In the ensuing years The Beatles were then free to focus on a series of albums that changed the face of recorded music.
Spike Milligan: Love, Light and Peace
Himself - Director
A very personal portrait of the truly unique comedy genius of Spike Milligan, as told in his own words and featuring exclusive home movie footage. With contributions from those who worked with him, lived with him and were inspired by him.
The Beatles: Help!
Self
30 minute documentary about the making of the film Help! with Richard Lester, the cast and crew. Includes exclusive behind the scenes footage of The Beatles on set.
You Will Believe: The Cinematic Saga of Superman
Self (archive footage)
A 5-part documentary of the history of Superman in the movies. • Origin - Superman in the media and the challenges the Salkinds faced • Vision - Creating the right script, Choosing the right director and casting the right actors • Ascent - The production and launch of a new kind of fantasy film • Crisis - Complications and conflicts between the creative forces behind Superman II • Redemption - Criticisms and burnout of Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
Filmmakers in Action
Self
What is the state of cinema and what being a filmmaker means? What are the measures taken to protect authors' copyright? What is their legal status in different countries? (Sequel to “Filmmakers vs. Tycoons.”)
Best Sellers or: Peter Sellers and 'Dr. Strangelove'
Self
Documentary about actor Peter Sellers and one of his most memorable film roles.
Things They Said Today
Self
A documentary on the making of the Beatles' 1964 film "A Hard Day's Night," featuring director Richard Lester, music producer George Martin, screenwriter Alun Owen, and cinematographer Gilbert Taylor.
The Unknown Peter Sellers
Himself
Documentary about the life and career of a comic genius, Peter Sellers.
Richard Lester!
A tribute to Richard Lester, Philadelphia-born filmmaker who moved to England to direct the modern classics "A Hard Day's Night," "Petulia," and "Help!"
Spike
Himself
Spike personally tells the story of his life from India, World War II to The Goons and his Q series
You Can't Do That! The Making of 'A Hard Day's Night'
Self
Thirty years after A Hard Day's Night, its producer, director, writer and others describe its making. United Artists Records came to Walter Shenson, asking him to produce a movie so UA could issue a soundtrack album. Shenson signed Lester to direct, and they got the Beatles to agree to star. Shenson sent Owen to Dublin to spend time with the Fab Four; from this came a script built around their being prisoners of their own success. Phil Collins, himself an extra on A Hard Day's Night, hosts this examination of a seminal film: what was ad-libbed, why was it a hit, what was its influence on other movies, and how did it define the way the public viewed each Beatle for years to come?
Paul McCartney's Get Back
Director
Get Back is a 1991 concert film starring Paul McCartney that documents The Paul McCartney World Tour of 1989–1990. The film was directed by Richard Lester, in a return to his Beatles-related work, and was released by Carolco Pictures and New Line Cinema, through the Seven Arts joint venture.
The Return of the Musketeers
Director
It's 1649: Mazarin hires the impoverished D'Artagnan to find the other musketeers: Cromwell has overthrown the English king, so Mazarin fears revolt, particularly from the popular Beaufort. Porthos, bored with riches and wanting a title, signs on, but Aramis, an abbé, and Athos, a brawler raising an intellectual son, assist Beaufort in secret. When they fail to halt Beaufort's escape from prison, the musketeers are expendable, and Mazarin sends them to London to rescue Charles I. They are also pursued by Justine, the avenging daughter of Milady de Winter, their enemy 20 years ago. They must escape England, avoid Justine, serve the Queen, and secure Beauford's political reforms.
Finders Keepers
Director
On the run from the police and a female roller derby team, scam artist Michael Rangeloff steals a coffin and boards a train, pretending to be a soldier bringing home a dead war buddy. He gets more than he bargained for from the train and the coffin.
Superman III
Director
Aiming to defeat the Man of Steel, wealthy executive Ross Webster hires bumbling but brilliant Gus Gorman to develop synthetic kryptonite, which yields some unexpected psychological effects in the third installment of the 1980s Superman franchise. Between rekindling romance with his high school sweetheart and saving himself, Superman must contend with a powerful supercomputer.
The Making of 'Superman II'
Himself
Documentary about the making of the sequel to Superman.
Superman II
Director
Three escaped criminals from the planet Krypton test the Man of Steel's mettle. Led by General Zod, the Kryptonians take control of the White House and partner with Lex Luthor to destroy Superman and rule the world. But Superman, who attempts to make himself human in order to get closer to Lois, realizes he has a responsibility to save the planet.
Cuba
Director
A British mercenary arrives in pre-Revolution Cuba to help train the corrupt General Batista's army against Castro's guerrillas while he also romances a former lover now married to an unscrupulous plantation owner.
Butch and Sundance: The Early Days
Man Watching Hearse Pass by (uncredited)
Before the adventures that made them legends, they were charming mastermind Robert Leroy Parker, alias Butch Cassidy, and crack-shot outlaw Harry Alonzo Longabaugh, soon to be known as The Sundance Kid. This is the 'prequel' of how they met, their first clumsy robberies, the heroic dangers that abound them together, the secret that nearly tore them apart, and the impossible train heist that made them notorious for life. Saddle up and ride with the showdowns, shootouts, bad guys and good times in the days before the fame when fun was the name of the game.
Butch and Sundance: The Early Days
Director
Before the adventures that made them legends, they were charming mastermind Robert Leroy Parker, alias Butch Cassidy, and crack-shot outlaw Harry Alonzo Longabaugh, soon to be known as The Sundance Kid. This is the 'prequel' of how they met, their first clumsy robberies, the heroic dangers that abound them together, the secret that nearly tore them apart, and the impossible train heist that made them notorious for life. Saddle up and ride with the showdowns, shootouts, bad guys and good times in the days before the fame when fun was the name of the game.
The Ritz
Director
On his deathbed Carmine Vespucci's father tells him to "get Proclo". With "the hit" on, Gaetano tells a cab driver to take him where Carmine can't find him. He arrives at the Ritz, a gay bathhouse.
Robin and Marian
Director
Robin Hood, aging none too gracefully, returns exhausted from the Crusades to woo and win Maid Marian one last time.
Royal Flash
Director
Cowardly rogue Harry Flashman's (Malcolm McDowell) schemes to gain entry to the royal circles of 19th-century Europe go nowhere until he meets a pair of devious nobles with their own agenda. At their urging, Flashman agrees to re-create himself as a bogus Prussian nobleman to woo a beautiful duchess. But the half-baked plan quickly comes unraveled, and he's soon on the run from several new enemies who are all calling for the rapscallion's head.
The Four Musketeers
Director
The Four Musketeers defend the queen and her dressmaker from Cardinal Richelieu and Milady de Winter.
Juggernaut
Director
A terrorist demands a huge ransom in exchange for information on how to disarm the seven bombs he has planted aboard a trans-Atlantic cruise ship.
The Three Musketeers
Director
The young D'Artagnan arrives in Paris with dreams of becoming a king's musketeer. He meets and quarrels with three men, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, each of whom challenges him to a duel. D'Artagnan finds out they are musketeers and is invited to join them in their efforts to oppose Cardinal Richelieu, who wishes to increase his already considerable power over the king. D'Artagnan must also juggle affairs with the charming Constance Bonancieux and the passionate Lady De Winter, a secret agent for the cardinal.
The Bed Sitting Room
Producer
In the hazy aftermath of World War III, the fallout from a 'nuclear misunderstanding' is producing strange mutations amongst the survivors, and the noble Lord Fortnum finds himself transforming into a bed sitting room.
The Bed Sitting Room
Director
In the hazy aftermath of World War III, the fallout from a 'nuclear misunderstanding' is producing strange mutations amongst the survivors, and the noble Lord Fortnum finds himself transforming into a bed sitting room.
Petulia
Director
An unhappily married socialite finds solace in the company of a recently divorced doctor.
Petulia: The Uncommon Movie
A short featurette on the making of "Petulia"
How I Won the War
Producer
An inept British WWII commander leads his troops to a series of misadventures in North Africa and Europe.
How I Won the War
Director
An inept British WWII commander leads his troops to a series of misadventures in North Africa and Europe.
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
Director
A wily slave must unite a virgin courtesan and his young smitten master to earn his freedom.
Help!
Director
An obscure Eastern cult that practices human sacrifice pursues Ringo after he unknowingly puts on a ceremonial ring (that, of course, won't come off). On top of that, a pair of mad scientists, members of Scotland Yard, and a beautiful but dead-eyed assassin all have their own plans for the Fab Four.
The Knack... and How to Get It
Director
A nebbish schoolteacher begs his smooth (and misogynistic) pal to teach him 'the knack' - how to score with women. Serendipitously, the men meet up with a new girl in town, as well as a friendly lunatic who can’t help but paint things white.
A Hard Day's Night
Director
Capturing John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr in their electrifying element, 'A Hard Day's Night' is a wildly irreverent journey through this pastiche of a day in the life of The Beatles during 1964. The band have to use all their guile and wit to avoid the pursuing fans and press to reach their scheduled television performance, in spite of Paul's troublemaking grandfather and Ringo's arrest.
The Mouse on the Moon
Director
Sequel to The Mouse that Roared; The Tiny Country of Grand Fenwick has a hot water problem in the castle. To get the money necessary to put in a new set of plumbing, they request foreign aid from the U.S. for Space Research. The Russians then send aid as well to show that they too are for the internationalization of space. While the grand Duke is dreaming of hot baths, their one scientist is slapping together a rocket. The U.S. and Soviets get wind of the impending launch and try and beat them to the moon.
It's Trad, Dad!
Director
The hero and heroine want to popularize a trad jazz in their town. Some older people feel displeased about a trad jazz, and prevent their trying. The hero and heroine go to London television studio to ask trad jazz musician to support their trial.
The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film
A short film without any direct action designed more as an experiment, with disjointed comic scenes with no common thread.
The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film
Editor
A short film without any direct action designed more as an experiment, with disjointed comic scenes with no common thread.
The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film
Music
A short film without any direct action designed more as an experiment, with disjointed comic scenes with no common thread.
The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film
Writer
A short film without any direct action designed more as an experiment, with disjointed comic scenes with no common thread.
The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film
Cinematography
A short film without any direct action designed more as an experiment, with disjointed comic scenes with no common thread.
The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film
Director
A short film without any direct action designed more as an experiment, with disjointed comic scenes with no common thread.