Frank Daniel
Encyclopedia
Frank Daniel (14 April 1926 – March 29, 1996) was a film director
, producer
and screenwriter
born in Kolín
, Czechoslovakia
(the present day Czech Republic
). He is known for developing the sequence paradigm of screenwriting
.
in music
. Before emigrating to the United States he produced and directed over 40 film
s in the former Czechoslovakia
, including Ján Kadár
's Oscar
-winning The Shop on Main Street
(Obchod na Korze) (1965). Frank was involved in the movie as a producer, but in the Czech movie industry at the time everyone worked together on almost all the films done. This was a time of communism where rank and social standing were considered western evils. The film community rallied together against the bureaucracy to get each others' films financed and made. Frank was not especially interested in screen credit and lent a hand in every production that needed help. In addition to producing films, Daniel also directed two films.
, particularly American cinema, has been as a teacher
and as the head of some of the world's most prestigious film school
s. Daniel taught filmmaking
-- screenwriting
in particular—around the world.
Daniel was the first foreigner
to be allowed entry into the prestigious All-Union State Institute of Cinematography, now known as Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography
in Moscow
.
Upon his return home, Daniel founded his own production company
and also served as dean
of the Faculty of Film and Television - FAMU part of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague
, Prague
's famous film school
. While in charge, he was liberal
in allowing such blossoming filmmakers as Miloš Forman
and Jiří Menzel
leeway to make their own types of films, regardless of Communist government
sanctions
, which helped lead in the liberalization
of his country in the 1960s.
In 1956, Daniel and Miloš Kratochvíl published the screenwriting textbook Cesta za filmovým dramatem (The Path to Film Drama). Orbis publisher.
In 1957 he published his book Stručný přehled vývoje evropských dramatických teorií (The Compact Overview of European Dramatic Theories).
In 1968, he produced The Shop on Main Street
, which won an Oscar
for the best foreign language
film.
director Neil Lowery assigned he the research and evaluation of every motion picture education program in the US. In 1969 he became the first dean
of the American Film Institute
. One of his proteges was future director David Lynch
, who specifically mentions a special thank you in Eraserhead
, 1977. Daniel left the Institute in 1976 to become the Luce Professor at Carleton College
in Minnesota. In 1978, he moved to Columbia University
, where he was reunited with Miloš Forman
, his former student. When Robert Redford
founded Sundance Institute
in 1981, Daniel was appointed Artistic Director
, a guiding post he held for over a decade. He taught at Columbia University until 1986. After Columbia he became the dean of USC School of Cinema-Television, a post he stepped down from in 1990, continuing to teach screenwriting in the Graduate Screenwriting Division. He continued to develop scripts
until he died on March 29, 1996, at the age of 69 in Palm Springs, California
, of a heart attack
.
Speaking of the late Daniel in a 1996 interview, David Lynch said, "I am sorry to say he died not long ago, and I have to tell you that he was my only teacher. He gave much to other people, he helped many people. He was a nobleminded and nonegoistic man, and no one understood the art of film making as he did. He understood it and truly loved it - his criticism was always constructive and never purposely offended anybody. He was open about saying what he didn't like, but he did it in a way that would help you. And that cannot be said about most of the critics in USA. I am very sorry he is not here."{Kinorevue, July-August 1996}
In 1983, a chapter by Daniel, on Czech cinema, entitled "The Czech Difference" was published in Art and Commitment in the East European Cinema, edited by David W. Paul, pp. 49 – 56, ISBN 0-312-62631-2.
He was an advisor to the Rockefeller Foundation
, consultant to David Rockefeller
, member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
Noted Associates of Daniel's: Vojtěch Jasný
, David Lynch
, David Howard
, Edward Mabley, Paul Nibley, Alex Nibley, Miloš Forman
, Ján Kadár
, Ladislav Grosman, Elmar Klos
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
born in Kolín
Kolín
Kolín is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic some east from Prague, lying on the Elbe river.-History:Kolín was founded by king Přemysl Otakar II in the 13th century, first mentioned in 1261. Later on, 1437, a castle was founded here...
, Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
(the present day Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
). He is known for developing the sequence paradigm of screenwriting
Screenwriting
Screenwriting is the art and craft of writing scripts for mass media such as feature films, television productions or video games. It is a freelance profession....
.
Life
František Daniel entered film after earning a master's degreeMaster's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
. Before emigrating to the United States he produced and directed over 40 film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
s in the former Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, including Ján Kadár
Ján Kadár
Ján Kadár was a Slovak film writer and director. As a filmmaker, he worked in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, the United States, and Canada. Most of his films were directed in tandem with Elmar Klos. The two became best known for their Oscar-winning The Shop on Main Street...
's Oscar
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
-winning The Shop on Main Street
The Shop on Main Street
The Shop on Main Street is a 1965 Czechoslovak film about the Aryanization programme during World War II in the Slovak State....
(Obchod na Korze) (1965). Frank was involved in the movie as a producer, but in the Czech movie industry at the time everyone worked together on almost all the films done. This was a time of communism where rank and social standing were considered western evils. The film community rallied together against the bureaucracy to get each others' films financed and made. Frank was not especially interested in screen credit and lent a hand in every production that needed help. In addition to producing films, Daniel also directed two films.
Work
His biggest contribution to cinematographyCinematography
Cinematography is the making of lighting and camera choices when recording photographic images for cinema. It is closely related to the art of still photography...
, particularly American cinema, has been as a teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
and as the head of some of the world's most prestigious film school
Film school
The term film school is used to describe any educational institution dedicated to teaching aspects of filmmaking, including such subjects as film production, film theory, digital media production, and screenwriting. Film history courses and hands-on technical training are usually incorporated into...
s. Daniel taught filmmaking
Filmmaking
Filmmaking is the process of making a film, from an initial story, idea, or commission, through scriptwriting, casting, shooting, directing, editing, and screening the finished product before an audience that may result in a theatrical release or television program...
-- screenwriting
Screenwriting
Screenwriting is the art and craft of writing scripts for mass media such as feature films, television productions or video games. It is a freelance profession....
in particular—around the world.
Daniel was the first foreigner
Alien (law)
In law, an alien is a person in a country who is not a citizen of that country.-Categorization:Types of "alien" persons are:*An alien who is legally permitted to remain in a country which is foreign to him or her. On specified terms, this kind of alien may be called a legal alien of that country...
to be allowed entry into the prestigious All-Union State Institute of Cinematography, now known as Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography
Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography
The Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography All-Russian State University of Cinematography named after S. A. Gerasimov), VGIK for short, is a film school in Moscow, Russia.-History:...
in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
.
Upon his return home, Daniel founded his own production company
Production company
A production company provides the physical basis for works in the realms of the performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, and video.- Tasks and functions :...
and also served as dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
of the Faculty of Film and Television - FAMU part of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague
Academy of Performing Arts in Prague
The Academy of Performing Arts in Prague is a university level school of music, dance, drama, film, TV and multi-media studies.- Faculties :*Film and TV School - FAMU*Music Faculty - HAMU*Theatre Faculty - DAMU-Notable alumni:...
, Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
's famous film school
Film school
The term film school is used to describe any educational institution dedicated to teaching aspects of filmmaking, including such subjects as film production, film theory, digital media production, and screenwriting. Film history courses and hands-on technical training are usually incorporated into...
. While in charge, he was liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
in allowing such blossoming filmmakers as Miloš Forman
Miloš Forman
Jan Tomáš Forman , better known as Miloš Forman , is a Czech-American director, screenwriter, professor, and an emigrant from Czechoslovakia. Two of his films, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Amadeus, are among the most celebrated in the history of film, both gaining him the Academy Award for...
and Jiří Menzel
Jirí Menzel
Jiří Menzel is a Czech film director, theatre director, actor, and screenwriter. His films often combine a humanistic view of the world with sarcasm and provocative cinematography...
leeway to make their own types of films, regardless of Communist government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
sanctions
Sanctions (law)
Sanctions are penalties or other means of enforcement used to provide incentives for obedience with the law, or with rules and regulations. Criminal sanctions can take the form of serious punishment, such as corporal or capital punishment, incarceration, or severe fines...
, which helped lead in the liberalization
Liberalization
In general, liberalization refers to a relaxation of previous government restrictions, usually in areas of social or economic policy. In some contexts this process or concept is often, but not always, referred to as deregulation...
of his country in the 1960s.
In 1956, Daniel and Miloš Kratochvíl published the screenwriting textbook Cesta za filmovým dramatem (The Path to Film Drama). Orbis publisher.
In 1957 he published his book Stručný přehled vývoje evropských dramatických teorií (The Compact Overview of European Dramatic Theories).
In 1968, he produced The Shop on Main Street
The Shop on Main Street
The Shop on Main Street is a 1965 Czechoslovak film about the Aryanization programme during World War II in the Slovak State....
, which won an Oscar
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
for the best foreign language
Foreign language
A foreign language is a language indigenous to another country. It is also a language not spoken in the native country of the person referred to, i.e. an English speaker living in Japan can say that Japanese is a foreign language to him or her...
film.
Emigration
Daniel immigrated to the United States in 1969 after the Soviets invaded his country. Where the Ford FoundationFord Foundation
The Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....
director Neil Lowery assigned he the research and evaluation of every motion picture education program in the US. In 1969 he became the first dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
of the American Film Institute
American Film Institute
The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...
. One of his proteges was future director David Lynch
David Lynch
David Keith Lynch is an American filmmaker, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style, which has been dubbed "Lynchian", and which is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound...
, who specifically mentions a special thank you in Eraserhead
Eraserhead
Eraserhead is a 1977 American surrealist film and the first feature film of David Lynch, who wrote, produced and directed. Lynch began working on the film at the AFI Conservatory, which gave him a $10,000 grant to make the film after he had begun working there following his 1971 move to Los Angeles...
, 1977. Daniel left the Institute in 1976 to become the Luce Professor at Carleton College
Carleton College
Carleton College is an independent non-sectarian, coeducational, liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota, USA. The college enrolls 1,958 undergraduate students, and employs 198 full-time faculty members. In 2012 U.S...
in Minnesota. In 1978, he moved to Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, where he was reunited with Miloš Forman
Miloš Forman
Jan Tomáš Forman , better known as Miloš Forman , is a Czech-American director, screenwriter, professor, and an emigrant from Czechoslovakia. Two of his films, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Amadeus, are among the most celebrated in the history of film, both gaining him the Academy Award for...
, his former student. When Robert Redford
Robert Redford
Charles Robert Redford, Jr. , better known as Robert Redford, is an American actor, film director, producer, businessman, environmentalist, philanthropist, and founder of the Sundance Film Festival. He has received two Oscars: one in 1981 for directing Ordinary People, and one for Lifetime...
founded Sundance Institute
Sundance Institute
Sundance Institute is a non-profit organization founded by Robert Redford in 1981 that actively advances the work of filmmakers and storytellers worldwide...
in 1981, Daniel was appointed Artistic Director
Artistic director
An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company, that handles the organization's artistic direction. He or she is generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the organization is generally a non-profit organization...
, a guiding post he held for over a decade. He taught at Columbia University until 1986. After Columbia he became the dean of USC School of Cinema-Television, a post he stepped down from in 1990, continuing to teach screenwriting in the Graduate Screenwriting Division. He continued to develop scripts
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
until he died on March 29, 1996, at the age of 69 in Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, within the Coachella Valley. It is located approximately 37 miles east of San Bernardino, 111 miles east of Los Angeles and 136 miles northeast of San Diego...
, of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
.
Speaking of the late Daniel in a 1996 interview, David Lynch said, "I am sorry to say he died not long ago, and I have to tell you that he was my only teacher. He gave much to other people, he helped many people. He was a nobleminded and nonegoistic man, and no one understood the art of film making as he did. He understood it and truly loved it - his criticism was always constructive and never purposely offended anybody. He was open about saying what he didn't like, but he did it in a way that would help you. And that cannot be said about most of the critics in USA. I am very sorry he is not here."{Kinorevue, July-August 1996}
In 1983, a chapter by Daniel, on Czech cinema, entitled "The Czech Difference" was published in Art and Commitment in the East European Cinema, edited by David W. Paul, pp. 49 – 56, ISBN 0-312-62631-2.
He was an advisor to the Rockefeller Foundation
Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is a prominent philanthropic organization and private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The preeminent institution established by the six-generation Rockefeller family, it was founded by John D. Rockefeller , along with his son John D. Rockefeller, Jr...
, consultant to David Rockefeller
David Rockefeller
David Rockefeller, Sr. is the current patriarch of the Rockefeller family. He is the youngest and only surviving child of John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, and the only surviving grandchild of oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller, founder of Standard Oil. His five siblings were...
, member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures...
and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
Noted Associates of Daniel's: Vojtěch Jasný
Vojtech Jasný
Vojtěch Jasný is a Czech director who came to prominence in the sixties. He won a Cannes Special Jury Prize for Až přijde kocour/The Cassandra Cat ....
, David Lynch
David Lynch
David Keith Lynch is an American filmmaker, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style, which has been dubbed "Lynchian", and which is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound...
, David Howard
David Howard (director)
David Howard was an American film director. He directed 46 films between 1930 and 1941.He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and died in Los Angeles, California.-Selected filmography:...
, Edward Mabley, Paul Nibley, Alex Nibley, Miloš Forman
Miloš Forman
Jan Tomáš Forman , better known as Miloš Forman , is a Czech-American director, screenwriter, professor, and an emigrant from Czechoslovakia. Two of his films, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Amadeus, are among the most celebrated in the history of film, both gaining him the Academy Award for...
, Ján Kadár
Ján Kadár
Ján Kadár was a Slovak film writer and director. As a filmmaker, he worked in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, the United States, and Canada. Most of his films were directed in tandem with Elmar Klos. The two became best known for their Oscar-winning The Shop on Main Street...
, Ladislav Grosman, Elmar Klos
Elmar Klos
Elmar Klos was a Czechoslovakian film director who collaborated for 17 years with Ján Kadár and with him won the 1965 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film with the film The Shop on Main Street.-References:...
Filmography
The most notable of his projects are:- Není stále zamračeno (1950), Writer
- "Dobrý voják Švejk" (1956), Co-producer
- "Roztržka" (1956), Co-producer
- "Snadný život" (1957) Co-producer
- O věcech nadpřirozenýchO věcech nadpřirozenýchO věcech nadpřirozených is a 1958 Czechoslovak film. The film starred Josef Kemr....
(1958), Screenplay - "Tři přání" (1958), Co-producer
- Kam čert nemůže aka When the Woman Butts InWhen the Woman Butts InWhen the Woman Butts In is a 1959 Czechoslovak comedy film directed by Zdeněk Podskalský. It was entered into the 1960 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Miroslav Horníček - Dr. Faust* Jana Hlaváčová - Mefistofela* Vlastimil Brodský - Borovička, Gastle Guide...
(1959), Writer - Spadla z Měsíce (1961), Writer
- Hledá se táta (1961), Director/Writer
- Prosím, nebudit (1962), Writer
- Deštivý den (1962), Writer
- Letos v září (1963), Director
- Dva tygři (1966), Writer
- Poslední růže od Casanovy aka Last Rose from Casanova (1966), Writer
- Přísně tajné premiéryPřísně tajné premiéry-Cast:* Jirina Bohdalová as Lida* Lubomír Kostelka* Jirí Sovák as Hudec* Cestmír Randa as Jech* Vladimír Mensík as Matysek* Jirí Nemecek as Klikac* Milos Kopecký as Müller...
(1967), Writer - Obchod na korze aka The Shop on Main StreetThe Shop on Main StreetThe Shop on Main Street is a 1965 Czechoslovak film about the Aryanization programme during World War II in the Slovak State....
(1968), Producer - In the Wee Wee Hours...In the Wee Wee Hours...In the Wee Wee Hours... is a 1987 short documentary film directed by Izak Ben-Meir. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short....
(1987), Producer