Mark Herman
Encyclopedia
Mark Herman is an English
film director and screenwriter best known for writing & directing the 2008 film The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
.
Mark Herman was educated at Woodleigh School, North Yorkshire. He was late entering the film industry. Aged 27 he was drawing cartoons at art college before becoming involved in drama when he began studying film at Leeds Polytechnic, now Leeds Metropolitan University
. He then trained as an animator at the National Film School in London.
He moved away from animation and continued to study directing. He also wrote lyrics under the name "M. Henry Herman" for The Christians on the Christians' first album, The Christians
, with Henry Priestman
, a schoolmate from Woodleigh School, North Yorkshire.
Herman’s first feature-length project was Blame It on the Bellboy
(1992), a comedy of mistaken identity starring Dudley Moore
and Bryan Brown
.
Next, Herman wrote and directed the critically acclaimed Brassed Off
(1996), following the members of a colliery brass band
, still struggling to survive a decade after the miners' strike.
In Little Voice
(1998), adapted by Herman from Jim Cartwright
's play The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, Jane Horrocks
reprises the title role of a harried young woman whose only escape lies in the memory of her father and in imitating the singers he admired. This film gave Michael Caine
the opportunity for his best performance to date.
Purely Belter (2000), adapted by Herman from Jonathan Tulloch's novel The Season Ticket, is the story of two teenage boys trying to get together enough money for a couple of Newcastle United F.C.
season tickets. Hope Springs (2003), is an adaptation of New Cardiff.
His most recent work is the adaptation of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
. It was produced by David Heyman
and stars David Thewlis
, Vera Farmiga
, Sheila Hancock
and Rupert Friend
. Herman directed and adapted the work.
Mark Herman is a fellow of Film and Television Production, York St John University
, York
, England
.
Jessica Winter in The Rough Guide to Film criticises Herman's fondness for "cloying" close-ups and "contrived melodramatic showdown[s]", saying of the film Purely Belter, that it "probably didn't create many new converts to Herman's partly gritty, party feel-good socialist realist strain of filmmaking."
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
film director and screenwriter best known for writing & directing the 2008 film The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (film)
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is a 2008 historical-drama film based on the novel of the same name by Irish writer John Boyne. Directed by Mark Herman and produced by David Heyman, it stars Asa Butterfield, Jack Scanlon, David Thewlis, Vera Farmiga and Rupert Friend.A Holocaust drama, the film...
.
Mark Herman was educated at Woodleigh School, North Yorkshire. He was late entering the film industry. Aged 27 he was drawing cartoons at art college before becoming involved in drama when he began studying film at Leeds Polytechnic, now Leeds Metropolitan University
Leeds Metropolitan University
Leeds Metropolitan University is a British University with three campuses. Two are situated in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England while the third is situated in Bhopal, India...
. He then trained as an animator at the National Film School in London.
He moved away from animation and continued to study directing. He also wrote lyrics under the name "M. Henry Herman" for The Christians on the Christians' first album, The Christians
The Christians (album)
The Christians was The Christians' 1987 debut album and contained their first five UK hit singles: "Forgotten Town", "Hooverville", "When the Fingers Point", "Ideal World" and "Born Again".-Track listing:...
, with Henry Priestman
Henry Priestman
Henry Priestman is an English rock singer, keyboardist, record producer and songwriter.-Biography:...
, a schoolmate from Woodleigh School, North Yorkshire.
Herman’s first feature-length project was Blame It on the Bellboy
Blame It on the Bellboy
Blame It on the Bellboy is a 1992 film comedy written and directed by Mark Herman, revolving around a case of mistaken identity of three individuals with similar sounding surnames staying at the same hotel...
(1992), a comedy of mistaken identity starring Dudley Moore
Dudley Moore
Dudley Stuart John Moore, CBE was an English actor, comedian, composer and musician.Moore first came to prominence as one of the four writer-performers in the ground-breaking comedy revue Beyond the Fringe in the early 1960s, and then became famous as half of the highly popular television...
and Bryan Brown
Bryan Brown
Bryan Neathway Brown, AM is an Australian actor.-Early life:Brown was born in Sydney, the son of John Brown and Molly Brown, a house cleaner who worked as a pianist in the early days of the Langshaw School of Ballet. He grew up in the south-western Sydney suburb of Bankstown and began working at...
.
Next, Herman wrote and directed the critically acclaimed Brassed Off
Brassed Off
Brassed Off is a 1996 British film written and directed by Mark Herman. The film, a British-American co-production made between Channel Four Films, Miramax Films and Prominent Films, is about the troubles faced by a colliery brass band, following the closure of their pit...
(1996), following the members of a colliery brass band
Brass band
A brass band is a musical ensemble generally consisting entirely of brass instruments, most often with a percussion section. Ensembles that include brass and woodwind instruments can in certain traditions also be termed brass bands , but are usually more correctly termed military bands, concert...
, still struggling to survive a decade after the miners' strike.
In Little Voice
Little Voice (film)
Little Voice is a 1998 British drama film with music written and directed by Mark Herman. The screenplay is based on the play The Rise and Fall of Little Voice by Jim Cartwright.- Plot :...
(1998), adapted by Herman from Jim Cartwright
Jim Cartwright
Jim Cartwright is an English dramatist, born at Farnworth, Lancashire, England. Cartwright's first play, Road, won a number of awards before being adapted for TV and broadcast by the BBC....
's play The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, Jane Horrocks
Jane Horrocks
Barbara Jane Horrocks is an English voice, stage, screen and television actress, voice artist, musician, and singer. She is best known for her role as "Bubble" in the TV series Absolutely Fabulous as well as her distinctive voice....
reprises the title role of a harried young woman whose only escape lies in the memory of her father and in imitating the singers he admired. This film gave Michael Caine
Michael Caine
Sir Michael Caine, CBE is an English actor. He won Academy Awards for best supporting actor in both Hannah and Her Sisters and The Cider House Rules ....
the opportunity for his best performance to date.
Purely Belter (2000), adapted by Herman from Jonathan Tulloch's novel The Season Ticket, is the story of two teenage boys trying to get together enough money for a couple of Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
season tickets. Hope Springs (2003), is an adaptation of New Cardiff.
His most recent work is the adaptation of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is a 2006 novel from the point of view of an innocent young boy, written by Irish novelist John Boyne. Unlike the months of planning Boyne devoted to his other books, he said that he wrote the entire first draft of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas in two and a half...
. It was produced by David Heyman
David Heyman
David Jonathan Heyman is a British film producer and the founder of Heyday Films. He obtained the film rights to the Harry Potter series in 1999 and has produced all eight installments in the series of films.-Life and career:...
and stars David Thewlis
David Thewlis
David Thewlis is an English actor of stage and screen. His most commercially successful role to date has been that of Remus Lupin, in the Harry Potter film series...
, Vera Farmiga
Vera Farmiga
Vera Ann Farmiga is an American actress and director. Farmiga made her film debut in the 1998 drama thriller Return to Paradise. This was followed by supporting roles in the 2000 romantic film Autumn in New York and the 2001 television series UC: Undercover...
, Sheila Hancock
Sheila Hancock
Sheila Cameron Hancock, CBE is an English actress and author.-Early life:Sheila Hancock was born in Blackgang on the Isle of Wight, the daughter of Ivy Louise and Enrico Cameron Hancock, who was a publican. Her sister Billie is seven years older...
and Rupert Friend
Rupert Friend
Rupert Friend is an English film actor, who is best known for his roles as Mr. Wickham in the 2005 film Pride and Prejudice, Lieutenant Kurt Kotler in the 2008 film The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, and Prince Albert in the 2009 film The Young Victoria.-Career:He made his debut in the film The...
. Herman directed and adapted the work.
Mark Herman is a fellow of Film and Television Production, York St John University
York St John University
York St John University York St John University York St John University (formerly known variously as York St John University College (2004), York St John College (2001), Ripon and York St John: a College of the University of Leeds (c. 1996), University College of Ripon and York St John...
, York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Jessica Winter in The Rough Guide to Film criticises Herman's fondness for "cloying" close-ups and "contrived melodramatic showdown[s]", saying of the film Purely Belter, that it "probably didn't create many new converts to Herman's partly gritty, party feel-good socialist realist strain of filmmaking."
Filmography
- See You at Wembley, Frankie Walsh (1987) – a comedy based around the wedding of a Hull City fan; won a Student Academy AwardStudent Academy AwardsThe Student Academy Awards is the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' annual competition for college and university filmmakers. The awards were originally named the Student Film Awards and were first presented in 1973. Since 1975, the awards have been given annually, usually in June...
in 1987. - Unusual Ground Floor Conversion (1987)
- Blame It on the BellboyBlame It on the BellboyBlame It on the Bellboy is a 1992 film comedy written and directed by Mark Herman, revolving around a case of mistaken identity of three individuals with similar sounding surnames staying at the same hotel...
(1992) - Brassed OffBrassed OffBrassed Off is a 1996 British film written and directed by Mark Herman. The film, a British-American co-production made between Channel Four Films, Miramax Films and Prominent Films, is about the troubles faced by a colliery brass band, following the closure of their pit...
(1996) - Little VoiceLittle Voice (film)Little Voice is a 1998 British drama film with music written and directed by Mark Herman. The screenplay is based on the play The Rise and Fall of Little Voice by Jim Cartwright.- Plot :...
(1998) - Purely BelterPurely BelterPurely Belter is a 2000 British comedy drama film directed by Mark Herman about two teenagers trying to get money, by any means necessary, in order to get season tickets for home games played by the FA Premier League football team Newcastle United.It is based on the novel The Season Ticket by...
(2000) - Hope Springs (2003)
- The Boy in the Striped PyjamasThe Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (film)The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is a 2008 historical-drama film based on the novel of the same name by Irish writer John Boyne. Directed by Mark Herman and produced by David Heyman, it stars Asa Butterfield, Jack Scanlon, David Thewlis, Vera Farmiga and Rupert Friend.A Holocaust drama, the film...
(2008)