Richard Fleischer (1916-2006)

Hollywood director Richard Fleischer died yesterday, aged 89. The casual moviegoer may not immediately recognise the name but the chances are you're familiar with his work.

Fleischer was not some flashy auteur who had shelves full of books devoted to his work; nor was he a director who was content to stick to one genre and make a career out of it. Fleischer's diversity was, to me, his finest attribute and is reflected in his filmography.

Just some of his many films: FANTASTIC VOYAGE; 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA; BANDIDO; THE VIKINGS; THE BOSTON STRANGLER; RED SONJA; CONAN THE DESTROYER; CHE!; DR DOLITTLE; THE JAZZ SINGER; MANDINGO; THE LAST RUN; MR MAJESTYK; TORA! TORA! TORA!... there were some smashes, some flops and some that were just plain different.

His greatest contribution to my experience of the movies was undoubtedly his 1973 dystopian sci-fi tale SOYLENT GREEN. Had it not been for my unhealthy obsession with the PLANET OF THE APES series of films, SOYLENT GREEN would definitely place in my top three films.

I can't begin to tell of how many times I watched this movie in my teenage years (and beyond) - first through a copy I'd taped off the TV, which was then replaced by an official video release from the early 90s, and that of course gave way to the eventual DVD release a couple of years ago (not to mention one occasion on the big screen when I managed to find a local festival that had dug up an old print for a one-off screening). Yet despite all this, every time I catch it while channel surfing I invariably end up sticking with it until the very end anyway.

It's a film that has always been tinged with a little sadness, featuring as it does Edward G Robinson as a saddened elderly man who takes his own life (albeit assisted by a futuristic variation on euthanasia), in what was to be his final movie role. But this doesn't mean that it will be any sadder for Fleischer's loss - I prefer to think of this as a celebration of the director at his very best.

I noted tonight that by sheer coincidence Fleischer's 1950s crime thriller VIOLENT SATURDAY is on TV later tonight. I think I'll go and set my video just now, so I have another chance to salute a master craftsman.

I'll probably watch SOYLENT GREEN again, too.