Director of a whole generation leaves: Richard Donner dies at 91

Not as well known to the general public as other directors of his generation, Richard Donner quietly planted the seed of adventure in the hearts of millions of teenagers around the world in the 1980s. But the background to what would become his style and skills in the seventh art would arrive after working almost a quarter of his life, on the best television shows between the 60s and 70s. At thirty he was already directing episodes of such legendary television series as The unknown dimension, The CIPOL agent, Perry Mason Y The fugitive. All that experience would be worth to him to finish the decade of the 70 with the direction of films that they left their mark on popular culture. On the one hand, The prophecy with Gregory Peck was nominated for two Oscars and the first Superman Christopher Reeve marked a before and after in the creation of special effects. His is that great first hero movie, on which many Marvel hits today base their foundations, although on the other hand, on the economic issue, the franchise of Lethal Weapon it was the one that gave him his biggest box office achievements.

Lethal Weapon spawned three sequels over 11 years and raised nearly $ 500 million worldwide. This success was no accident, the story of Mel Gibson and Danny Glover revitalized the action comedy, achieving the perfect mix of that much-needed touch of humor, which lets the plot breathe so much, thus avoiding unnecessary dramatic overload. Richard Donner was one of those directors who knew that everything had its tempo and that in the same story there were times to laugh, get excited and cry.

Farewell to Hollywood

They say that to know how much someone influenced people’s lives, you must pay attention to what the greatest people say about them. Today Hollywood dawns without one of those silent directors who marked a whole later generation of creators.

Richard Donner’s big heart & effervescent charm shone in his movies through the remarkable performances of his cast, which is no mean feat. You remember all the characters in Superman, Lethal Weapon, The Goonies & more, because Donner knew how to capture that magic onscreen. 1/3 pic.twitter.com/7NDH9kKnQZ

— edgarwright (@edgarwright) July 5, 2021

For example, the director Edgar Wright wrote: “Richard Donner’s big heart and effervescent charm shone through in his films through the remarkable performances of his cast, which is no small feat. You remember all the characters from Superman, Lethal Weapon, The Gonnies and more, because Donner knew how to capture that magic on screen.

Richard Donner made the devil a child in The Omen, invented the modern day comic book movie with Superman, and reinvented the buddy cop movie with Lethal Weapon. I got to meet with him last year about a project. Guy was a natural born storyteller. Thanks for all the flicks, Dick! https://t.co/pjC9dbSkbt

– KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith) July 5, 2021

Others like the screenwriter and director Kevin Smith thanked him for his impact on celluloid: “Richard Donner turned the devil into a child in The prophecy, invented today’s comic book movie with Superman and reinvented the cop buddy movie with Lethal Weapon I met with him last year about a project. Guy was a born narrator. Thanks for all the movies, Dick! “

The last farewell to highlight has been that of Sean Astin, Mikey in The Goonies and the one who would later be the brave Sam in the trilogy of The Lord of the rings. “Richard Donner had the biggest, booming voice you can imagine. He attracted attention and laughed like no man had ever laughed before. Dick was a lot of fun. What I sensed in him, when he was a 12-year-old boy, is that he cared. I love how much he cared. Goonies never say dead. ”

Richard Donner had the biggest, boomiest voice you could imagine.
He commanded attention and he laughed like no man has ever laughed before. Dick was so much fun. What I perceived in him, as a 12 year old kid, is that he cared. I love how much he cared.

– Goonies Never Say Die

— Sean Astin (@SeanAstin) July 5, 2021