|
Teeth
Background:
American actor-turned-indie filmmaker Mitchell Lichtenstein became
famous for his performances in Robert Altman's “Streamers”
(1983) and Ang Lee's “The Wedding Banquet” (1993). He won
a Venice Film Festival Award for the first film and an Independent
Spirit nomination in the latter. Since the early 2000s, the son of
the late painter Roy Lichtenstein has focused his attention on
writing and directing. His motion picture directorial debut, “Teeth”
(2007), which he also wrote and produced, was well-received at the
Sundance Film Festival, where he picked up a Grand Jury Prize
nomination and star Jess Weixler won a Special Jury Prize honor. He
stated, “It's about a young women who discovers that she is
anatomically unique. And that happens when her boyfriend gets violent
with her and is 'punished' for it.”
His second film, “Happy Tears,” will be released in
2009.
Son of Artist
Childhood and Family:
Mitchell Wilson Lichtenstein was born on March 10, 1956. He is the
son of painter/sculptor Roy Lichtenstein (born in 1923, died in
1997). His father, who pioneered the 'pop art' movement, was awarded
the 1995 American National Medal of the Arts by the National
Endowment of the Arts in Washington, DC.
The Wedding Banquet
Career:
Mitchell Lichtenstein kicked off his film career in 1983 when he
landed a supporting role in the adaptation of “The Lords of
Discipline,” starring David Keith. Later that same, he received
attention for playing Richie at the Toronto Film Festival-premiered
“Streamers.” Under the direction of Robert Altman, he
took home a Venice Film Festival for Best Actor.
After supporting Donald Sutherland, Jack Warden and Sean Penn for
the 1984 comedy “Crackers,” helmed by Louis Malle,
Lichtenstein turned his attention to television. He appeared in
episodes of “Miami Vice” (1984), “The Equalizer”
(1987) and “Cheers” (1993) and made his TV movie debut in
the amazing drama “Blue Bayou” (1990). He revisited the
cinematic industry when Ang Lee cast him as Simon, a gay Chinese man
living in America who is forced to marry by his parents, in “The
Wedding Banquet,” a Taiwanese movie which received Best Foreign
Language Film nominations at both Oscar and Golden Globes. For his
fine acting, Lichtenstein was nominated for an Independent Spirit
Award in the category of Best Male Lead.
Lichtenstein appeared in two episodes of “Law & Order,”
which was aired during 1995 to 1998. In the meantime, he teamed up
with Tom Gilroy and Margaret Welsh for “Ratchet” (1996),
a thriller film helmed and penned by John Johnson. He went on to make
guest appearance in a 1998 episode of “Homicide: Life on the
Street,” playing Adam, and closed out the decade with a bit
part as gay Republican spokesperson in Joel Schumacher's “Flawless”
(1999), starring Robert De Niro and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Lichtenstein executive produced the 22-minute short “Patriotic”
(2000) and returned to acting two years later with a supporting part
as Hamilton Albatross in the comedy/short “Twin Set”
(2002), which marked Lichtenstein's last on-screen appearance to
date. After the performance, he emerged as a filmmaker.
In 2004, Lichtenstein directed, wrote and produced a short called
“Resurrection.” He made an auspicious comeback three
years later with the festival darling “Teeth,” a black
comedy/horror film about the difficultys and power of a girl as a
living example of the vagina dentata myth. Starring Jess Weixler,
John Hensley and Josh Pais, the film was nominated for a Grand Jury
Prize-Drama at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, in which Weixler
earned a Special Jury Prize-Dramatic for his performance. It also won
a Special Jury Prize at the 2008 Gérardmer Film Festival.
Lichtenstein's second attempt, “Happy Tears,” a drama
which he directed and scripted, is set for a 2009 release. It stars
Demi Moore, Parker Posey, Rip Torn and Ellen Barkin.
“ I’m doing something I wrote called 'Happy Tears.'
It’s a comedy/drama about family. It’s nothing outrageous
but I think it’s funny. There’s nobody signed but we are
assembling a good cast. It will be rated R.” Mitchell
Lichtenstein
Awards:
Gérardmer Film Festival: Special Jury Prize, “Teeth,”
2008
Venice Film Festival: Best Actor, “Streamers,”
1983
|
