Mary Harron
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Mary Harron (born January 12, 1953) is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. She co-wrote the screenplay and directed ''
American Psycho ''American Psycho'' is a black comedy horror novel by American writer Bret Easton Ellis, published in 1991. The story is told in the First-person narrative, first-person by Patrick Bateman, a wealthy, narcissistic, and vain Manhattan investmen ...
'', '' The Notorious Bettie Page'''' and I Shot Andy Warhol.''


Early life

Born in
Bracebridge, Ontario Bracebridge is a town and the seat of the District Municipality of Muskoka in Ontario, Canada. The town was built around a waterfall on the Muskoka River in the centre of town and is known for its other nearby waterfalls (Wilson's Falls, High Fal ...
, Canada, Harron grew up with a family with numerous connections to the arts. She is the daughter of Gloria Fisher and
Don Harron Donald Hugh Harron, (September 19, 1924 – January 17, 2015) was a Canadian comedian, actor, director, journalist, author, playwright, and composer. Harron is best remembered by American audiences as a member of the cast of the long-running co ...
, a Canadian actor, comedian, author and director. Her parents divorced when she was six years old. Harron spent her early life residing between Toronto and
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
. Harron's first stepmother, Virginia Leith, was discovered by
Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American filmmaker and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Stanley Kubrick filmography, his films were nearly all adaptations of novels or sho ...
and acted in his first film '' Fear and Desire'' and was also featured in the 1962 cult classic '' The Brain That Wouldn't Die''. Leith's brief acting career partly inspired Harron's interest in making '' The Notorious Bettie Page''. Harron's stepfather is the novelist Stephen Vizinczey. Harron's second stepmother is the Canadian singer Catherine McKinnon. Harron moved to England when she was thirteen and later attended St Anne's College,
Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...
, where she received a Bachelors in English. While in England, she dated
Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He was Leader ...
, later the
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister Advice (constitutional law), advises the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, sovereign on the exercise of much of the Royal prerogative ...
and
Chris Huhne Christopher Murray Paul Huhne (born 2 July 1954) is a British energy and climate change consultant, and former journalist, business economist and politician who was the Liberal Democrats (UK), Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Eastleigh ...
, another Oxford student who later became a prominent politician. She then moved to
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
and was part of its 1970s
punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
scene.


Influences

During her adolescence, Harron was exposed to many different forms of art and film. In a 2020 interview with ''The New School'', Harron states: "My parents took us to whatever films they wanted to see so I saw a lot of art films that would not be considered suitable for a child." She goes on to explain that her largest influences, especially as a child around the age of ten, were Alfred Hitchcock, Bergman, and Satyajit Ray. After she had moved to London in her teen years she began attending the National Film Theatre where she was exposed to other international filmmakers like
Fritz Lang Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), better known as Fritz Lang (), was an Austrian-born film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary ''Variety Obituari ...
,
Howard Hawks Howard Winchester Hawks (May 30, 1896December 26, 1977) was an American film director, Film producer, producer, and screenwriter of the Classical Hollywood cinema, classic Hollywood era. Critic Leonard Maltin called him "the greatest American ...
,
Claude Chabrol Claude Henri Jean Chabrol (; 24 June 1930 – 12 September 2010) was a French film director and a member of the French New Wave (''nouvelle vague'') group of filmmakers who first came to prominence at the end of the 1950s. Like his colleagues an ...
, and
Roman Polanski Raymond Roman Thierry Polański (; born 18 August 1933) is a Polish and French filmmaker and actor. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Roman Polanski, numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, three Britis ...
. She was also exposed to noir films, namely ''
Double Indemnity ''Double Indemnity'' is a 1944 American film noir directed by Billy Wilder and produced by Buddy DeSylva and Joseph Sistrom. Wilder and Raymond Chandler adapted the screenplay from James M. Cain's Double Indemnity (novel), novel of the same na ...
''. As an adult she was inspired by the films '' Blue Velvet'', '' Drugstore Cowboy'' and ''
The Piano ''The Piano'' is a 1993 historical romance film written and directed by New Zealand filmmaker Jane Campion. It stars Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel, Sam Neill, and Anna Paquin (in her first major acting role). The film focuses on a mute Sc ...
'', directed by
Jane Campion Dame Elizabeth Jane Campion (born 30 April 1954) is a New Zealand filmmaker. She is best known for writing and directing the critically acclaimed films ''The Piano'' (1993) and ''The Power of the Dog (film), The Power of the Dog'' (2021), for ...
. While she said that she had plenty of exposure to Hollywood films, she was enticed by these types of films because they were, in her words, the "forerunners of independent film."


Career


Early writing work

In New York, Harron helped start and write for ''
Punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
'' magazine as a music journalist; she was the first journalist to interview the
Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols are an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they became culturally influential in popular music. The band initiated the punk movement in the United Ki ...
for an American publication. She grew up in the early punk scene of America. She found the culture easy for her to fit into and was constantly evolving and spreading into new demographics. During the 1980s, she was a drama critic for ''
The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...
'' in London for a time, as well as working as a music critic for ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' and the ''
New Statesman ''The New Statesman'' (known from 1931 to 1964 as the ''New Statesman and Nation'') is a British political and cultural news magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first c ...
''. In the late 1980s, Harron participated and began her film career writing and directing BBC Documentaries. During the 1990s, Harron moved back to New York where she worked as a producer for PBS's ''Edge'', a program dedicated to exploring American pop culture. It was at this time that Harron became interested in the life of Valerie Solanas, the woman who attempted to kill
Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (;''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''"Warhol" born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director and producer. A leading figure in the pop art movement, Warhol ...
. Harron suggested making a documentary about Solanas to her producers, who in turn encouraged her to develop the project into what would be her first feature film. Harron says she owes her success with her first film to Andy who helped to sell the controversial focus on the attempted murderess, Solanas.


''I Shot Andy Warhol''

Harron's feature film
directorial debut This is a list of film directorial debuts in chronological order. The films and dates referred to are a director's first commercial cinematic release. Many filmmakers have directed works which were not commercially released, for example early work ...
, '' I Shot Andy Warhol'', released in 1996, is the partially imagined story of Valerie Solanas' failed assassination attempt on Andy Warhol. She explains her interest in Solanas' life: In an interview Harron did for CBC’s Newsworld’s ''On the Arts'' in 1996, she told film critic Christopher Heard that "It was Valerie that really impelled erto make this film, because of the mystery of her story. ..Not knowing who she was ... the lack of information about her."“Why Director Mary Harron Made a Movie about the Woman Who Shot Andy Warhol , CBC.” CBCnews, CBC/Radio Canada, 5 Aug. 2021, www.cbc.ca/archives/mary-harron-director-movie-valerie-solanas-1.6124201. Solanas's existence was "a real piece of lost history" and an "unknown story" that she sought to explore deeper. As far as Harron's amusement with Warhol went, she stated "As I was growing up, Warhol was the most famous artist in the world, apart from Picasso ..My mother isapprovedof him, so that made him even more interesting." Also regarding her interest in Warhol’s story, she felt that he, before and after the shooting, were two vastly different people. This is her reason for viewing Warhol’s shooting as a “turning point” in his life.” The film opened the “Un Certain Regard” section of the Cannes Film Festival and received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for best first feature film. It also won the sole acting award at that year's
Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...
for Lili Taylor's performance as Solanas.


''American Psycho''

Harron's second film, ''
American Psycho ''American Psycho'' is a black comedy horror novel by American writer Bret Easton Ellis, published in 1991. The story is told in the First-person narrative, first-person by Patrick Bateman, a wealthy, narcissistic, and vain Manhattan investmen ...
'', released in 2000, is based on the book of the same title by
Bret Easton Ellis Bret Easton Ellis (born March 7, 1964) is an American author and screenwriter. Ellis was one of the literary Brat Pack (literary), Brat Pack and is a self-proclaimed satirist whose trademark technique as a writer is the expression of extreme acts ...
, which is notorious for its graphic descriptions of torture and murder. The protagonist, Patrick Bateman (
Christian Bale Christian Charles Philip Bale (born 30 January 1974) is an English actor. Known for his versatility and physical transformations for his roles, he has been a leading man in films of several genres. List of awards and nominations received by C ...
), is an investment banker who goes on a killing spree. ''The New York Times'' Stephen Holden wrote of the film: The film was mired in controversy before production began, due in large part to the legacy of the book's release.Marcus, Lydia. "The Pent Up and the Pinup." ''Lesbian News.'' April 2006: p. 43. Print. Harron has a liking for darker and more controversial topics, such as Valerie Solanas, but it was the satirical nature of the book that "inspired her film about perfunctory violence and obsessive consumption." As Harron began production, the crew had to contend with threats of protest, as the issue of violence in the media became crystallized by the Columbine shootings. Campaigns against the film continued throughout production, the Feminist Majority Foundation condemning the film as misogynist, and the Canadians Concerned About Violence in Entertainment (C-CAVE) convincing restaurant owners to deny Harron permission to film in their establishments.Harron, Mary.
The Risky Territory of 'American Psycho'
. ''The New York Times'' April 9, 2000, late ed.: section 2. Print.
When returning to work with co-writer Guinevere Turner, Harron felt they were best suited for the job of ''American Psycho'' as they needed no hesitation on feminist values, especially after Turner's successful lesbian film '' Go Fish.'' Although some criticized ''
American Psycho ''American Psycho'' is a black comedy horror novel by American writer Bret Easton Ellis, published in 1991. The story is told in the First-person narrative, first-person by Patrick Bateman, a wealthy, narcissistic, and vain Manhattan investmen ...
'' for its violence against women, Harron and Turner made conscious decisions that project the female influence on this adaption. Harron's adaptation of this film changes the focus from purely Bateman's perspective to showcase the faces of the women as "the perspective in those murder scenes wasn't through Patrick Bateman but the women."Bussmann, Kate. "Cutting Edge". ''The Guardian''. March 5, 2009. p. 16. Print.


''The Notorious Bettie Page''

'' The Notorious Bettie Page'', released in 2005, starred Gretchen Mol as
Bettie Page Bettie Mae Page (April 22, 1923 – December 11, 2008) was an American model who gained notoriety in the 1950s for her pin-up model, pin-up photos.


''The Moth Diaries''

'' The Moth Diaries'' (2011), Harron's fourth feature film, is another adaptation of an American novel, being based on Rachel Klein's 2002 novel of the same name. The film follows a group of girls living together at Brangwyn, a boarding school. A new student arrives, Ernessa ( Lily Cole) and the girls begin to suspect that she is a vampire. Harron has described the film as a "gothic coming-of-age story" that explores the nuanced friendships of teenage girls as they are repeatedly confronted with the prospect of adulthood.


''Charlie Says''

Harron directed the 2018 independent film '' Charlie Says'', with a screenplay by Turner, which tells the real-life story of how three of
Charles Manson Charles Milles Manson (; November 12, 1934 – November 19, 2017) was an American criminal, cult leader, and musician who led the Manson Family, a cult based in California in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Some cult members committed a Manson ...
's female followers ( Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, and Leslie Van Houten) came to terms with the magnitude of their crimes while incarcerated in the 1970s.
Matt Smith Matthew Robert Smith (born 28 October 1982) is an English actor. He is known for playing the Eleventh Doctor in the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' (2010–2013), Prince Philip in Netflix's historical series ''The Crown ( ...
played Manson in flashbacks. The film had initially been intended for another director, but when that director was no longer available Harron took over. Harron stated that she was fascinated by the psychological aspects of how the women ended up committing murder as a result of both manipulation by Manson and feelings of solidarity with one another.


''Dalíland''

'' Dalíland'' is a 2022 film directed by Harron, from a screenplay by her husband John Walsh. The film, set in the 1970s, follows the marriage between painter
Salvador Dalí Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (11 May 190423 January 1989), known as Salvador Dalí ( ; ; ), was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, ...
and his wife Gala Dalí, played by
Ben Kingsley Sir Ben Kingsley (born Krishna Pandit Bhanji; 31 December 1943) is an English actor. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Ben Kingsley, various accolades throughout Ben Kingsley on screen and stage, his career spanning fi ...
and Barbara Sukowa. The film was shot in
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
and released at the
2022 Toronto International Film Festival The 47th annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from September 8 to 18, 2022. The 2022 festival was staged primarily in-person; a small selection of films were offered on the Digital TIFF Bell Lightbox platform, but this represente ...
.


Other work

In addition to her films, Harron was also the executive producer of '' The Weather Underground'', a documentary looking at the Weathermen (political activists and extremists of the 1970s). She has also worked in television, directing episodes of'' Oz'', '' Six Feet Under'', '' Homicide: Life on the Street'', ''
The L Word ''The L Word'' is a television drama series that aired on Showtime in the United States from 2004 to 2009. The series follows the lives of a group of lesbian and bisexual women who live in West Hollywood, California. The premise originated wit ...
'' and ''
Big Love ''Big Love'' is an American drama (film and television), drama television series created by Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer that aired on HBO from 2006 to 2011. It stars Bill Paxton as the patriarch of a Mormon fundamentalism, fundamentalist Mor ...
''. Working on the episode of '' Six Feet Under'' "The Rainbow of Her Reasons", Harron was brought back together with '' I Shot Andy Warhol'' actress, Lili Taylor.


Views

Harron has been at times labelled a feminist filmmaker, in part due to her film on lesbian feminist Valerie Solanas, '' I Shot Andy Warhol'', as well as a lesbian storyline within her 2011 teenage Gothic horror film '' The Moth Diaries'' (2011). She has consistently denied this label, although she considers herself a
feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...
. In a 2006 interview, and then again during an interview in 2012, she stated: She is a member of Film Fatales, a women's independent filmmaker collective. Asked about her Canadian identity in a 2014 interview, Harron stated that she mostly felt "just not American". She stated that, to her, being Canadian meant "You don't think you're at the center of things." She also felt that, unlike American directors, she was not "a moralistic filmmaker. I'm not trying to tell people what to do, and I'm not trying to lead... I'm interested in ambiguity." Although her films deal with controversial materials, like ''
American Psycho ''American Psycho'' is a black comedy horror novel by American writer Bret Easton Ellis, published in 1991. The story is told in the First-person narrative, first-person by Patrick Bateman, a wealthy, narcissistic, and vain Manhattan investmen ...
'', in the opinion of director Buffy Childerhose, she does not put emphasis on gore and violence.


Personal life

Harron lives in New York with her husband, filmmaker John C. Walsh and their two daughters.


Filmography


Film

Executive producer * '' The Weather Underground'' (2002) (Documentary) * '' The Notorious Bettie Page'' (2005) Researcher *
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
documentary on
Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (;''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''"Warhol" born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director and producer. A leading figure in the pop art movement, Warhol ...


Television


Awards and nominations


See also

* List of female film and television directors *
List of LGBT-related films directed by women This is a list of lesbian, Gay men, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer-related films that were directed by women. LGBTQ-themed films directed by women – especially, but not exclusively, lesbian-themed movies – are an important and distinct s ...


References


Bibliography

* Bussmann, Kate. "Cutting Edge."''The Guardian.'

March 5, 2009. p. 16. Print. * * Harron, Mary. "The Risky Territory of 'American Psycho.'" ''The New York Times'' April 9, 2000, late ed.: section 2. Print. * Harron, Mary; "The Notorious Bettie Page" MovieNet

* Hernandez, Eugene (January 18, 2000
"PARK CITY 2000 BUZZ: "American Psycho" NC-17; Next Wave Nabs Sundance Doc"
''indieWire''. Retrieved November 29, 2011. * Hurd, Mary. ''Women Directors and Their Films.'' Westport: Praeger Publishers, 2007. Print. * King, Randall. "The Notorious Mary Harron." ''Winnipeg Free Press.'

March 1, 2012. Print. * Marcus, Lydia. "The Pent Up and the Pinup." ''Lesbian News.'' April 2006: p. 43. Print. * Murray, Rebecca

. ''
About.com Dotdash Meredith (formerly The Mining Company, About.com and Dotdash) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, hom ...
''. Retrieved November 29, 2011.


External links

* *
Entry at thecanadianencyclopedia.ca

Marry Harron interview
at NPR {{DEFAULTSORT:Harron, Mary Living people Canadian documentary film producers Canadian documentary film directors Canadian feminist writers Film producers from Ontario 20th-century Canadian screenwriters Canadian television directors Canadian women film directors Canadian women film producers Canadian women screenwriters American women screenwriters Canadian women television directors Feminist artists Melody Maker writers People from Bracebridge, Ontario Canadian emigrants to the United States Canadian expatriates in the United States Canadian expatriate writers in the United States Canadian expatriates in the United Kingdom Alumni of St Anne's College, Oxford 1953 births Postmodernist filmmakers Canadian women documentary filmmakers 20th-century Canadian women writers 21st-century Canadian screenwriters 21st-century Canadian women writers Film directors from Ontario Screenwriters from Ontario Canadian horror film directors American horror film directors Canadian Screen Award winning directors