Wikipedia

Sidney J. Furie

This is the latest accepted revision, reviewed on 24 June 2026.

Sidney J. Furie (born Sholom Joseph Furie; February 26, 1933) is a Canadian film and television director, screenwriter, and producer.

Sidney J. Furie
Born
Sholom Joseph Furie

(1933-02-26) February 26, 1933 (age 93)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Alma materCarnegie Mellon University
Occupations
  • Director
  • screenwriter
  • producer
Years active1959–present
AwardsSee below

After early work at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Furie made his feature film debut with the drama A Dangerous Age (1957). Largely overlooked in its native country, the film was well received by British critics and led the director to move there. He directed the well-regarded kitchen sink drama The Leather Boys (1964) and the spy film The Ipcress File (1965), starring Michael Caine as Harry Palmer, which won the BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Film.

In the following decade, Furie moved to the United States, where he directed a variety of films, including the Western The Appaloosa (1966), the biopics Lady Sings the Blues (1972) and Gable and Lombard (1976), the Vietnam War film The Boys in Company C (1978), the horror film The Entity (1982), and the superhero film Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987). He co-created the Iron Eagle action film franchise which began in 1986, and directed three of its four entries. He returned to Canada after the 1990s, where he has directed various independent and low-budget films.[1]

Early life and education

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Furie was born Sholom Joseph Furie to a Jewish family in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.[2] He started attending Vaughan Road Collegiate in 1947.[3][4] He later attended Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[5]

Career

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Early Canadian films

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Furie worked as a writer for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), where, in 1957, he wrote and directed a feature-length drama, A Dangerous Age. A dark variation on the Romeo and Juliet story, it starred Ben Piazza and Anne Pearson as teenage lovers on the run from the authorities, unable to legally elope and get married. A cash-in on the trend of "juvenile delinquent" films, it was nonetheless something of a landmark in Canadian cinema, one of the first times the country had seriously marketed a film overseas.[6] Despite the support of popular producer and distributor Nat Taylor, it failed to find a following in its native country, but was critically acclaimed by British critics, who saw the young Furie as a fresh talent.[7]

A year later, Furie again tried his hand at gritty adolescent drama, writing and directing A Cool Sound from Hell. Shot on location in Toronto, the film followed a young, jazz-obsessed hipster wandering aimlessly through the city's streets and metro stations, who finds himself plunged into the world of illicit drug smuggling while pursuing a femme fatale. A direct refutation of his home town's squeaky-clean self-image, the film suffered the same fate as his previous one, failing to find a proper distributor and falling into obscurity. The film was long thought lost, until it was rediscovered decades later by Furie's biographer Daniel Kremer in the vaults of the British Film Institute, mislabelled as The Beat Generation. The restored film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2016.[8]

Furie then directed and produced 19 episodes of the CBC dramatic series Hudson's Bay.

Move to England

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Unable to find success or recognition in his native country, Furie moved to England, where he had received critical acclaim, in hopes of pursuing more successful ventures. He dabbled in various genres, including horror (Doctor Blood's Coffin), comedy (Three on a Spree), and musicals (The Young Ones). His brief dip into the kitchen sink realism movement produced The Leather Boys, which in addition to showcasing the period's rocker subculture, is considered groundbreaking due to its latent homosexual themes.[9] It has since become recognised as a key entry in queer cinema.[10][11]

His major breakthrough came in 1964 when he directed the spy film The Ipcress File. Intended as a direct response to the popularity of the James Bond franchise, the film showed a darker, more downbeat portrayal of espionage. Its lead character Harry Palmer (played by Michael Caine) has become iconic, and the film was widely acclaimed, winning a BAFTA Award for Best British Film, an Edgar Award for Best Screenplay, and was nominated for a Palme d'Or at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. The film showcased Furie's unique visual style, utilising multiple cameras, long-take master shots, and dynamic camera movement in lieu of fast cutting. Furie worked closely with director of photography Otto Heller to shoot through and around foreground objects, creating a "refracted" view of the action and an all-encompassing sense of paranoia. The film proved very successful, and spawned five sequels.

Hollywood

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Furie moved again, this time to Hollywood, where he began his American directing career with The Appaloosa, a Western film starring Marlon Brando and John Saxon.[12] He revisited the spy genre with a follow-up to The Ipcress File; The Naked Runner. Both films feature Furie's signature visuals and directorial style.[13] In 1972, he directed Lady Sings the Blues, a biographical drama about the life of jazz singer-songwriter Billie Holiday, for which lead actress Diana Ross was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress. Furie was later attached to direct the similarly-themed remake of The Jazz Singer, but was replaced by Richard Fleischer halfway through principal photography.

He was originally offered The Godfather to direct by producer Albert S. Ruddy, but he left the job early in pre-production due to budget disputes, being replaced by Francis Ford Coppola due to the producers' desire to keep the film "ethnic to the core".[14]

He directed 1978's The Boys in Company C, one of the first American films produced about the Vietnam War after the end of the conflict. Stanley Kubrick cited it as an influence on Full Metal Jacket (1987).[15]

Furie's 1981 horror movie The Entity was declared by Martin Scorsese to be one of the "scariest movies of all time".[16][17]

Furie wrote and directed the 1986 action war film Iron Eagle, adapting a screenplay by writer Kevin Alyn Elders based on the real-life 1981 Gulf of Sidra incident. The film was overshadowed by the release of the similarly themed Top Gun later that year,[18] but proved successful enough on home video to warrant three sequels, two of which Furie directed.[19]

His 1987 superhero film Superman IV: The Quest for Peace was marred by last-minute budget cuts, forcing Furie to resort to cost-cutting tactics that included moving the production from New York City to Milton Keynes; scaling-down or outright cutting planned set-pieces; and using cheaper, sub-standard visual effects.[20][21] The film also suffered numerous re-edits in post-production, with multiple sub-plots, characters, and a total of 45 minutes of footage being cut.[22][20] The film was a critical and commercial failure.[23]

Later works

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Since 1991, Furie has mostly directed direct-to-video action and genre films. He has also directed television series like Pensacola: Wings of Gold, Lonesome Dove: The Series, and V.I.P.

He and his early film A Cool Sound from Hell were given retrospectives at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival.[8][24] In 2010, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Directors Guild of Canada.[25]

In 2018, he directed the independent road comedy Drive Me to Vegas and Mars, starring Stan Shaw and Tony Todd.[26]

In 2022, he directed the comedy-drama Finding Hannah, starring Diana Muldaur in her first acting role since 1993. It premiered at the Miami Jewish Film Festival in January 2023.[27]

Assessment

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Furie is considered by some an auteur director, elevating otherwise unremarkable genre films through strong, creative visuals, and atmospheric direction.[28][29] He was one of the earliest Canadian directors to achieve mainstream critical and commercial success outside their native country, at a time when its native film industry was still burgeoning.[7][30] In 2010, he received the Directors Guild of Canada's Lifetime Achievement Award.[25]

In 2006, Lady Sings the Blues was inducted into the Black Movie Awards Classic Cinema Hall of Fame.[31]

In 2015, the University Press of Kentucky published the first full-length biography of Furie, by film historian Daniel Kremer.[32]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Functioned as Notes
Director Writer Producer
1957 A Dangerous Age Yes Yes Yes
1959 A Cool Sound from Hell Yes Yes Yes
1960 During One Night Yes Yes Yes
1961 Dr. Blood's Coffin Yes No No
The Snake Woman Yes No No
The Young Ones Yes No No
Three on a Spree Yes No No
1962 The Boys Yes No Yes
The Leather Boys Yes No No
1964 Wonderful Life Yes No No
1965 The Ipcress File Yes No No
1966 The Appaloosa Yes No No
1967 The Naked Runner Yes No No
1970 The Lawyer Yes Yes No
Little Fauss and Big Halsy Yes No No
1972 Lady Sings the Blues Yes No No
1973 Hit! Yes No No
1975 Sheila Levine Is Dead and Living in New York Yes No No
1976 Gable and Lombard Yes No No
1977 The Boys in Company C Yes Yes No
1980 Night of the Juggler Uncredited No No Replaced by Robert Butler
The Jazz Singer Uncredited No No Replaced by Richard Fleischer
1982 The Entity Yes No No
1984 Purple Hearts Yes Yes Yes
1986 Iron Eagle Yes Yes No
1987 Superman IV: The Quest for Peace Yes No No
1988 Iron Eagle II Yes Yes No
1991 The Taking of Beverly Hills Yes Yes No
1992 Ladybugs Yes No No
1995 Iron Eagle on the Attack Yes No No
1996 Hollow Point Yes No No
1997 The Rage Yes Yes No
Top of the World Yes No No
1999 In Her Defense Yes No No
2000 Cord Yes No No
My 5 Wives Yes No No
2001 Under Heavy Fire Yes Yes No
2002 Global Heresy Yes No No
The Fraternity Yes No No
Partners in Action Yes No No
2003 Detention Yes No No
2004 Direct Action Yes Yes No
2005 American Soldiers Yes No Yes
2008 The Four Horsemen Yes No No
2011 Conduct Unbecoming Yes No No
2014 The Dependables Yes No No
2018 Drive Me to Vegas and Mars Yes Yes No
2023 Finding Hannah Yes Yes No

Television

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Year Title Functioned as Notes
Creator Director Writer Producer
1955 Playbill No No Yes No 2 episodes
1959 Hudson's Bay No Yes Yes Yes Director/producer; 19 episodes
Writer; 10 episodes
1971 Thunderguys No Yes No No TV movie
1974–76 Petrocelli Yes No No No 45 episodes
1994 Lonesome Dove: The Series No Yes No No 3 episodes
1997 Married to a Stranger No Yes No No TV movie
1998–2000 Pensacola: Wings of Gold No Yes No No 8 episodes
V.I.P. No Yes No No 5 episodes
1999 The Collectors No Yes No No TV movie
2000 Road Rage No Yes No No
2000–01 18 Wheels of Justice No Yes No No 2 episodes
2006 The Veteran No Yes No No TV movie

Awards and nominations

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See also

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References

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  1. ↑ "An Interview with Sidney J. Furie (Part 1 of 2)".
  2. ↑ Haaretz: "Superman, Man of Schlemiel? - Superman, the invention of two U.S. Jews, is a profoundly Jewish character whose film history is entwined with that of American Jewry" by Nathan Abrams June 16, 2013
  3. ↑ Daniel Kremer (9 October 2015). Sidney J. Furie: Life and Films. University Press of Kentucky. pp. 12–. ISBN 978-0-8131-6598-1.
  4. ↑ Sidney J. Furie: Life and Films by Daniel Kremer p.9
  5. ↑ Sidney J. Furie: Life and Films by Daniel Kremer p.13
  6. ↑ WISE, WYNDHAM. "A Dangerous Age". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
  7. 1 2 Beard, William. "Sidney Furie". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
  8. 1 2 Portrait: Sidney J. Furie, TIFF The Review, Aug 31, 2016 . Accessed November 13, 2016
  9. ↑ "The Leather Boys". BFI. Archived from the original on February 22, 2016. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
  10. ↑ Murray, Raymond (1996). Images in the Dark: An Encyclopedia of Gay and Lesbian Film and Video. Plume. ISBN 9780452276277.
  11. ↑ "The Leather Boys (1964) - Moto Movie Review | RideApart". RideApart. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
  12. ↑ "Movie Review - - The Screen: Marlon Brando in 'The Appaloosa':A Western Directed by Furie Has Premiere - NYTimes.com". The New York Times. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
  13. ↑ "Appaloosa, The Review (1966)". www.thespinningimage.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
  14. ↑ "The Godfather Wars | Vanity Fair". Vanity Fair. 2014-07-14. Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
  15. ↑ "The Boys in Company C (1978)". All About War Movies. 2014-05-27. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
  16. ↑ Scorsese, Martin (2015-10-31). "Martin Scorsese's Scariest Movies of All Time". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
  17. ↑ Pulver, Andrew (2013-11-12). "Martin Scorsese names his scariest films of all time". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
  18. ↑ "11 Pairs of Damn Near Identical Movies That Were Released at the Same Time". 11 Points. 13 March 2009. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
  19. ↑ Mann, Roderick (1986-02-02). "Sidney Furie Leads The Cheer For 'Iron Eagle'". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-08-24.
  20. 1 2 "What happened to Superman IV's Nuclear Man?". Retrieved 2017-09-20.
  21. ↑ "36 Things We Learned from the 'Superman IV: The Quest for Peace' Commentary". Film School Rejects. 2014-07-24. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
  22. ↑ Lentz, Harris M. (February 1989). Science fiction, horror & fantasy film and television credits supplement: through 1987. McFarland. ISBN 9780899503646.
  23. ↑ Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, retrieved 2017-09-20
  24. ↑ "Portrait: Sidney J. Furie". TIFF. 2016-08-31. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
  25. 1 2 "DGC honors Furie with lifetime achievement". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
  26. ↑ Drive Me to Vegas and Mars (2018) | MUBI. Retrieved 2025-01-29 – via mubi.com.
  27. ↑ "Finding Hannah". Miami Jewish Film Festival. Retrieved 2025-01-29.
  28. ↑ "Sidney J. Furie, Forgotten Genius of Film?". Shepherd Express. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
  29. ↑ Kremer, Daniel. "Sidney J. Furie is Alive and Well and Living in Pictures: An Appreciation of an Unjustly Maligned and Marginalized Director". ConFluence Film Blog. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
  30. ↑ "AN INTERVIEW WITH SIDNEY J. FURIE (PART 1 OF 2)". www.money-into-light.com. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
  31. ↑ "Tyler Perry to Host Film Life's 2006 Black Movie Awards - A Celebration of Black Cinema: Past, Present & Future, Premiering Wednesday, Oct. 18, on TNT". Time Warner. Retrieved 2010-11-03.
  32. ↑ Kremer, Daniel (2015). Sidney J. Furie: Life and Films. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0813165967.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  33. ↑ "Festival de Cannes: The Ipcress File". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
  34. ↑ Directors Guild of Canada 2010 DGC Awards. Retrieved August 13, 2010.
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