Decorated Filmmaker Jonathan Demme is revered for its outstanding cinematic creations and utmost diversity. After first making his debut with the 1974 women’s prison drama caged heat, the director quickly made a name for himself with humanistic comedies like Melvin and Howard, swing shift and Married to the mafia. He would go on to make a wide variety of films, from possibly the greatest concert film ever made (Stop being logical) to one of only three films to win the big five Oscars with the psychological horror phenomenon The Silence of the Lambs in 1991.
Demme would go on to achieve success with critically acclaimed films such as Philadelphia, the Manchurian candidate, and Rachel is getting married, eventually adopting a documentary style of directing in his later endeavours, combining his work making concert films for Talking Heads, Neil Young and Justin Timberlake with his compassionate, fly-on-the-wall style. The brilliant and wonderfully unique Demme passed away in 2017 at the age of 73, leaving behind a fantastic and broad career, with numerous influential contributions to the entertainment industry. These are some of the best Jonathan Demme movies.
9/9 lover
Based on Toni Morrison’s 1998 psychological horror drama novel of the same name lover Featuring an impressive cast led by Oprah Winfrey, Danny Glover and a young Thandiwe Newton, it tells the gripping story of former slave Sethe as she is visited by an evil poltergeist and a mysterious young woman who is the reincarnation of her precious, deceased daughter .
The emotionally driven photograph is a faithful adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning work and has been praised by critics and the public alike for the powerful performances of the gifted protagonists and the terrifying and honest portrayal of slavery. Despite a mediocre box office performance, lover received numerous nominations, including an Oscar and NAACP Image Award.
8/9 swing shift
The ever-charming Goldie Hawn headlined the 1984 romantic war drama swing shift, in which she portrays an arms factory worker who becomes enthralled by a charismatic musician while her husband serves as a US Navy sailor during World War II. When her husband finally returns from the war, the resilient and feisty Kay is forced to think about what (or who) her heart really desires as she decides what she wants to see in her bright future.
swing shift was plagued by incipient tensions between director Jonathan Demme and star Hawn, and the drama was eventually sworn off by the respected filmmaker due to their ongoing disputes; anyway, Demme’s original cut was explained by Sight & Sound as “extraordinary – one of the best movies made by an American in the ’80s.”
7/9 The Manchurian Candidate
An adaptation of the 1962 Frank Sinatra-led photograph and Richard Condon’s novel, the 2004 neo-noir psychological political thriller The Manchurian Candidate follows U.S. Army Soldier Major Bennett Marco (a great Denzel Washington) as he begins to question whether his fellow unitmate and current Congressman Raymond Prentiss Shaw (Liev Schreiber) is as heroic as he is proclaimed to be when he takes the Medal of Honor after surviving a deadly mission. When Marco makes the disturbing discovery of a small metal object implanted in his back, he begins to believe that he and his fellow soldiers have been brainwashed by the FBI for ominous reasons.
In remaking the conspiracy classic, Demm stated he liked it the “idea of replacing communism as the great global threat to humanity with what is arguably the greatest threat to humanity today: the multinational corporations profiting from war”, and that he enjoyed interacting fully with the characters to go and embrace the film as a psychological thriller.
6/9 Rachel is getting married
Anne Hathaway earned an Oscar nomination for her compelling portrayal of a struggling addict who is released from rehab to attend her sister’s wedding in the 2008 drama. Rachel is getting married, detailing Kym’s complicated attempts to reconnect with her family and friends amid her substance abuse problems. Demm was attracted to the screenplay because of the lack of concern about making his character likeablehis disregard for the traditional rules of film formula and his refreshing approach to honesty, humor and pain.
The captivating photo made it to the top ten film critics’ lists of the year, with London Evening Standard writing“Director Jonathan Demme, who says he wants to make ‘the most beautiful home movie ever made’, didn’t rehearse scenes before filming. He and Hathaway, like Lumet, deserve credit for creating an outcast that’s instantly close-home and unique.”
5/9 Married to the mafia
In the 1988 crime comedy Married to the mafia, Michelle Pfeiffer appears as Angela de Marco, the widow of a Long Island mobster who desperately wants to escape the criminal underworld and start a new life with her son. Her noble plan is complicated when an FBI agent is assigned to investigate her, which leads the couple into a romantic relationship.
The thrilling film was a success at the box office and with critics, with director Jonathan Demme garnering immense praise for its idiosyncrasy; The New York Times called Demme “the king of the amusing artifacts of American cinema: dazzling trinkets, the most junkies of jewelry, costumes so terrifying they take your breath away.”
4/9 something wild
Jonathan Demme helmed the delightful 1986 screwball action rom-com something wild, which revolves around carefree Lulu (Melanie Griffith) as she takes a handsome, uptight banker for a fun weekend away. Their exciting encounter is cut short when her abusive ex-con husband shows up on a mission to win her back.
Featuring an absolutely wonderful Jeff Daniels and Ray Liotta, the quirky film showcased Demme’s unique point of view and unusual approach to storytelling, with the Chicago Tribune express: “It’s not every day that someone Alfred Hitchcock one goes better, but in something wild, Jonathan Demme did it.” Demme’s seemingly effortless blend of humor and suspense helped establish the rom-com as a knockout in the director’s excellent body of work, an 80s cult classic with phenomenal music (a hallmark of Demme ).
3/9 Philadelphia
Demme enlisted Hollywood hard-hitters Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington to make one of the first major films discussing the AIDS crisis with the 1993 legal drama Philadelphia, tells the gripping story of a successful lawyer who is fired from his prestigious position after his firm discovers his homosexuality and HIV status, which ultimately leads the man to sue for discrimination.
After struggling to find someone to take on his case, Andrew Beckett (Hanks, who now regrets playing the gay character and wishes the role went to a gay man) is approached by the homophobic little attorney Joe Miller (Washington), who agrees to represent him. Both Beckett and Miller embark on a life-changing journey through the thought-provoking image and develop a deep bond, the latter eventually throwing off his preconceptions.
Philadelphia was honored for his enlightening perspective and message and knockout performances, and Hanks won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Beckett. About his decision to direct a drama on the then taboo topic, Demme told rolling stone that he wanted to tackle the stigma surrounding the AIDS crisis: “We wanted to reach people who don’t know people with AIDS, who look down on people with AIDS […] There was a desire to stick AIDS in your face and say, “Look, you motherfuckers.”
2/9 Melvin and Howard
Based on the life of Utah’s Melvin Dummar and his claims that he saved the life of business magnate Howard Hughes, the 1980 dramedy Melvin and Howard Paul Le Mat plays the unfortunate owner of a gas station who is said to have saved Hughes’ life in the Nevada desert in 1967. After the infamous hermit’s death nearly a decade later, Dummar is shocked when a will appears, naming him as the recipient of $156 million.
He finds himself at the heart of a grueling legal battle and media frenzy as he fights for the life-changing funds, ultimately declaring the will a forgery despite Dummar’s claims of innocence. Melvin and Howard Demme won Best Director at the New York Film Critics Circle Awards and is honored as one of the filmmaker’s best films.
1/9 The Silence of the Lambs
Touted as one of the greatest and most influential films of all time, the 1991 psychological horror film The Silence of the Lambs follows famed young FBI intern Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) as she relentlessly tries to track down and skin a disturbing serial killer targeting women across the country. After bumping into a wall during her investigation, Clarice enlists the help of once-esteemed psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), a now imprisoned cannibalistic serial killer who both aids and manipulates the intern on her quest.
Jonathan Demme directed the celebrated horror masterpiece, which became the only film of the horror genre to win Best Picture; it also became the third and most recent film to win all five major categories, including best director for Demme. Adapted from the novel by Thomas Harris, the 90s classic remains a triumphant film classic featuring one of the greatest movie villains and heroines of all time.