Farewell to Arthur C. Clarke and Anthony Minghella

Earlier today, I posted a link to a thought-provoking perspective on 2001: A Space Odyssey, Stanley Kubrick’s film based on an Arthur C. Clarke story.

I have just learned that Clarke passed away today “from breathing problems.” He was 90. There aren’t many sci-fi visionaries like Clarke… and we need more.

2001: A Space Odyssey was the film that first introduced me to the idea of cinema as poetry. It is still one of my favorite movies. Seeing a restoration of the work in Seattle’s Cinerama theater a few years back was one of the most extraordinary big-screen experiences of my life.

Earlier today, I learned of the death of filmmaker Anthony Minghella. I greatly dislike the film that catapulted him to a new level of fame – The English Patient – but I admired The Talented Mr. Ripley very much, and liked Cold Mountain more than most critics I know. In interviews he seemed an engaging fellow with a lot of insight into artmaking. I haven’t seen his latest, Breaking and Entering, but as a big fan of Juliette Binoche I am duty-bound to see it eventually. I would have liked to see many more films from this talented, unpredictable artist.