Director of "Singin 'In The Rain": Stanley Donen died

Stanley Donen has, as it was typical of the masters of Hollywood's Golden Age , always understood only as a simple entertainer. The supposedly great film art - Orson Welles, Fellini, Kurosawa - he admired from afar. He never got a regular Oscar, only in 1998 he got an honorary award for his life's work.

Many directors honored Donen, especially in Europe he had admirers like François Truffaut or Stanley Kubrick. Jean-Luc Godard honored his colleague with a film scene as a tribute and described him as a "master of the musical".

Stanley Donen was born in 1924 in South Carolina. Because of his Jewish family, he suffered as a student under anti-Semitic abuse of classmates and often fled to the cinema. The musical film "Flying Down to Rio" from 1933 with Fred Astaire inspired him so much that he looked at him a dozen times and learned to dance and quilt himself. At 16, he moved to New York, a year later Gene Kelly made him his choreography assistant.

Oh no Rest In Peace Stanley Donen pic.twitter.com/YE3SALZhzw

Together Donen and Kelly designed revue numbers for Rita Hayworth ("Cover Girl"), in 1949 they staged the sailor's musical "Heut 'we go shopping" as an equal directorial team, three years later the legendary "Singin' in the Rain" ("You shall be my lucky star").

RIP the great Stanley Donen. Thank you for the most unashamedly joyous moment in all movies pic.twitter.com/F8tODeUjj7

Hellmuth Karasek called "Singin 'in the Rain" 1995 in SPIEGEL "the most successful and harmonious musical of all (film) times". To this day, the film is repeatedly included in the lists of the best films: He enthuses "with a lot of music, many costumes, rushing dance visions," said Karasek. So optimistic cocky as Gene Kelly, who also played the lead role, probably never danced again in the rain.

The fifties and sixties were Donens most productive time. In 1951, he had directed for the first time alone, in the musical comedy "Royal Wedding" played his childhood idol Fred Astaire the lead role - and Stanley Donen let him dance on the ceiling.

Stanley Donen was truly one of Hollywood's greatest.
PLEASE do yourself a favor and watch this mesmerizing scene from 'Royal Wedding' in which Fred Astaire dances around the walls and ceiling of a hotel room.
Pure innovative filmmaking. # RIPStanleyDonenhttps: //t.co/vxomqYBcgJ pic.twitter.com/TJGrrpWjsr

In 1957 Donen shot a masterpiece of the late musical era for the Paramount Studios with Astaire and Audrey Hepburn: "Funny Face" - in Germany under the beautiful title "A Sweet Fratz" in the cinema.

Fanny Face (1957). # StanleyDonen pic.twitter.com/zNI6UzhkZ8

Subsequently, Stanley Donen worked with Ingrid Bergman ("Indiscret", 1958), with Yul Brynner ("Once Again, With Feeling", 1959), with Cary Grant ("In front of house friends is warned", 1960), with Sophia Loren and Gregory Peck ("Arabesque", 1966).

Furios 1963 was Donens thriller comedy "Charade" with Grant and Hepburn in Paris, it was a box office hit and was awarded by critics the predicate, "to be the best Hitchcock movie that was not made by Hitchcock".

Se ha ido Stanley Donen. Jo☹️. pic.twitter.com/4iHAKVCYjn

As a financial fiasco proved Donens literary adaptation "The Little Prince" (1974), which he once returned to the musical. Then he tried with little success in other film genres, such as the high-profile adventure comedy "Lucky Lady" (1975), the Hollywood-Persiflage "Movie Movie" (1978) and the science fiction film "Saturn 3" (1980) , After his movie comedy "Blame it on Rio" (1984) starring Michael Caine, Hollywood became quieter around Donen, who worked for television and Broadway for a long time.

Stanley Donen came and spoke at my school. At one point, he danced w / a student, taking in hand, floating sideways across the stage, a moment of perfect grace. Hey was asked, "How do you direct Audrey Hepburn and not fall in love with her?" He replied, "You do not." RIP. pic.twitter.com/fv47QkhjAd

He does not wish, quoted the SPIEGEL 1983 on the occasion of a TV retrospective of Donen films, that he once a tombstone with the inscription "He created Singin 'in the Rain'" set up. "But which entertainer has a better recommendation for eternity?", The article concluded at that time.

Director Stanley Donen has died at 94. With Gene Kelly he brought ON THE TOWN and SINGIN 'IN THE RAIN into the world; on his own, 7 BRIDES, CHARADE and TWO FOR THE ROAD. A huge, often neglected talent. #StanleyDonen

As the film critic of the "Chicago Tribune", citing Stanley Donens son Mark first reported, the director died at the age of 94 years. His sons Mark and Joshua confirmed the message to the AP news agency.

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Stanley Donen at 94: Stanley Donen was a friend and an early mentor. His generosity in giving about so many of his weekends in the late '60s to film students like to learn about it. He co-directed what is considered to be the greatest Hollywood musical of all time, Singing in the Rain, when he collided with Gene Kelly to make his own compelling movies into multiple genres. 'Charade', 'Bedazzled' and 'Two for the Road' were my favorites. Image: Frazer Harrison / Getty Images North America, 2010. Pictured: (L to R) Kate Capshaw, Steven Spielberg, Harrison Ford, Elaine May, Stanley Donen. #StanleyDonen #StevenSpielberg

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Steven Spielberg called Stanley Donen a "friend and mentor". Director-colleague Guillermo del Toro said the following words: "Before Stanley Donen it was actors who sang, actors who danced, he let the camera dance and the colors sing."

Before Stanley Donen actors sang, actors danced. He made the camera dance and the colors sing. pic.twitter.com/kwcvbnd9om