Director and producer Ivan Reitman knew that a successful comedy isn't just about the script.

In his fifty-year career, he therefore gave space above all to the talent of his actors.

In an interview with the New York Times, he once said that he loves it when they improvise and he can then structure the “raw material” that is produced in this way.

Reitman has always sought the perfect balance between creativity and structure, between spontaneity and planning.

Maria Wiesner

Editor in the society department at FAZ.NET.

  • Follow I follow

He may have learned to play puppets, which he dabbled in as a child, after all he was born in 1946 in Czechoslovakia, where this art form has a long tradition.

In 1951 the parents decided to emigrate to Canada;

the mother survived Auschwitz, the father fought in the Czech resistance.

Reitman grew up in Toronto.

Improvisation with Moranis, Aykroyd and Murray

During his studies he made short films.

He learned the feature film trade as a producer for David Cronenberg, with whom he made several horror films.

He eventually found his calling in comedy, honing his controlled release directorial technique on 1984's breakthrough Ghostbusters, starring Rick Moranis, Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray - three creatures of the Chicago improv scene centered on the late-night show " Saturday Night Live".

The fantasy film about four ghostbusters was a box office success and Reitman became a fixture thereafter.

Knowing that surprise is a key factor in filming comedy, he liked to cast against industry expectations.

In "Twins" (1988) he brought Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger together as unequal twins, in "Dave" (1993) he let Sigourney Weaver loose on Kevin Kline, who had become President involuntarily, and welded Billy Crystal and Robin Williams as fathers on the Search for her son in One Father Too Many (1997).

The tone of his films became more serious as Reitman delved into current politics and their impact on American society.

In the comedy "Up in the Air" (2009), which is critical of capitalism, George Clooney flies around the country as a consultant who companies only hire to fire people.

As the film's producer, Reitman received his first Academy Award nomination.

He died in Montecito, California, at the age of seventy-five.