"Directors do not improve with age", says Alan Parker, as he also chats about turning down Harry Potter...
NewsAcross Sir Alan Parker's career, he's made some very strong films. Birdy, The Commitments, Mississippi Burning, Fame, Angel Heart, and Bugsy Malone instantly spring to mind. And heck, we've got a soft spot for The Road To Wellville, too.
However, Parker hasn't directed a movie since 2003's The Life Of David Gale. And he's now told the Bari International Film Festival that he has no plans to direct another. "Directors do not improve with age, they repeat themselves," he said during a session at the festival. "And while there are exceptions, their work generally does not get any better. This is the reason why I have decided not to make any more films."
He also added that the last screenplay that he penned "was the best thing I've ever created," but that "I've never found the money to make it, and at my age, I no longer have the patience to make it."
Parker, 72, was also approached once upon a time to make a Harry Potter film, something he's chatted about before. And whilst he acknowledged that taking the job on would have made him very wealthy, the problem was that "I didn't like it, I didn't understand it and I wasn't interested in it". Which probably covers why he turned it down...
