It’s a way of being a co-writer of a movie as it’s being shot. Reitman, who deferred to his stars and seldom took the foreground in coverage of his work, said in the same profile, “There’s a moment when the actors can say anything they want, and then, part of the fun for me as a director is to take that raw work and just structure it and rework it and make it conform to the character work and to the plot, which is evolving as well. Reitman, say, walks a fine line between the control many directors assert over every aspect of a film and the willingness to let his cast - many of whom come from the world of improvisational comedy - fly free.” In a 1993 New York Times feature, writer Randall Rothenberg noted, “Mr. In the biggest and best of his films, Reitman struck an unusual balance between the deployment of carefully – some said almost obsessively - crafted screenplays and the use of performers such as Belushi, Aykroyd, Murray and Moranis, who came up in the freewheeling improvisation climate of the Chicago improv troupe Second City, “SCTV” and “SNL.” Bernard and directed presidential comedy “Dave” starring Kevin Kline. He also produced the family-friendly “Beethoven” comedies starring the titular St. Though none of Reitman’s subsequent features scaled similar box-office heights, he maintained his producing/directing profile with a series of comedies that reconfigured the career of beefcake action hero Arnold Schwarzenegger: “Twins” (1988), “Kindergarten Cop” (1990) and “Junior” (1994). Pulling in close to $229 million domestically, it was among the most successful comedies of its time it spawned a franchise that included a hit 1989 sequel and two new-millennium installments (the second of which, 2021’s “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” was directed by Reitman’s son Jason and reunited the surviving stars of the original film, with a producing credit for Ivan Reitman.) Co-written by Aykroyd and Ramis, who co-starred with Murray, Moranis and Sigourney Weaver, “Ghostbusters” was the perfect mating of wiseguy humor and creative, big-budget special effects. The Reitmans joined a relative in Toronto, where Ivan displayed his showbiz inclinations.He quickly segued into feature directing, and his first two hits lofted another “SNL” luminary, Bill Murray, to the upper echelon of movie stardom: “Meatballs” (1979), which featured Murray as an anarchic camp counselor, and the service comedy “Stripes” (1981), which co-starred actor-writer Harold Ramis.Īs formidable as those pictures were at the box office, they were only a warm-up for Reitman’s biggest smash, which he produced and directed. They travelled in the nailed-down hold of a barge headed for Vienna. Jason Reitman (left) with father Ivan Reitman at the ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ New York Premiere in November. When the communists began imprisoning capitalists after the war, the Reitmans decided to escape, when Ivan Reitman was only four. He was born in Komarmo, Czechoslovakia, in 1946 where his father owned the country’s biggest vinegar factory. He also produced Beethoven, Old School and EuroTrip, and many others, including several for his son, filmmaker Jason Reitman. It also earned two Oscar nominations and spawned a veritable franchise, including spin-offs, television shows and a new movie, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, that opened this last year and which his son filmmaker Jason Reitman directed.Īmong other notable films he directed are Twins, Kindergarten Cop, Dave, Junior and Six Days, Seven Nights. Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson (background) and Bill Murray in a scene from the film 'Ghostbusters', directed by Ivan Reitman, 1984. The irreverent supernatural comedy starring Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis gross nearly $US300 million ($A420 million) worldwide. He directed Bill Murray in his first starring role in M eatballs and then again in Stripes, but his most significant success came with 1984’s Ghostbusters. Known for big, bawdy comedies that caught the spirit of their time, Reitman’s big break came with the raucous, college fraternity sendup National Lampoon’s Animal House, which he produced. While we mourn privately, we hope those who knew him through his films will remember him always.” Ivan Reitman has died peacefully in his sleep at his home in California at the age of 75. “We take comfort that his work as a filmmaker brought laughter and happiness to countless others around the world. “Our family is grieving the unexpected loss of a husband, father, and grandfather who taught us to always seek the magic in life,” children Jason Reitman, Catherine Reitman and Caroline Reitman said in a joint statement. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: FIlmmaker Ivan Reitman dead at 75 Stream the world's best reality, entertainment and true crime shows for free on 7Bravo on 7plus >
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