In memory of Stanley Kramer

February 19 marks exactly 20 years since the great filmmaker Stanley Kramer died in Los Angeles at the age of 87 from pneumonia.

Stanley Kramer's directorial career lasted nearly a quarter of a century, from 1955 to 1979. Over the years, Stanley Kramer made 15 films on his own and in another film he acted as a co-director, albeit without being credited. 3 films made by Stanley Kramer entered the Golden Thousand. Thanks to this indicator, Stanley Kramer is included in the list of the 100 great directors of world cinema, compiled by FilmGourmand.

Among the many characteristics given by film critics to Stanley Kramer, there is one - "the godfather of independent films". And this is probably the fairest definition of this director. The fact is that almost all Kramer's films are devoted to acute social problems, such as racism, Nazi war crimes, an impending nuclear catastrophe, etc. And even Kramer's only film comedy - "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World" - is by no means fun and entertaining, but a poignantly satirical work. Steven Spielberg spoke about this director: «Stanley Kramer is one of our great filmmakers, not just for the art and passion he put on-screen, but for the impact he has made on the conscience of the world».

In total, Stanley Kramer's directorial and production activities were awarded 22 film awards, including 2 Italian David di Donatello awards, 2 Danish Bodil awards, 3 Berlin International Film Festival awards, 2 British BAFTA awards, and the Gold Prize of the Moscow International Film Festival. At home, in the United States, Stanley Kramer's work was rated more modestly. With 7 Golden Globe nominations, Kramer received 2 of these awards, including one of them - For artistic integrity. With 6 Academy Award nominations, the American Film Academy awarded Kramer with only one Irving Thalberg Award.

On the anniversary of the death of the great Master, we would like to remind fans of his work with shots from his best films included in the Golden Thousand.