Shortfilm directed by Jack Hazan
Jack Hazan caused two of the bigger splashes in 1970s independent British filmmaking. Groundbreaking both technically and conceptually, his portraits of David Hockney (A Bigger Splash, 1974) and The Clash (Rude Boy, co-d. David Mingay, 1980) fused documentary and fictional elements in a way that was highly controversial at the time – not least as far as their often uncooperative subjects were concerned. However, in retrospect they clearly anticipate the post-2000 rise of celebrity driven ‚reality‘ projects, whose content often proved anything but real.
Despite making two unusually high-profile features for an independent British filmmaker, Hazan’s directing career then stalled: his third feature, the little-seen Comic Act, set among London’s stand-up comedy underground, would not emerge until 1998. In the meantime, he made pop promos (outstanding examples being Dexys Midnight Runners‘ ‚This Is What She’s Like‘ and ‚Knowledge of Beauty‘ in 1985) while continuing to work as a cinematographer, most notably on commercials in the US. (source: Michael Brooke, BFI)