Roger Corman, born in 1926 and who died in 2024, came within a hair’s breadth of reaching a full century. The man who became known as the ‘king of the B-movie’ – although even that honorary title falls short of doing justice to his influence – directed and produced an insane number of films over the course of his long life, often on unimaginably low budgets. In doing so, he gave budding filmmakers such as Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese and Jonathan Demme a decisive nudge towards the top of Hollywood. Reason enough, then, to commemorate his ‘centenary’ (100th anniversary) with a few of his finest films: X-The Man Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963), The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre (1967) and Death Race 2000 (1975). And, whilst we’re at it, to draw attention to his wife, Julie Corman (born 1942), who built an impressive career as a producer both alongside and independently of Roger. A producer and a role model, in a branch of the film industry where women were virtually non-existent at the time. Moreover, in later years, Julie would pass on her knowledge and experience to younger generations of filmmakers through her teachings and masterclasses.
On 1 November, she’ll be coming to Imagine for her talk A Life in Independent Cinema. We spoke to her in the run-up to the festival.
With her first production job, Night Call Nurses from 1972, Corman immediately threw his wife in at the deep end. ‘Keep an eye on the budget and find a director,’ were the succinct instructions. On Scorsese’s recommendation, that director turned out to be Jonathan Kaplan, who would go on to win an Oscar in 1988 for The Accused starring Jodie Foster. The film turned a profit, and Julie would go on to add some forty more films to her CV. We asked her what the best lesson she’d learnt from her husband was. Her answer was short but to the point: ‘That if you argue about every shot you’ve filmed, you’ll end up regretting it in the end.’
As for producers, I tell them they should always ask themselves one question: ‘Why aren’t we filming yet?’
We know Roger Corman as a director and producer of films in genres such as horror, biker films, women’s prison films and many more, packed with action and violence and, where possible, a touch of social commentary. Julie Corman prefers the somewhat calmer, more family-friendly work. Her favourites? The Dirt Bike Kid and Da, ‘because I’m Irish’
In her view, what are the most significant changes the film industry has undergone over the course of her career spanning more than fifty years? ‘There were shifts in distribution when the major studios, with their mega-budget films, took up the lion’s share of cinema programmes. Fortunately, the home video market provided a solution, and nowadays there are countless ways to get your film shown – including the many film festivals that offer opportunities to emerging filmmakers and makers of low-budget films.’
What advice does she, in turn, have for those up-and-coming filmmakers? ‘I advise them to head straight into the editing room to see what went wrong during filming, and to get to grips with acting. As for producers, I tell them they should always ask themselves one question: ‘Why aren’t we filming yet?’’
Talk Julie Corman: A Life in Independent Cinema – Sunday 1 November, 17:00, LAB111
Article by Phil van Tongeren
