Examining the Works of Director Mary Harron
Examining the Works of Director Mary Harron
Although she was born in Canada, Mary Harron knew a lot about America. She used this knowledge to make the movie American Psycho. In her adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’s novel of the same name, Harron was able to make a satirical film about Wall Street life in the 1980s. It took two years and a lot of controversy to make her feature film debut, but Harron was able to do it in style and without backing down.
Mary Harron was born in Canada, the daughter of Canadian actor and comedian Don Harron (a.k.a. Charlie Farquharson.) After attending Oxford University, Harron became a rock journalist. She was one of the people that helped start “Punk” magazine, and was the first writer from an American publication to interview The Sex Pistols. She went on to work as a writer for numerous publications including, “Melody Maker,” “The New Statesmen,” and “The Observer.” Her career as a rock journalist would then develop into a filmmaker and lead her to where she is today.
Harron’s filmmaking career started when she began making documentaries for British television. She directed many short films for the BBC as well as making several documentary films. In 1996, Harron made her debut as a feature film writer and director, with the film I Shot Andy Warhol. Lily Taylor starred in this movie about author Valerie Solanas and her attempt at killing Andy Warhol. Harron’s film received critical acclaim and won Taylor a Special Jury Award at the Sundance Film Festival. It also received a nomination for best film at the Independent Spirit Awards along with the honor of opening the “Un Certain Regard” section of the Cannes Film Festival. For Harron’s next film she decided she wasn’t going to go with “something safe,” which leads us to American Psycho.
Mary Harron was connected to this movie and she wanted it to follow how she envisioned it when her and Guinevere Turner adapted the screenplay. Harron felt that the role of Patrick Bateman, the Wall Street serial killer, should go the person that could capture him the best. Lions Gate felt that Leonardo DiCaprio would be the best for this role, but Harron did not. When they signed on DiCaprio, Harron painfully dropped out. She already cast...