Unexpected unpleasant news this morning: Anthony Minghella, Oscar winning director of The English Patient, Cold Mountain and The Talented Mister Ripley, and chairman of the British Film Institute, has died at the age of 54. The AP and BBC stories include no details as to cause of death; all we know of Minghella’s last days is that he apparently recently wrapped The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, based on a script by Richard Curtis.
This story is, obviously, developing. We’ll post more when there’s more to post.
UPDATE: Minghella reportedly died of a brain hemorrhage whilst in the hospital for a “routine operation.”
One Comment
This is absolutely terrible. Minghella was one of the best
directors working, period. The Talented Mr. Ripley is a film
that only improves with age and will probably go down as one of the
top ten studio films of the 90s. I daresay it’s better
Highsmith than Hitchcock’s Highsmith. The English Patient
– also great, despite the Academy’s agreeance.
I remember a press conference last year in which he talked
about how excited he was to get started on The Ninth Life of
Louis Drax, and you could tell it was going to be his next
passion project, and would have probably been amazing.