picture by Rufus F. Folkks
One thing that makes Julie Taymor one of the most creative and brilliant directors today is her ability to contribute to so many different aspects of the production of a show or film. Taymor is probably best known for her work in theater and on Broadway, most particularly her work on Disneys adaptation of The Lion King for the stage. Taymor won three Tony's for her work on The Lion King for which her greatest contribution was the vision she set for the visual aesthetic of the play. She was the first woman to ever win the Tony for direction of a musical. Through elaborate masks, costumes and make-up she was able to create this visual phenomenon. Taymor uses her knowledge of puppetry and mask making in her works for the stage and in film. She has been able to translate and move seemlessly from theater to film because she has a real understanding of the similarities and differences that make the two forms unique.
In film, Taymor doesn't shy away from the challenge of transforming and translating classic stage stories for the screen. It is her training and expertise of the theater that helps her to visualize how best to accomplish the same story lines over a different medium. Taymor has translated stage works such as Oedipus Rex, The Tempest and Titus for the screen. Other endeavors in film which she is better known for include Frida and the Beatles musical Accross The Universe. As an autuer of film and theater Taymor has her own unique way of shaping and creating her vision for the story. In the article "Oh, girl: A Talk with Julie Taymor" in Subtitles to Cinema, Taymor explains her use of ideograph to create the focus of a scene. "The first thing I do when i'm creating, either for stage or for cinema, is to find the ideograph of the story. Which is; the one, simple expression that can tell everything." In the following number from Accross the Universe, Taymor says she used the ideographs of Uncle Sam and The Statue of Liberty to represent America's military operations abroad and the sacrifice made by service men.
In film, Taymor doesn't shy away from the challenge of transforming and translating classic stage stories for the screen. It is her training and expertise of the theater that helps her to visualize how best to accomplish the same story lines over a different medium. Taymor has translated stage works such as Oedipus Rex, The Tempest and Titus for the screen. Other endeavors in film which she is better known for include Frida and the Beatles musical Accross The Universe. As an autuer of film and theater Taymor has her own unique way of shaping and creating her vision for the story. In the article "Oh, girl: A Talk with Julie Taymor" in Subtitles to Cinema, Taymor explains her use of ideograph to create the focus of a scene. "The first thing I do when i'm creating, either for stage or for cinema, is to find the ideograph of the story. Which is; the one, simple expression that can tell everything." In the following number from Accross the Universe, Taymor says she used the ideographs of Uncle Sam and The Statue of Liberty to represent America's military operations abroad and the sacrifice made by service men.
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