Jeannot Szwarc’s strongest claim on our attention is his television work, from Columbo to the atmospheric stories of Night Gallery. His features make a less persuasive case, though romantic fantasy suited him.
Fi1m perspective
Peter Falk keeps asking questions while Columbo’s suspects continue to think themselves superior. We laughed at that misplaced confidence in Columbo (1971), because Falk’s patient questioning gives it so much time to look foolish. Szwarc directed several episodes, including Columbo: Lovely but Lethal (1973), within a format that depends heavily on its leading performance. The routine can leave an episode feeling stretched, even when the questioning is funny. Our affection for the series is not a reason to give any one director all the credit.
His more distinctive contribution came in anthology television. After beginning his directing career on Ironside in the 1960s, he directed 19 segments of Night Gallery (1971), finding different visual approaches for different scripts. Atmosphere mattered there, and his willingness to adapt was a strength. He later described the programme as the only Universal production on which he had found a serious attempt to do something creative. We take that enthusiasm seriously: his television work deserves attention on its own terms, rather than as preparation for feature films.
His feature collaborators included the writer Richard Matheson and production designer Joe Alves. On Jaws 2 (1978), Szwarc arrived as a last-minute replacement and completed a troubled production, which tells us something about his usefulness to a producer. Somewhere in Time (1980) gives us more reason to be interested in him as a director, through his sensitive handling of romantic time travel. Other features, including Supergirl (1984), received poor reviews. We would approach this part of his work selectively, with Somewhere in Time first.
His extensive return to American television in the early 2000s put that adaptability back to regular use. Work on Smallville, Fringe and Bones followed, and he continued directing television until 2019. These later credits make sense for someone practised at working within an established programme. We value that skill in Columbo, even while recognising how much of the pleasure comes from Falk. Start there, provided patient questioning and a suspect’s misplaced confidence sound like a satisfactory evening.
Biography
Jeannot Szwarc was a French director of film and television. He began his career in American television in the 1960s, directing episodes of series including Ironside, Night Gallery, Kojak, The Rockford Files and Columbo (1971).
His feature films include Bug (1975), Jaws 2 (1978), Somewhere in Time (1980), Supergirl (1984) and Santa Claus: The Movie (1985). He later directed multiple episodes of series such as Smallville, Heroes, Bones, Fringe, Grey's Anatomy and Castle.
Szwarc died on 14 January 2025.
