Jon Amiel is worth seeking out when the material gives him something strange to handle. We favour the serious, unsettling folk tales of The Storyteller, while finding his movement through Hollywood genres less distinctive.
Fi1m perspective
John Hurt narrates and the puppets make a family programme feel distinctly less cosy than that description suggests. In The Storyteller (1988), Jon Amiel works within Jim Henson's folk-tale series, where elaborate puppetry rewards the sort of close attention usually reserved for the human cast. We were unsettled by the puppets because they give these tales such a tangible presence. The programme takes its inventions seriously and expects us to do the same. It is absorbing television, with Hurt an excellent guide through the strangeness.
That seriousness sometimes makes the short tales feel heavier than they need to. A little less solemnity would not necessarily make them less disturbing, and it might allow the storytelling to move more lightly. Nor should Amiel receive sole credit for what is clearly a shared achievement: the puppetry and Hurt's narration are essential to its appeal. What we value in his contribution is the respect for unusual material, even when we would welcome a lighter touch.
The earlier The Singing Detective (1986), written by Dennis Potter, had asked Amiel to move between memory, fantasy and reality. That work established his reputation and led to opportunities in features, beginning with Queen of Hearts (1989). His skill with actors is a useful part of this picture, alongside his willingness to take on scripts that resist straightforward telling. We find that a more promising basis for choosing his work than the genre on the poster.
The move to Hollywood brought Sommersby (1993), a period drama with Richard Gere and Jodie Foster, followed by the psychological thriller Copycat (1995). Entrapment (1999) took him into the action caper, and The Core (2003) into science-fiction disaster. These later films sit more comfortably within familiar genres than the layered television work that made his name, though changing subjects is hardly a fault in itself. He subsequently returned to television directing. For a first encounter, we would choose The Storyteller.
Biography
Jon Amiel (born 20 May 1948) is an English film and television director. After studying English literature at the University of Cambridge, he worked as literary manager at the Hampstead Theatre Club and directed for the Royal Shakespeare Company. He later joined the BBC as a story editor and began directing television dramas.
Amiel directed episodes of Play for Today (1970s–1980s) and the BBC serial The Singing Detective (1986), for which he received a BAFTA nomination. He also directed an episode of The Storyteller (1988). His feature films include Queen of Hearts (1989), Sommersby (1993), Copycat (1995), Entrapment (1999) and The Core (2003). He has continued directing television series in both the UK and US, including Halt and Catch Fire (2014).
