By CARMEL DAGAN and TIM GRAY
Stanley Donen, the director of such stylish and exuberant films as "Singin' in the Rain," "Funny Face" and "Two for the Road" and the last surviving helmer of note from Hollywood's golden age, has died at 94.
The Chicago Tribune's Michael Phillips tweeted that one of his sons had confirmed the news to him.
Though he was never Oscar-nominated for any of the many films he directed, Donen received a lifetime achievement Oscar at the 1998 Academy Awards "in appreciation of a body of work marked by grace, elegance, wit and visual innovation."
His films were known for their brisk pace, witty scripts and stylish look (thanks to cinematography, editing, costumes and art direction that created striking visuals). Even after he stopped making musicals, his camera movements and blocking in later comedies and dramas reflected the work of the precise choreographer that he was.
In his early films, Donen's contributions were often overshadowed in the public eye by the prominent talents with whom he worked, including Gene Kelly and George Abbott. But Donen came into his own as an energetic director of popular entertainments with such musicals as "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" as well as sophisticated romantic comedies ("Indiscreet") and romantic thrillers ("Charade").
Still, he often was underrated, accused (wrongly) of favoring style over substance. But many of his films gained stature over time. Though "Funny Face" and the 1967 "Bedazzled" were not huge hits at the time, they earned big followings in later years (and the later was remade in 2000). Audiences similarly increased their appreciation for hits like 1952's "Singin' in the Rain," which many have since labeled as the best Hollywood musical ever made.
Still, Donen rarely won prizes and though he was never nominated for an Oscar, he stole the show at the 70th Academy Awards, charming the audience by singing "Cheek to Cheek" and performing a tap number - with the statuette as his partner.
Besides Kelly and Abbott, Donen worked with many of the major musical dancer-choreographers of the day, including Bob Fosse, Gower Champion and Michael Kidd, and he was a major creative force in MGM's musical halcyon days of the '40s and '50s under Arthur Freed.
Donen also had a talent for romantic comedy, as he proved over and over again; his "Two for the Road" was one of the great romantic films of the '60s.