Ivan Passer

Ivan Passer Trailers

CzechMate: In Search of Jiří Menzel TrailerClose Encounters with Vilmos Zsigmond TrailerThe Presence of Arnošt Lustig Trailer

Ivan Passer (10 July 1933 – 9 January 2020) was a Czech film director and screenwriter, best known for his involvement in the Czechoslovak New Wave and for directing American films such as Born to Win (1971), Cutter's Way (1981) and Stalin (1992). Passer was born in Prague, the son of Marianna (Mandelick) and Alois Passer. Passer attended King George boarding school in Poděbrady with future filmmakers Miloš Forman, Jerzy Skolimowski and Paul Fierlinger and statesman Václav Havel. He then studied at FAMU in Prague, but did not finish the course. He began his career as an assistant director on Ladislav Helge's Velká samota. Later he collaborated with his friend Forman on all of Forman's Czech films, including Loves of a Blonde (1965) and The Firemen's Ball (1967), both of which Passer co-wrote and which were nominated for Academy Awards. He introduced Forman to cinematographer Miroslav Ondříček whom he knew from Velká samota. He then directed his first feature, Intimate Lighting, which was released in 1965 and is considered by some to be Passer's masterpiece. In 1969, after the Warsaw Pact invasion, Passer and Forman left Czechoslovakia together. Both proceeded to the United States, with Forman becoming an Academy Award-winning filmmaker. Passer went on to make several prominent American films such as Born to Win (1971), a junkie drama starring George Segal and Karen Black, and Cutter's Way (1981), a dramatic thriller starring Jeff Bridges and John Heard. Though best known for his idiosyncratic, often gritty dramas, he also directed comedies such as Silver Bears (1978) starring Michael Caine and Creator (1985) starring Peter O'Toole. Later in his career, he directed numerous films for television, most notably the award-winning biopic Stalin (1992) starring Robert Duvall for HBO. He was also a film professor at the University of Southern California. Passer died on January 9, 2020 from pulmonary complications in Reno, Nevada. He was 86 years old.

Most Popular Ivan Passer Trailers

Total trailers found: 31

While Justice Sleeps Trailer (1994)

05 December 1994

After the death of her husband, Jody and her daughter Samantha return to her home town. Sometimes she leaves Samantha with her old friend Winn.

An Occasion to Speak Trailer (1966)

28 September 1966

Documentary about the film academy in Prague and the Czech Film in 1965.

A Boring Afternoon Trailer (1965)

23 July 1965

Several parties—a prostitute, aging football players, working girls, two men playing pool, and a hedonistic young man—each coalesce in a tavern.

Kidnapped Trailer (1995)

05 November 1995

When Scottish young gentleman David Balfour's father dies, he leaves school to collect his inheritance from uncle Ebenezer, who in turn sells the boy as a future slave to a pirate ship.

Picnic Trailer (2000)

16 April 2000

The son of the richest man in town wants to marry the town's beauty queen, but she meets a more interesting stranger who just got off the train.

Creator Trailer (1985)

20 September 1985

With the help of student assistant Boris and stolen university equipment, Dr. Harry Wolper plans to clone his dead wife.

Born to Win Trailer (1971)

01 December 1971

A smart-mouthed junkie and a former hairdresser spends his days looking for just "one more fix".

The Firemen's Ball Trailer (1967)

15 December 1967

The firemen of a provincial Czechoslovakian town throw a ball in honor of the old chief's retirement.

Stalin Trailer (1992)

21 November 1992

The life and career of the brutal Soviet dictator, Josef Stalin. Through the eyes and memories of Anna Aliluyeva, Stalin’s granddaughter, the film traces the rise of the Bolshevik tyrant from Lenin’s return from exile to his brutal struggle with Trotsky, the creation of his feared secret police and the merciless inner workings of his regime.

Silver Bears Trailer (1977)

03 June 1977

Financial wizard "Doc" Fletcher is sent by crime boss Joe Fiore to buy a bank in Switzerland in order to more easily launder their profits.

Skid Trailer (1960)

28 October 1960

Spy film about a man with a face lift who gets recruited by western organisations.

The Pilgrimage to the Holy Virgin Trailer (1961)

19 May 1961

Farmers get away from their arguments by embarking on a religious pilgrimage, enjoy a picnic en route, and on their return decide to form a cooperative.

Haunted Summer Trailer (1988)

16 December 1988

Authors Lord Byron, Mary Shelley (née Godwin) and Percy Shelley get together for some philosophical discussions, but the situation soon deteriorates into mind games, drugs, and sex.

Cutter's Way Trailer (1981)

19 March 1981

Alex Cutter is a boozy, belligerent and deeply cynical Vietnam veteran whose encounter with a landmine during the war has left him minus an eye, a leg and an arm.

When the Cat Comes Trailer (1963)

20 September 1963

While old Oliva tells a group of children about his life as a sailor and how he met Diana and her cat with sunglasses, a strange circus arrives in town.

Nomad: The Warrior Trailer (2005)

17 July 2005

The Nomad is a historical epic set in 18th-century Kazakhstan. The film is a fictionalised account of the youth and coming-of-age of Ablai Khan, as he grows and fights to defend the fortress at Hazrat-e Turkestan from Dzungar invaders.

Loves of a Blonde Trailer (1965)

12 November 1965

Andula, an innocent Czech girl from a factory town, is desperately in search of love. She believes she's found it when she beds Milda, a charming young musician visiting from Prague.

TVTV Looks at the Oscars Trailer (1976)

30 March 1976

Made in 1976, TVTV's close-up look at Hollywood's annual awards ritual mixes irreverent documentary with deadpan comedy.

Audition Trailer (1964)

28 February 1964

Two closely related episodes. Youths make problems for two local orchestras about to compete nationally, and in a talent competition a young girl gets stage fright, while another lies to her boss to compete.

Black Peter Trailer (1964)

17 April 1964

A few days in the life of a Czechoslovak teenager when he starts work.

The Nightingale Trailer (1983)

10 May 1983

A kitchen maid and a nightingale help save an emperor with the power of song and friendship.

Miloš Forman Trailer (2010)

06 September 2010

Intimate Lighting Trailer (1965)

08 April 1965

Two classically trained musicians and childhood friends - one a successful cellist in Prague, the other a violinist who makes his money playing provincial funerals - reconvene on the eve of a small-town symphony concert.

CzechMate: In Search of Jiří Menzel Trailer (2018)

16 September 2018

An epic exploration of the Czechoslovak New Wave cinema of the 1960s and 70s, structured around a series of conversations with one of its most acclaimed exponents - Closely Observed Trains director Jiří Menzel.

Law and Disorder Trailer (1974)

09 October 1974

In crime ridden New York of the seventies two cops have had enough and decide to take justice into their own hands.

The Presence of Arnošt Lustig Trailer (2012)

01 January 2012

"A man is immortal as long as he lives in the memory of others,” said well-known Czech writer Arnošt Lustig with a wry smile.

Crime and Passion Trailer (1976)

06 February 1976

Financier persuades his mistress to marry a rich industrialist for his money, then discovers that he and the new wife are to be murdered by her new husband.

Close Encounters with Vilmos Zsigmond Trailer (2016)

13 May 2016

A very special encounter between legendary American cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond and young French director Pierre Filmon.

The Wishing Tree Trailer (1999)

01 January 1999

When her storyteller mother (Mary Alice) dies, attorney Clara Collier (Alfre Woodard) returns to her Georgia hometown and is soon captivated by a local legend of the "Magic Man" (Blair Underwood).

Great Solitude Trailer (1960)

15 January 1960

In southern Moravia, in the native village of Velka Samota, a ministry official returns from Prague to lift the declining JZD he helped establish.

Fourth Story Trailer (1991)

19 January 1991

Valerie's husband Darryl leaves for work as usual, but never returns. She hires private eye Shepard to find him.