Talked to him a few times over the years. A class act, sort of a British Norman Jewison.
“The Commitments,” “Fame,” “Bugsy Malone,” musicals that often didn’t play like musicals.
“Mississippi Burning” took deserved heat for its “white savior” tropes. But who else was making movies on that sort of subject at the time?
Hard to think of another director who would attempt at “Bugsy Malone.” A bigger deal in the UK than it ever was here, “The Commitments” likewise took on icon status in its Nation of Origin.
Parker was 76. Here’s the New York Times obit.
