Mark Ezra
Writing
Biography
Ezra is a scion of the Ezra-Sassoon banking and trading dynasty. His ancestor, David Ezra, was a highly successful businessman in Calcutta, India. Another ancestor, David Sassoon, was treasurer to the Ottoman Empire in Baghdad before setting up in Bombay, now Mumbai, and becoming a British citizen. His mother, from Venice, Italy, was for many years a language coach at Glyndebourne Festival Opera. Ezra was educated at Ampleforth College, where he was a contemporary of Julian Fellowes, and at the University of Westminster where he studied film production. Ezra's horror movie, Slaughter High (1986) (originally April Fools Day), was picked up by Vestron at the Cannes Film Festival for ten times its production costs. He has directed several films, including Savage Hearts (1995), which featured Richard Harris, Julian Fellowes and Jerry Hall. Waking Ned Devine (1998), which he co-produced, was picked up by Fox Searchlight and grossed over $100 million. He wrote the screenplay for Steal (2002), which opened in the number 1 spot in France during the Cannes festival. His film House Swap (2010) won at the Los Angeles Cinema Festival of Hollywood. He is married to Production Designer and Composer Jenny Chartres. He is the author of several books and plays for children. In the 1970s and early 1980s he acted in several BBC TV productions, including The Young Ones (1982) and The Grand Inquisitor (1976) with John Gielgud.
Known For
The misadventures of four lunatic students who live in a shared student house. There's Rick, the overblown political one addicted to Cliff Richard, Vyvyan the experimental scientific one/part-time anarchist, Neil the worried hippy, and Mike the ladies' man (at least he is in his mind).
The Young Ones
An entrepreneurial criminal, Slim (Dorff) is as smart as they come. Cocky and confident, he assembles a team of risk-taking rush-seekers to pull off a series of five bank heists, each time using a different extreme sport to make the getaway. Following an unexpected windfall on only their second job, the gang nets $20 million in untraceable bonds. Having scored enough money to retire on, Slim and his crew decide to call the robbery game quits. But both the mob and the police have other plans in mind for Slim: they want him to keep working, for them.
Steal
"Dark Knight" is a TV series, based very loosely on Sir Walter Scott's novel "Ivanhoe". This joint New Zealand/England production attempted to capitalize on the same sword and sorcery market successfully mined by "Xena: Warrior Princess". Ancient evil is about to be unleashed on the land and the only hope is the sharp sword, the pure heart and the mysterious force that protects the 'Chosen One' Ivanhoe.
Dark Knight
When a lottery winner dies of shock, his fellow townsfolk attempt to claim the money.
Waking Ned
Eight different people are invited to their 10-year high school reunion at their now-closed down high school where a former student, disfigured from a prank gone wrong, is there to seek revenge.
Slaughter High
No description available.
Love Potion
A young California screenwriter and his composer girlfriend exchange their Echo Park home for a sprawling Tudor mansion near Glastonbury, England, in the hope of finding creative inspiration. Thinking they have the best of the bargain, they soon learn that the house comes with a stalker who seems able to enter through locked doors. Driven beyond endurance by the continual harassment, the screenwriter sets a trap to exact his revenge...
House Swap
Following Southern Rhodesia’s declaration of independence, many face victory, while others grapple with violence under these new terms.
Blind Justice
When a beautiful mob hitwoman learns she only has six months to live, she decides to rob her employers, and go out in style, but the syndicate's head man won't rest until he gets his two million dollars back.
Savage Hearts
Arthur Harris is a happily married man who returns from his job to discover that his wife, Fiona, is leaving him. Devastated he gets really drunk and tries to commit suicide. After a few setbacks and while he is trying to electrocute himself with a lamp, the door bell rings. An odd man in a leather coat asks if there are any odd jobs that he can perform. Arthur hires the man to kill him. The next day his wife returns, but the man he hired is still trying to kill him...
The Odd Job
Howard, a shy morgue worker, falls in love with a girl who ends up in the morgue, but he doesn't let that stop him. Howard has a secret - he is in love with Christine. There's only one problem, Christine is DEAD! A grave was no place for Christine, the only place for her was at Howard's side. At last she was his, his to dress, his to feed and to care for.
Living Doll
Celebrating the music of Vangelis this documentary features interviews with Vangelis and many of his friends and colleagues, including Sean Connery, Hugh Hudson, Jessye Norman, Oliver Stone, Akiko Ebi, Julian Rachlin and many others. It also includes rare historical footage, most of which was previously unreleased.
Vangelis and the Journey To Ithaka
The Grand Inquisitor from Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov produced by the Open University.