Hans Hofmann . Hofmanns Legacy . Irvin Kershner

Although he is ultimately best known as the director of one of the highest grossing block- busters of all time, there is hardly an artistic medium that Irvin Kershner hasn’t gotten his hands on.

Growing up in Philadelphia in the 1920s and 30s, Kershner (or “Kersh,” as he’s known) was immersed in the arts. He studied and performed classical violin and viola, actively pursuing his dream of becoming a composer and conductor during and after his high school years. Then, after serving three and a half years abroad in the Air Force during World War II, Kershner returned to the U.S. and changed his course from music to art.

With encouragement from a close friend, Kershner began studying fine art at Temple University - Tyler School of Fine Arts in his hometown of Philadelphia. Growing increasingly frustrated and bored with the traditional art education, however, he soon followed his friend to New York and Provincetown to begin his studies with Hans Hofmann, whom he credits with opening his eyes to “the wonders of painting.”

Ever restless, Kershner painted for two years before determining that he didn’t have the patience to follow through with it as a career. He changed his course again, this time heading west to study photography at the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles.

Gifted both visually and musically, Kershner was a perfect candidate to pursue filmmaking. He taught photography while taking cinema courses at the USC School of Cinema, and soon after took a job as a photographer on a State Department film project in Iran. That experience ultimately led to an assignment as a director and cinematographer of documentaries with the U.S Information Service. Traveling through Iran, Greece and Turkey in the early 1950s, Kershner’s early films were documentaries with titles such as, "Malaria", "Locust Plague" and "Childbirth.”

When he returned to the States, Kershner helped develop “Confidential File,” a documentary television series for which he acted as writer, director, cinematographer and editor. He later developed and directed “The Rebel,” a television series about a brooding former Confederate soldier searching for a purpose. As was the case with many of today’s great filmmakers, Kershner got his first feature film break directing a modestly-budgeted drama for the infamous Hollywood producer Roger Corman. Stakeout on Dope Street was produced independently, and its realistic portrayal of urban conflict attracted the attention of Warner Brothers, who bought the film in 1958, effectively launching Kershner’s feature film career.

A skillful director of actors and a genuine craftsman with an eye for detail, Kershner went on to direct many feature films and television series with some of the greatest acting talent in Hollywood. Though best known for his action-adventure sagas like Empire and the James Bond film, Never Say Never Again (1983), or psycho-thrillers like Eyes of Laura Mars (1978), Kershner’s strength as a director comes from his focus on the more personal, human aspects of his characters.

It was this commitment to integrity that made Empire arguably the strongest of the three Star Wars films, though it did create some tension between Kershner and creator George Lucas. As the story goes, Lucas wanted to cut some of Kershner’s classic character development to speed along the action of the film. Characteristically, Kershner saw the Star Wars Trilogy as a symphony, and argued that it was his responsibility as director of the “lento,” or second movement, to make the audience care more deeply about the characters after the manic action of the first film. In an interview in Rolling Stone magazine in 1980, Kershner explained, “I wanna introduce some Zen here because I don’t want the kids to walk away just feeling that everything is shoot-em-up ... but that there’s also a little something to think about here in terms of yourself and your surroundings.” This awareness of the rhythms and tension necessary to make a work of art interesting is undeniably a product of his musical and artistic background.

Kershner continues to lecture at universities throughout the U.S.

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