After an apprenticeship with the exploitation king Roger Corman, grinding out low-budget, lurid fare with underclothed women, Mr. Demme built a genre-crossing career that showcased his versatility. Mr. Demme’s reward was a studio prestige project, “Philadelphia” (1993). (Pascal Le Segretain)With exhilarating clarity and sharp intelligence, Mr. Demme captured the intimate interplay. Mr. Demme made a leap into the mainstream with “Handle With Care,” a big-studio comedy about CB radio fanatics. In 2004, Mr. Demme told the London Independent that working on major Hollywood movies did not make him a better director.

Source: Washington Post April 26, 2017 23:36 UTC