Michael Roemer, The Plot Against Harry Director, Dead at 97

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Michael Roemer, a renowned filmmaker, passed away at 97 years old, according to reports from Vulture. Originating from Berlin in 1928, Roemer was born into a Jewish family. Before the onset of World War II, he managed to escape Germany through Kindertransport, an organized initiative that rescued Jewish children by transporting them to British foster homes. In an interview with Bilge Ebiri of Vulture earlier this year, Roemer recalled, “I think I was the only child who didn’t cry. I was probably quite numb.” He added, “My mother said that many of the parents who saw us onto the train took taxis to another railroad station in Berlin through which the train was passing, and they waved to the train as it went through the station without stopping.” Eventually settling in the United States, Roemer graduated from Harvard University, where he produced his first film titled “A Touch of the Times.

Over the course of his career, many of his films seemed to require patience before they were fully appreciated. Time and again, he produced insightful and thought-provoking movies, only for them to be celebrated and acclaimed years after their initial release. For instance, the 1964 film “Nothing but a Man” garnered praise and won the San Giorgio Prize at the Venice Film Festival upon its premiere, but it wasn’t until the 1990s, when it was re-released in the U.S., that it gained cultural significance and was added to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress in 1993. Similarly, his comedy film “The Plot Against Harry” was first screened in 1971 but didn’t receive a theatrical release until 1989. It made its debut out of competition at Cannes in 1990 and was eventually nominated for six Independent Film Awards. In 2023, the film was restored in 4k resolution.

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2025-05-24 23:53