August 2009 Artist of the Month: Nora Ephron

Submitted by Rafe Telsch on Sun, 08/02/2009 - 21:14
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If there’s a reason I’m especially hard on the romantic comedies of today, it’s because those of my formative movie years were so strong. Look at the movies of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, movies like When Harry Met Sally or Sleepless in Seattle, and you’ll see a common thread among them. That thread is writer/producer/director Nora Ephron.

Behind the scenes, Efron has crafted some of the best romantic tales of our generation. She managed to make the combination of Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan work not once, but twice, and she was one of the directors who had faith in Hank’s abilities beyond the mostly-silly material he had done up to 1993. Of course, not everything Efron has done has been a hit - her directorial debut This is My Life is an underappreciated story, largely because it’s under realized on film, but so much of her work has been made up of hits.

While Nora Efron is our artist of the month for her work in film, her ability as a writer knows no bounds. She is a highly lauded essayist and novelist, and, if you like her movies, her work outside of film is worth checking out. Maybe you can use her being our August Artist of the Month as an excuse. Meanwhile, be sure to check back throughout the month as we take a closer look at Efron’s work, particularly each week as part of our Weekly Blend Audio Show.


Nora Ephron Filmography:

  • Silkwood (1983) - Writer
  • Heartburn (1986) - Writer
  • When Harry Met Sally (1989) - Writer, Producer
  • Cookie (1989) - Writer, Producer
  • This is My Life (1992) - Director
  • My Blue Heaven (1992) - Writer, Producer
  • Sleepless in Seattle (1993) - Writer, Director
  • Mixed Nuts (1994) - Writer, Director
  • Michael (1996) - Writer, Director, Producer
  • Strike! (1996) -Producer
  • You’ve Got Mail (1998) - Writer, Director, Producer
  • Hanging Up (2000) - Writer, Producer
  • Lucky Numbers (2000) - Director, Producer
  • Bewitched (2005) - Writer, Director, Producer
  • Julie & Julia (2009) - Writer, Director, Producer

Full filmography available at IMDb