John Maybury

Biography

John Maybury (born 1958) is an award-winning British filmmaker and artist whose career spans the avant-garde, music video, feature film, and television industries. Known for his visually striking, experimental, and often dark style, Maybury has made a significant mark on both the art world and popular culture.

Early Life and Career Foundations

Maybury studied at North East London Polytechnic and St Martin's. He was an influential figure in the British underground film movement of the 1980s, pioneering an unashamedly exotic style influenced by artists like Jean Cocteau and Kenneth Anger.

His early career included set and costume design for Derek Jarman's film Jubilee and later collaborations with Jarman on films like The Last of England and War Requiem. This association cemented his roots in experimental and visually rich filmmaking.

Breakthroughs in Music Video and Features

Maybury gained mainstream recognition as a music video director, helming some of the most memorable clips of the era.

Key Music Videos: He directed the defining 1980s video for the Pet Shop Boys' "West End Girls" and the highly acclaimed video for Sinéad O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U."

In 1998, he made his first major feature film, Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon. This biopic on the life of the painter Francis Bacon was both written and directed by Maybury and was screened at the Cannes Film Festival.

Notable Film and Television Work

Maybury is perhaps best known for directing three major feature films, all of which showcase his distinct visual sensibility and psychological depth:

Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon (1998): His directorial debut, featuring Derek Jacobi as Bacon.

The Jacket (2005): The sci-fi psychological thriller about a Gulf War veteran (Adrien Brody) experimented on in a mental institution, which was the subject of your previous query.

The Edge of Love (2008): A biopic about Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, starring Keira Knightley and Sienna Miller.

In addition to his film work, Maybury has directed for high-profile television series, including episodes of HBO/BBC's Rome and Showtime's The Borgias, demonstrating his ability to handle large-scale serial drama.