Because of his highly technical and visual theater productions in London and on Broadway, Sam Mendes made a smooth transition to film with “American Beauty” (1999), which earned him an Academy Award in his directing debut. Previous to his Oscar triumph, Mendes enjoyed a long and very successful career in theater, directing acclaimed and visually stunning productions of William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie,” and Lionel Bart’s popular musical “Oliver!” But it was his 1998 revival of “Cabaret” that attracted the attention of Hollywood – specifically Steven
Scorsese, Stone, Coppola -- for years these directors have composed a holy trinity of directorial heavyweights. (Scorsese's such an icon, even Microsoft Word spell-check recognizes his name.)
