Another year almost over, and it's one which has seen some significant losses in the world of film. From Heath Ledger's tragic overdose in January to legendary writer Harold Pinter's death from cancer just two days before Christmas, it's been a bleak year.
Any death that takes place in the prime of life is particularly harrowing, but when Heath Ledger passed away it seemed the film world had been deprived of a major talent which had scarcely had chance to bloom. If confirmation of this were needed, it swiftly arrived in the form of The Dark Knight, in which Ledger's charismatic performance as The Joker stole the show and may yet win him an Oscar nomination. Sadly, he wasn't the only actor to die young this year. Guillaume Depardieu, the son of Gérard Depardieu, who had ongoing medical problems following a motorbike accident in 1995, died in October from pneumonia. He had recently been seen on British screens in Don't Touch The Axe. And Ghost World star Brad Renfro died in January from a heroin overdose.
As well as the loss of young talent, 2008 saw the loss of some of the film world's greatest stars, perhaps none more so than Charlton Heston, a man who played Moses, Ben Hur, Marc Anthony, and several other unforgettable heroes in the century's greatest epics. Once one of Hollywood's hottest sirens, Anita Page also breathed her last, as did one of Mexico's most enduringly popular stars, María Elena Marqués, and no-one will ever look quite as glamorous in furs as Eartha Kitt. Meanwhile, Indian cinema lots one of its greatest villains, M.N. Nambiar.
It was a sad year for B-movie fans, with the deaths of Ben Chapman - the original Creature From The Black Lagoon - and Maila Nurmi, otherwise known as Vampira, who starred in the inimitable Plan 9 From Outer Space. And those who enjoy, um, alternative forms of cinema were saddened by the death of the vivacious star recently introduced to the mainstream as The Notorious Bettie Page.
Behind the scenes, things were not much brighter. We had to say goodbye to Sydney Pollack, one of the most accomplished film producers of his era, and Robert Mulligan, the director of To Kill A Mockingbird. The important Chinese director Xie Jin, whose consistently innovative work endured through decades of political turmoil, died in October, whilst June saw the death of Egypt's great Youssef Chahine. Science fiction author Arthur C Clarke, the man behind 2001: A Space Odyssey, died in March, and in November he was followed by techno-thriller writer Michael Crichton, the man behind such popular hits as Jurassic Park and The Andromeda Strain. Another sad loss was that of special effects guru Stan Winston, one of the most creative and inspirational people in the industry.
So if you're out for a drink this New Year's Eve, raise a glass to the fallen, and perhaps, when the new year begins, you might consider watching some of the great films they left us with.
