Martin Rosen

Martin Gerald Rosen (born August 31, 1936) is an American-British filmmaker and theater producer. He directed the animated film adaptations of Watership Down and The Plague Dogs (1982), both from the Richard Adams novels.

Career Rosen originally worked as a literary agent before he moved with his wife to the United Kingdom.

He first produced the Canadian feature A Great Big Thing (1968) and later co-produced Ken Russell's film version of Women in Love (1969), which won Academy Awards for Glenda Jackson and Billy Williams.

Rosen was originally the producer of Watership Down but took over as director after John Hubley, the original director, left after disagreements with Rosen. He also wrote the screenplay for it. This was the first of two novels by Richard Adams he adapted. In 1982 he also produced, directed and wrote the screenplay for another animated feature based on an Adams novel, The Plague Dogs (1982). Rosen produced Smooth Talk (1986), which won the Sundance Grand Prize. His last film as director was Stacking (1987). His last project as producer was the animated Watership Down TV series in 1999.

Rosen has also worked in theater production. He was the originating producer of Michael Weller's Moonchildren, first presented at London's Royal Court Theater before transferring to the US. He was the originating producer of Maxine Hong Kingston's "The Woman Warrior", presented in association with The Berkeley Rep, Boston's Huntington Theater, and the Doolittle Theater in Los Angeles.

Watership Down ownership controversy On 27 May 2020, the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court in London ruled that Rosen had wrongly claimed all rights to the book Watership Down, and terminated the contract which had given him rights to the film. He had entered into adaptation contracts worth more than $500,000 (£400,000), including licenses for an audiobook adaptation and the 2018 television adaptation.

In his ruling, Judge Richard Hacon ordered Rosen to pay over $100,000 in damages for copyright infringement, unauthorised license deals, and denying royalty payments to the Adams estate. He was also directed to provide a record of all license agreements involving Watership Down and pay court costs and the Adams estate's legal fees totalling £28,000. Subsequent failure to comply with the terms of the UK judgement left Rosen in contempt of court and facing enforcement proceedings in Connecticut.

Personal life Rosen is married to Elisabeth Payne Rosen, an author and ordained deacon in the Episcopal Church. They reside in Ross, California.

Credits Films Year Title Director Producer Writer Other Notes 1968 A Great Big Thing 1969 Women in Love Presenter 1978 Watership Down Directorial debut 1982 The Plague Dogs 1985 Smooth Talk 1987 Stacking

Television Year Title Director Producer Notes 1999–2001 Watership Down TV series, executive producer 2018 Watership Down

Theater I, Frederick The Women Warrior China Men Hallam's War

Critical reception Film Rotten Tomatoes IMDb Watership Down 79% 7.6/10 The Plague Dogs 70% (9 reviews) 7.7/10

Awards and nominations Year Award Category Title Result 1978 Gold Hugo Best Feature Watership Down 1979 Hugo Award Best Dramatic Presentation 1986 Independent Spirit Awards Best Feature Smooth Talk 2018 Daytime Emmy Awards Outstanding Special Class Animated Program Watership Down