Introduction
Alfred Sole (born July 2, 1943) is an American production designer, film director, producer and writer best known for directing such films as Alice, Sweet Alice (1976) and Pandemonium (1982). Prior to beginning his career in film, Sole worked as an architect. Since the 1990s, he has worked as a production designer on various television films and series, including Veronica Mars (2004–2007) and Castle (2009–2016).
Biography
Sole was born July 2, 1943 in Paterson, New Jersey, where he was raised. He graduated from the University of Florence in Italy with a degree in architecture and spent his young adulthood working as an architect.
In 1972 Sole made his directorial debut on his erotic film Deep Sleep. Even though the film made a budget of $25,000, the movie was pulled from theaters on charges that it was obscene, and all the prints were confiscated.
Sole's second feature, Alice, Sweet Alice fared better. The film was the feature debut of Brooke Shields, who appeared in a supporting part. The film initially did poorly in theaters due to spotty distribution. It was later rereleased in 1981 as Holy Terror, marketing upon the popularity of Brooke Shields. Alice, Sweet Alice eventually proved to have an enduring popularity : in 2017, it was ranked the fourth-best slasher film of all time by Complex magazine.
Sole's next feature Tanya's Island, starring Vanity, also did poorly in theaters. In 1982 his slasher film Pandemonium premiered. It was the last feature film Sole directed in his career. Since then, Sole has worked as a production designer for multiple TV movies and shows. He co-wrote two episodes of Hotel with Paul Monette. From 2009 to 2016, Sole served as the production designer for the network series Castle.
Sources
- Edwards, Matthew (2017). Twisted Visions: Interviews with Cult Horror Filmmakers. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. ISBN 978-1-476-66376-0.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)