Post by indy2003 on Sept 27, 2008 8:20:23 GMT -8
The world lost an acting legend today, the great Paul Newman. He was 83 years old.
I am of the belief that Newman has had one of the most admirable careers and lives in Hollywood. He began in a rather typical fashion, playing a string of heartthrob roles in film and on television during the 1950s. In the latter part of that decade, Newman began to show something new. He took on challenging roles and started to play some potentially unlikeable characters, using his natural charm and depth to turn seemingly stubborn fools into great cinematic icons. Just watch him in "The Long, Hot, Summer", which co-starred his wife of fifty years, Joanne Woodward. He plays a character who comes in from out of town, does his own thing, and defies everyone who tries to tell him to do otherwise. He was a wiser, smarter, more relentless James Dean. Newman reached the peak of cool, but his characters often went far below the surface, as Newman would reveal the ugly truth about what it takes to be The Man. Newman would play variations on this charming and stubborn protagonists numerous times, always bringing out new shades and creating something that would leave a big impression on people. See "The Hustler", "Hud", "Hombre", and "Cool Hand Luke" for examples. One could argue that this era ended with "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid", which was a beautiful conclusion to a certain side of Newman's screen presence.
Newman grew experimental during the 1970s, and his resume is hit-and-miss during that era. Nonetheless, you have to admire the man for stepping out on so many limbs when he could have cashed easy paychecks. He covered everything from goofy comedy ("Slap Shot") to strange western experiments from acclaimed directors (Altman's "Buffalo Bill and the Indians", Huston's "The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean"), to Hollywood blockbusters ("The Towering Inferno") to the undefinable ("Quintet", the strangest film you will ever see). While there weren't as many jaw-dropping successes as Newman would have liked, it was a rather fearless decade for the actor.
Newman was in his mid-fifties when the 1980s rolled around, and he knew it. Though Hollywood has a tendency of forgiving male actors for old age (watch Sean Connery bedding Catherina Zeta-Jones in "Entrapment"), Newman would not permit himself to play the "sexy leading man" roles he was being offered. Instead, he embraced his age (much like Clint Eastwood would be begin to do a few years later) and used it as an opportunity to play new characters. This era began with Newman's remarkable performance in "The Verdict", in which he plays an alcoholic attorney. Unfortunately, some of the actor's subsequent roles were in ambitious movies that turned out badly due to poor direction. Look at "Harry and Son", "Fat Man and Little Boy", and even Martin Scorsese's weakest film, "The Color of Money" (a sequel to "The Hustler").
Things got better for Newman during the 1990s. He had a very fine role in the Merchant-Ivory film "Mr. and Mrs. Bridge" (another film in which he co-starred with his wife). I still giggle thinking about his corporate CEO in the delightful Coen Brothers Capra-esque epic, "The Hudsucker Proxy" (a glorious box office failure that deserves a new life). "Nobody's Fool" is one of the actor's great roles, playing a lively old man attempting to gain some personal redemption during the final act of his life.
As good as Newman was during this era, he was slowing down his career and simply enjoying life. He was always a kind and generous man, and gave a lot of himself and his resources to others. He founded the Newman's Own dressing label, and has donated all of the proceeds from the label to charity. He also started a foundation for terminally ill children. In his spare time, Newman enjoyed race car driving, and spent a good deal of his time at the track. Every once in a while, he would turn up in a supporting role in a film such as "Empire Falls" or "The Road to Perdition", but acting had become secondary. His final contributions to the field of the film were voiceover roles: playing a wise old vehicle in "Cars", and narrating a documentary about the late Dale Earnhardt. Though neither will be considered among his greatest achievements, perhaps it is fitting that his final projects were both related to one of the actor's personal passions.
It has been known for some time that Newman has been in bad health, and Newman declared last year that he was essentially done with acting. He said he felt that his invention had gone away and that he had nothing left to offer. It's impossible to say whether he was telling the truth or just employing false modesty, but I must say that I'm glad he was able to spend his final year quietly and peacefully. Paul Newman lived a good life, helped a lot of people, and left film fans a generous supply of classics to enjoy and admire. Mr. Newman, your presence will be missed. Rest in peace.
I am of the belief that Newman has had one of the most admirable careers and lives in Hollywood. He began in a rather typical fashion, playing a string of heartthrob roles in film and on television during the 1950s. In the latter part of that decade, Newman began to show something new. He took on challenging roles and started to play some potentially unlikeable characters, using his natural charm and depth to turn seemingly stubborn fools into great cinematic icons. Just watch him in "The Long, Hot, Summer", which co-starred his wife of fifty years, Joanne Woodward. He plays a character who comes in from out of town, does his own thing, and defies everyone who tries to tell him to do otherwise. He was a wiser, smarter, more relentless James Dean. Newman reached the peak of cool, but his characters often went far below the surface, as Newman would reveal the ugly truth about what it takes to be The Man. Newman would play variations on this charming and stubborn protagonists numerous times, always bringing out new shades and creating something that would leave a big impression on people. See "The Hustler", "Hud", "Hombre", and "Cool Hand Luke" for examples. One could argue that this era ended with "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid", which was a beautiful conclusion to a certain side of Newman's screen presence.
Newman grew experimental during the 1970s, and his resume is hit-and-miss during that era. Nonetheless, you have to admire the man for stepping out on so many limbs when he could have cashed easy paychecks. He covered everything from goofy comedy ("Slap Shot") to strange western experiments from acclaimed directors (Altman's "Buffalo Bill and the Indians", Huston's "The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean"), to Hollywood blockbusters ("The Towering Inferno") to the undefinable ("Quintet", the strangest film you will ever see). While there weren't as many jaw-dropping successes as Newman would have liked, it was a rather fearless decade for the actor.
Newman was in his mid-fifties when the 1980s rolled around, and he knew it. Though Hollywood has a tendency of forgiving male actors for old age (watch Sean Connery bedding Catherina Zeta-Jones in "Entrapment"), Newman would not permit himself to play the "sexy leading man" roles he was being offered. Instead, he embraced his age (much like Clint Eastwood would be begin to do a few years later) and used it as an opportunity to play new characters. This era began with Newman's remarkable performance in "The Verdict", in which he plays an alcoholic attorney. Unfortunately, some of the actor's subsequent roles were in ambitious movies that turned out badly due to poor direction. Look at "Harry and Son", "Fat Man and Little Boy", and even Martin Scorsese's weakest film, "The Color of Money" (a sequel to "The Hustler").
Things got better for Newman during the 1990s. He had a very fine role in the Merchant-Ivory film "Mr. and Mrs. Bridge" (another film in which he co-starred with his wife). I still giggle thinking about his corporate CEO in the delightful Coen Brothers Capra-esque epic, "The Hudsucker Proxy" (a glorious box office failure that deserves a new life). "Nobody's Fool" is one of the actor's great roles, playing a lively old man attempting to gain some personal redemption during the final act of his life.
As good as Newman was during this era, he was slowing down his career and simply enjoying life. He was always a kind and generous man, and gave a lot of himself and his resources to others. He founded the Newman's Own dressing label, and has donated all of the proceeds from the label to charity. He also started a foundation for terminally ill children. In his spare time, Newman enjoyed race car driving, and spent a good deal of his time at the track. Every once in a while, he would turn up in a supporting role in a film such as "Empire Falls" or "The Road to Perdition", but acting had become secondary. His final contributions to the field of the film were voiceover roles: playing a wise old vehicle in "Cars", and narrating a documentary about the late Dale Earnhardt. Though neither will be considered among his greatest achievements, perhaps it is fitting that his final projects were both related to one of the actor's personal passions.
It has been known for some time that Newman has been in bad health, and Newman declared last year that he was essentially done with acting. He said he felt that his invention had gone away and that he had nothing left to offer. It's impossible to say whether he was telling the truth or just employing false modesty, but I must say that I'm glad he was able to spend his final year quietly and peacefully. Paul Newman lived a good life, helped a lot of people, and left film fans a generous supply of classics to enjoy and admire. Mr. Newman, your presence will be missed. Rest in peace.