Newman, Woodward, Noir and More. (October-November, 2022).
Newman, Woodward, noir and more. We’ve been watching older films of late. This has been induced by the 6-part Ethan Hawke documentary “The Last Movie Stars” (HBO) about Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. Very informative and interesting. I learned much from it and really appreciated that look at their lives based on interviews with the living (their kids, friends, etc.) and the dead (transcripts of interviews Newman conducted with friends and family read by renowned actors.) It’s well worth the time.
This series sent us on two-weeks of watching older films by Newman (my school library did not have Woodward’s film. That says something). Counterintuitively, we began with “The Color of Money,” Newman’s 1986 sequel as Fast Eddie Felson from “The Hustler,” as he finds and backs the wildly talented and impetuous Vincent (Tom Cruise) and is drawn back into the pool hustling he gave up years before. Directed by Martin Scorcese from a Richard Price script, the film takes liquor salesman Felson back into the sordid but also the now-glitzy world of ‘professional’ pool. Some of the most interesting work is done by supporting characters, hustlers played by John Turturro and a remarkable Forrest Whittaker.
We followed that with “The Verdict,” directed by Sidney Lumet with a screenplay by David Mamet. Newman’s alcoholic Boston Irish lawyer, Frank Galvin, is down to his last case and he’s working to lose that by being drunk and incompetent. He’s helped back by a former law professor, Jack Warden, as he sues the Boston archdiocese, one of its hospitals, and two renowned surgeons whose mistakes left a woman in a permanent coma. It also brings him up against the archdiocese’s attorney, James Mason’s Ed Concannon, and all manner of dirty tricks. Wonderful acting by all. As Hawke’s series makes clear, Newman’s alcoholic lawyer did not require him to learn new things about how to play a drunk. I never knew. I would have preferred to have seen this shot in black-and-white as the noir it emulates.
And finally on this Newman-go-round we went back to an Ur-text in “The Hustler.” This brilliant 1961 look at Fast Eddie’s early days as a cocky, hard-drinking pool hustler pits him against Minnesota Fats (a brilliant Jackie Gleason), and his own manager, George C. Scott. Piper Laurie is a tragic pleasure to watch as his drinking and emotional partner in self-destruction. This was truly a superb film. It’s the first time I’ve seen it in about 55 years, and I was glad I did, as it sets up the why behind Eddie’s exodus from pool.
“The Hustler” led me back to one of my favorite films from the 1960s. Written by Rod Serling, “Requiem for a Heavyweight” stars Anthony Quinn, Jackie Gleason, Mickey Rooney, and Julie Harris. It features a cameo by up-and-coming Cassius Clay (later Muhammad Ali, of course) who pummels the older Mountain Rivera (Quinn) in the ring and forces his removal from boxing. The punchy fighter, who was once the number 5 heavyweight in the world, has no other skills but he has the support of his cut-man (Rooney) and, he thinks, his manager, Maish, who’s been with him for 17 years. He also has a young employment social worker, Harris, who is very much in his corner. Yet his future is unclear. What does he owe Maish, and how much is his dignity worth? This is a very rough film.
One final note on the music in “Requiem.” Heavily influenced by Leonard Bernstein’s work in “West Side Story,” Lawrence Rosenthal’s score dominated certain scenes. That may have been a result of poor DVD production, but it was overly loud.
These films are all part of cinema that takes us deeper into the demimonde of money games that are clearly tied to thugs and criminals. They are sometimes sanitized today by big money poker and pool tournaments, celebrity participation, and the glitz of casino culture. But behind it is still criminality, drugs, alcohol and the hustles. In “The Hustler” and “Requiem,” these are very raw. And of course, even the courts and law in “The Verdict” have elements of a hustle, of playing a corrupt game.
The final Newman film I watched, “Slap Shot” (1977 DVD) was a Nancy Dowd-written comedy of minor-league hockey where, again, the dark side of violence became a theme. The Chiefs are a minor league American hockey team following (leading?) their collapsing rustbelt city down the drain until they go all-in on rink thuggery that at least one player, college-educated Ned Brandon played by Michael Ontkean, can’t buy into. Knowing the team is folding, Newman’s older player/coach Reggie Dunlop leads this band of never-weres catalysed by three violent childlike sociopathic brothers, “The Hansons,” who wreck carnage in every game they play. There are simple-minded good guy’s and the thugs, the long-suffering wives/girlfriends/fans and groupies; there are the cheesy promotions and much more. All this set in 1970s of deindustrialization, clothing, excessive drinking, and hair styles. Newman and all the rest actually seem to be enjoying themselves a lot in this, including Strother Martin as their long-suffering GM, Jennifer Warren as Francine, Dunlop’s ex, and Lindsey Crouse as Lily, Braden’s unhappy wife who hates the town, the game, and the life she’s living. It’s a good film, replete with the knowledge that winning isn’t the point for team owners who need the tax write-offs. It’s not simply the game that’s corrupt and violent, it’s the whole system. And we’re part of it too, because as we root for our hapless heroes, we become increasingly happy in the violence we see them inflict and suffer. Our society loves the big hit and, however much we deny it, the violence.
I followed this spate of Newman films by finally accessing “The Three Faces of Eve,” (1957, DVD) starring Joanne Woodward. This early psychodrama follows the story of Eve White (also Eve Black and Jane) as she seeks aid from psychiatrist, Dr. Luther (Lee J. Cobb). It’s “based on a true story” and journalist Alistair Cooke is there to introduce and narrate from time to time as the voice of truth and honesty. The movie is rather predictable, but Woodward is stunning in her transformations from one self to the next, each with their own personas. She certainly deserved her Oscar for this one. The reality of this “true story” is, of course, vastly more complex and differs from the film, but see it to watch this wonderful young actress work. It’s a joy. Interestingly, she later played the shrink to Sally Field’s “Sybil” in a made-for-tv role reversal that won her further acclaim and nominations and an Emmy for Fields. Woodward was truly the real deal.