So, hi hello and welcome to the second of my weekly warblings on Film (with a dash of music & culture).
This week I’m taking a brief look at two lesser known films starring one of my favourite Actors - GENE HACKMAN - namely ‘The Gypsy Moths’ (1969) and ‘Scarecrow’ (1973).
Now retired and living in New Mexico where his golden years involve family, friends, bike riding and numerous hobbies - 92yr old Hackman’s career spanned more than six decades and was so successful he ended up with two Academy Awards, four Golden Globes, one Screen Actors Guild Awards and two BAFTA’s. Born in San Bernardino, California to working class parents Hackman decided to become Actor at the tender age of 10, and after a spell in the Marine Corps ended up at the Pasadena Playhouse where - along with another hopeful by the name of dustin Hoffman - he started working on his craft in earnest.
The list of Movies he graced and which so many of us remember and continue to enjoy are too numerous to list here, but personal favourites include ‘The French Connection’, ‘The Conversation’, ‘Mississippi Burning’, ‘Unforgiven’ and ‘Get Shorty’ amongst many others. Gene Hackman was one of those rare artists in Film - an Actor’s Actor, a Director’s Actor and an audience’s Actor. He was quite simply hugely admired, respected, beloved and enjoyed.
So ‘THE GYPSY MOTHS’ (1969) is an interesting movie with stellar people involved including Hackman, Burt Lancaster, Deborah Kerr and John Frankenheimer and set around a trio of traveling skydivers (including Scott Wilson) who arrive in a small town to perform their act over the Independence Day weekend. The story isn’t hugely complicated at all and primarily centres around the melodrama that ensues between the protagonists and several of the locals. Two years on from his (Oscar nominated) performance in ‘Bonnie And Clyde’ (1967) Hackman’s work in this movie is a highlight and further established his talents in no uncertain terms. It’s worth a watch just for him. But Lancaster & Kerr chime in delightfully and Frankenheimer’s technical achievements with the aerial sky-diving sequences stand up really well to his stunning action work in ‘Grand Prix’ (1966) and ‘Ronin’ (1998). All in all it’s worth your time if you’re a Gene Hackman fan, and even if you’re not I’d recommend you give it a whirl as it has an authenticity about it that’s both compelling and engaging.
The second Hackman is 1973’s ‘SCARECROW’ co-starring Al Pacino. This movie was joint winner of the 1973 Palme d'Or and is really about the performances of Hackman and Pacino. The plot though somewhat meandering and unclear still has the ability to startle, is funny, affecting, properly interesting and centres on the lives of two vagabonds who meet up in California and get their road-journey on. Now with two lesser talents this film could very easily have been barely worth a mention, but Hackman and Pacino grab you from the get-go and never let go and it’s really they that totally carry and deliver up a movie I think worth a go. Pacino was fresh from ‘The Godfather’ (1972) rocketing him to stardom and ‘Serpico’ (1973) would premiere shortly after ‘Scarecrow’ so he was totally off and running. Added piquancy comes in the form of some production tension as Pacino - a devotee of the ‘method’ as taught by his mentor and ‘Godfather II’ colleague Lee Strasberg - rubbed Hackman up the wrong way during shooting as their different styles of preparation and focus totally clashed. Indeed Pacino later commented "It wasn't the easiest working with Hackman, who I love as an Actor". But this feeds into the character and performance dynamic wonderfully and is a main driver for giving this movie a crack.
If you prefer not to give your money to Bezos then this is a great movie streaming site I’d seriously recommend you visit and which has both films to rent or buy: uk.chili.com
Finally then, a quick mention for a (now vintage) seminal album that I loved back in the day and which stands up today as strongly as it did to 11yr old me in the 70’s. ‘ALL MOD CONS’ by The Jam is 44yrs old now (for fuck’s sake!) and sounds as fresh, angry and ‘fuck you’ as it did then. 20yr old Paul Weller marshals Bruce Foxton and Rick Buckler (with the help of Producer Vic Coppersmith-Heaven) into creating a simply brilliant (3rd) album which includes killer tracks such as “Down In The Tube Station At Midnight”, “‘A’ Bomb In Wardour Street”, “To Be Someone (Didn’t We Have A Nice Time)” and the contrastingly beautiful & mellifluous “English Rose”. All in all this album grabs ya by the throat with all it’s youthful fury & poetry and simply never lets go. Fucking marvellous.
That’s it for this week then, but for a lot more of more I’ll see you on Twitter at @MichaelWarbur17 and have yourself a great week.
Cheers & TTFN
Michael
Not to be name dropping but here I go. I ran into Gene a while ago in Santa Fe. Many celebs there and one just doesn’t bother them. We were in line together in a cafe and it was just a hi-how-are-you type of thing. He’s a very pleasant guy with an easy smile who just happens to be an actor; although I’ve read that on the job he may not be so easygoing.
Would like to append your Hackman filmography with “The Bird Cage”, Mike Nichols wonderfully funny take on La Cage aux Folles. Gene had a supporting role as the über conservative US Senator and father of the bride and commanded several very funny scenes.
He played in quite a few comedies that showed his range as an actor. Playing against type as Harry Zimm in Get Shorty is a great example. I’m told comedy in acting is hard to pull off. If so, deep-dark, ironic comedy like Elmore Leonard’s must be exponentially more difficult.
'Serpentine! Serpentine!'