With the news some weeks back that Paul Newman had left the hospital to go home to be with his family as he approached the end, I have found myself watching more and more of his films, perhaps stunned that the world will soon be deprived of his talent.
Newman, who I had the pleasure of interviewing in 1999, has been able to balance stardom with talent in such films as “The Hustler” and “The Towering Inferno” over and over again in his career.
There is little doubt he owned the 1960s with a string of performances that should have earned him award after award, and one such portrayal is getting a special edition DVD treatment from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment: “Cool Hand Luke.”
All I can say is thank you, thank you, thank you. The chance to see this great film again, with Newman at his very best, was a welcome respite from the barrage of terrible DVDs that have been arriving recently. Cleaned up digitally, the film looks terrific, and Newman is so extraordinary as a petty crook, sent to a hard labor southern prison where he locks horns with the warden. The “failure to communicate” line became important in the 1960s, as the youth of America felt that way towards the establishment
Newman gives a brilliant, heartbreaking, searing performance, exploring a man who will not be a prisoner to anyone. He simply will not give in, not to Dragline (George Kennedy) — who beats him to a pulp but respects Luke because he just keeps coming, the system he refuses to accept, nor the warden, whom he plays like a fiddle, emerging a Christ figure to the men, giving them hope, inspiring them in ways they never thought to be possible. He cannot be broken, not emotionally nor physically. It was the ultimate in fantasy for a generation that felt defenseless.
George Kennedy won Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance, fine work to be sure, but this is Newman’s film.
Bravo to Warners for continuing to be a leader in special editions, boxed sets and just brilliant DVD releases. Let’s pray that they nab the rights to “The African Queen” and “Ironweed” here in North America because we know justice will be done with those films. Rumors of a “Heaven’s Gate” special edition continue to circulate, with Warners having bought the rights to that films as well. We’ll see.
Comments
4 responses to “Newman at his best, ‘Luke’ gets a deluxe edition”
I fully believe this is Newman’s best performance. Probably in my top 3 all time actually. You watch certain films and performances and say things like “this actor was born to play this part.” You can say that about every character Paul Newman has played from Eddie Felson in The Hustler or The Color of Money, all the way up to Reggie Dunlop in Slap Shot. but I really believe Luke Jackson may be the one character that Newman’s resume just wouldn’t be the same without. He’ll be missed dearly when he passes, not just as one of the greatest actors ever to meet a camera, but as a great humanitarian.
This does my heart a world of good. Newman was never better than in this movie, one the best of the sixties, and of all time.
Awesome movie, but there’s no doubt his best performance is in THE HUSTLER. My favorite Newman movie is HUD though.
He gave decades of wonderful performances. I’m always amazed that someone with such extraordinary physical beauty should have portrayed so many “regular guys”, ordinary people. He is one of the best examples of the “Method” acting he studied, that is grounded in everyday life and everyday people – so it keeps reaching us, never stales, and it doesn’t date.
One of my favorites is Newman with Elizabeth Taylor in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”. Wonderful actors, wonderful words.