RIP Paul Newman
Author: Jauretsi | Posted: September 29th, 2008 | Filed under: Film | | Comments Off |
In honor of Paul Newman, and in honor of Paris Fashion week, I thought I’d recommend a film that has both. What more can I say about Paul Newman except he was so cool, so compassionate, and so handsome. He was so much, that he almost didn’t know how cool, compassionate, or handsome he really was. Instead he was always raising the bar — always stepping it up, never resting on his laurels.
The Wall Street Journal said that “Paul Newman gave growing old a good name”. Paul also went to his grave with a pool of work any actor wished they can simply a dip a toe in — Cool Hand Luke, The Sting, Slap Shot, The Towering Inferno, Hud, Hombre, The Hustler, The Young Philadelphians, and Cat On a Hot Tin Roof.
He starred with his wife, Joanne Woodward in several pics: The Long, Hot Summer (1958) which is “long and hot”, Rally ‘Round the Flag, Boys! (1958) about a protest movement against a missile (Dynasty’s Joan Collins is foxy in this). Then there’s From the Terrace (1960) about Wall Street soul-sucking, and Paris Blues (1961) with Jazz-head Louis Armstrong. It was so awesome to see Paul and Joanne act together… like ballet, it was a dance where they fed off each other, and inspired each other. Seeing them do their thing onscreen together was almost a voyeuristic violation into something so intimate.
On acting Paul said: “Study your craft and know who you are and what’s special about you. Find out what everyone does on a film set, ask questions and listen. Make sure you live life, which means don’t do things where you court celebrity, and give something positive back to our society.”
By the time Paul checked out of this planet, he and Joanne raised $250 million for charity. He was a speed-freak and raced cars. By the time he was 70, he became the oldest driver of a team competing in a major sanctioned race in 1995. Can you say “suck the marrow out of life”?
(Eva Gabor, George Tobias, Joanne Woodward, and the awesome Thelma Ritter)
But back to my film recommendation this week, and back to the Paris Fashion shows. In A New Kind of Love, Joanne Woodward plays a head-strong independent career-minded woman named Sam Blake (a masculine name to match her toughness). Sam is a “coolhunter”, if you will, complete with her little spy camera. Her job is to be on top of the latest in Luxury designers (Lanvin, Dior, Balenciaga), only so she can create affordable “knock-offs” for her high-end department store.
(Paris Fashion shows)
(Joanne as Sam in her studio)
Paul Newman plays Steve Sherman, a sports journalist who sees life as one big game. He’s a total “playah” with the ladies, opting for 1 dimensional women whom he can charm and get into bed within 24 hours. Love ‘em and leave ‘em. Not very deep.
Soon he meets Sam Blake played by fiesty Joanne. She calls him on his shit. He hates her. He loves her. He can’t stop thinking about her. She hates him. She loves him. She can’t stop thinking about him. Stir in 1 week of 2 Americans in Paris. Spontaneous combustion.
(Costume Designer Edith Head did the clothes for this movie — SSSSICK stuff)
New Kind of Love is a good “door-opener” if you’ve never seen these two bounce off eachother onscreen. Long Hot Summer is the steamiest though. When asked about his long marriage and the concept of infidelity, Paul responded, “Why go out for hamburger when you have steak at home?”. God, I hope this kind of love can still exist today…
(Paul and Joanne holdin’ it down 50 years)
RIP
Paul Newman
1925-2008
J
