RIP to David Nelson, the last member of the iconic Ozzie & Harriet American nuclear family, passed on at 74. RIP also to Peter Yates, director of the splendid Breaking Away & other notable films, passed on at 81.
In honor of Yates…
Monster-of-the-Week: …let’s give the nod to this cool stop-motion giant spider…
…guardian of the “Widow of the Web” from Krull, his 1983 fantasy. The oversized arachnid, superbly animated by Steven Archer, may be seen starting at about the five minute and twenty-six-second mark of this clip.
Last year I watched for the first time, and fell in love, with THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE. I don't know if any actor could play weary as well as Mitchum.
ReplyDeleteKRULL came out when I was 9 and it simply blew my mind.
Ha! Odd you mention Eddie Coyle--I was talking about it this very evening with a friend of mine whose favorite novel it is, & who holds the movie in nearly equal esteem. Mitchum was about as good as it ever got in several areas, weary indeed being one.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a kid, back when they had mom and pop video stores, my Mom would introduce me to all kinds of movies. I'll never forget the first time I watched THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER. The visuals were just so striking, and so different from anything I had ever seen before. Mitchum terrified me. The new Criterion Bluray is stunning.
ReplyDeleteThe great thing about Mitchum is that you just believed everything he did. I haven't seen everything he was in, but offf the top of my head, I can't think of a performance that gave a false note. Also, I can't think of a modern actor that can hold a candle to him.
Mitchum was rarely better than in Eddie Coyle, though I also love him in El Dorado. The scene I love in Night of the Hunter is the one where he's laying seige to the house, singing "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms" & Lillian Gish, sitting there holding her gun, finally joins in. What a voice he had!
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