As I live my life, through the years, certain things bring back memories like watching the Golden Globes tonight and watching our friend Heath win that beautiful award and it made me think of watching Brokeback Mountain for the nth time and seeing this great actor in the making and thinking that the Oscar is definitely his. When I saw Jake tonight, it made me sad because I remembered he and Heath being so funny introducing Brokeback Mountain at the SAG awards and just thinking what wonderful friends they must be. I know he misses him terribly. But I digress…
I was watching a really good movie today called On the Beach with Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Anthony Perkins, and Fred Astaire. This movie was made in 1956 and is very relevant today. It is not an epic movie, but it has a message that is hauntingly prophetic, especially the banner at the end. But I digress…again.
I read a very good article in the Washington Post today about Cary Grant and how he realized that the physical part of acting was equally as important as the acting itself. Here is the link (you have to log in to see the article – I hate that! Stupid):
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/09/AR2009010901212.htmlWell, there was a scene in On the Beach that has Gregory Peck and Ava Gardner standing on the train platform and he is trying to explain to her why he cannot love her and the scene is amazing! Gregory Peck has such a hard time saying the words as if he wanted to explode because he is holding it all in and the way he pulls his lips back and looks up and to the side like he wants to just toss the words right out of his mouth, but can’t. You would think you were seeing Ennis up there trying to talk to her! I was in shock. Heath Ledger was a great actor in the making. The physicality of his acting is partly what makes us come to this forum, even today. It evokes so much of the story that we have questions about what he is trying to say or at least interpret it that way.