Nice work! I appreciate being able to understand this movie in the context of his entire career – past, present and future – as you have outlined in the piece.
And speaking of past, present and future, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen Mickey Rourke, as a character, bring those all those facets and circumstances of a life together in a single moment and render it poetically – as the great ones have done. For example, as Brando did in the moment of “I could have been somebody.” He brought all the circumstances and events of his characters life, past, present and future together in that single moment in time and summed it up in a poetic fashion. (by way of comparison, most actors play out one single action of a character at a time with the most imediate given circumstances as the sole influencer. Its usually done with straight forward logic resulting from their previous actions.) I believe Mickey Rourke has the instincts for breaking up the logic of his characters actions, which makes him mysterious or interesting, but again, whether or not he can, or even has had the chance to develop a moment like “I could have been somebody” I don’t know. I guess that is what I am waiting for in his work.
I think we talked a little about this before and I think you mentioned some scenes where perhaps you thought he did accomplish something like that – so this might be a repeat. Maybe in happens in The Wrestler(?).
Sheila
How can anyone not want to go out and see everything Mickey Rourke after reading Gone Away, Come Back. But whether Mickey Rourke or insight on the first ten names in the phone book – you are a joy to read.
MrG – I’m not sure if I agree with your statement there that he hasn’t had one of “those moments”. Have we discussed it before?? I can’t remember.
I think he does exactly what you describe in multiple roles – definitely in his 5 minute cameo in The Pledge – That performance is as eloquent a moment as I have ever seen. He has 5 minutes to create a man, a past, a grief, a loss, a hope – anger – he has to create a shell of a man yet who, at the slightest bit of hope, fills up again – and he nails it. You can almost sense Jack Nicholson backing up to get the hell out of the way of the great acting that is going on.
Same with the aforementioned “I know who I am” moment in Angel Heart. It’s some of the greatest acting I’ve ever seen – and it has in it torment, knowledge, the ripping away of denial, the pain … Angel Heart isn’t as great a movie as On the Waterfront, so that might have something to do with the fact that it hasn’t gotten widespread cultural iconic status – but that’s irrelevant, at least in terms of fulfilling the moment at hand. Jeff Bridges does some of the finest acting I have ever seen in my LIFE in The Fisher King and I would not call that a “great movie”. But he is so far and above pretty much anyone else that he elevates the material, he transcends, he makes it pulse with reality and pain and power. Rourke does the same thing (or did, in his best roles in the 80s)
And I also think Barfly is full of such moments. That whole performance is a piece of street poetry.
The last moment in The Wrestler – the final shot – is iconic in its scope and power. I still have not recovered from it. It is devastating. On a King Lear kind of level. There are a lot of painful scenes in the movie – but the closeup shot of Rourke in the final moment is as good as it gets, frankly. If that’s not capturing an entire life in a moment of emotion and poetry and power then I don’t know what is. I’d put him toe to toe with Brando any day.
So I think he DOES capture what you say … he is BORN to do such things, because he is not a vessel for a playwright, or a chameleon – his gift does not lie in characterization (not really), or mimicry. His gift lies in portraying the truth of whatever moment he is in. When the material is worthy of him – all anyone else can do is just get out of the damn way!!
My perspective is skewed on this matter because I live in New York and everything opens here first … I do remember the pain of NOT living in New York and feeling impatient for something to open whereever it was I lived.
argh. every time you write for this website you make me cry. stop it! what a great ending to that article. i truly hope this is his moment in the sun. i know oscar talk is all baloney but wouldn’t it be great if this movie were just impossible to ignore next year when voting happens?
Hmmm. Well, let me preface this comment and then I’ll try to give a more specific example…if I can, based on the scenes you mentioned. The preface is that I think Rourke’s work is far, far, far better than most actors, and enthusiasm for his work should always run high. However, I’m not ready to put him toe to toe with Brando, for a couple of reasons, based on his past work (although you certainly have generated a renewed curiousity and interest in it). I might let him spar one round with Brando if he wears headgear though. Of course I haven’t seen The Wrestler so I reserve the right to change my mind about the toe to toe stuff at anytime.
The Pledge is outstanding and moving work. In fairness to Rourke though its just not enough time and narrative to capture one of the moments I’m referring to, so I can barely take myself seriously trying to use it as an example…but what the hell. The man we, as spectators, see in the smoking lounge from the first moment is what man get throughout – a man somewhere in his own adjusted world of having lost his daughter. In that world are all the things you mention, hope, anger, denial, pain, etc., and Rourke portrays it beautifully with his thoughts, his emotions. But he stays in that world. The closest he comes to the kind of specific action I am hoping for is when he says I was supposed to take care of her, and we almost see him getting out of that “comfortable” world of smoking and memories and almost start to “beat himself up” again. Almost, almost, almost. With a little more work we could have seen more precisely why he smokes and sits, moves or doesn’t move, looks or doesn’t look, reacts or doesn’t react to movement around him in the manner that he does – because to not be that way would be to ruin himself completely – to get out of that “comfortable” world would have been dangerous, deadly. It’s oh so close in the scene and the reason it’s missing probably has to do as much as with the direction of the scene as with Rourke’s work. My sense is that Rourke had genius in his conception of the scene that way but perhaps didn’t get to carry it off fully.
The Angel Heart scene you mention is equally well done and moving (Rourke’s work. DeNiro is a total bore in that scene). However, with that line you mention, “I know who I am,” he plays one single action throughtout that scene with it, even in it’s variance, and this is that sense of trying “to convince,” both himself and DeNiro. All good because he does it so well throughout, until the end when he is looking in the mirror and still doing it, but now with a little doubt. What he doesn’t do fully is capture all that, the exhaustion of the scene, the confusion, the doubt, those images in his mind, his life past, present and future, and turn it to a moment of complete realization of who he is or isn’t specifically. He is there looking in the mirror, meaning the chance is there, but it doesn’t happen. Instead I think they end up show him running down the street.
Like you say, its not the kind of movie that Waterfront was, and I don’t think DeNiro helped the scene at all so I’m not trying to hold Rourke to the impossible. I think he can turn one of those moments for sure, but I don’t think he has done it yet, or been given the chance.
Going to the “rawness” of himself he can do. Turning as an actor to different actions once he is there is what I haven’t seen fully.
I disagree with every point you just made. You’re quite eloquent, but wrong (in my opinion). This is obviously a subjective matter – hence, my visceral response to your “suggestions” to Rourke, and your observations about what is missing (for you).
You seem to have an expectation (in regards to the Angel Heart mirror moment anyway) that something else should be happening in that moment, as opposed to the reality of what is actually happening. You think the moment needs to tell some OTHER story.
I don’t feel that way – although I relate to your thought process, and I have known that feeling myself with other performances, I feel, “Oh. That actor just missed that one by a mile”, or “it would have been so much more powerful if that actor did THIS instead of what he just did …” –
I do not feel that way about Angel Heart.
The moment is what the moment is – I don’t judge it for what it is NOT. You describe what you wanted, what you think should be there – and your suggestion sounds totally wrong to me. No, no, no – the moment as it is played is perfection.
At the end of the scene, when Harry Angel “comes back to himself” after the moment in the mirror – he looks around and the Devil is gone. We have already seen the Devil scoop up some keys from off the floor. Not sure why the Devil needs keys to get through the door – couldn’t he just … float through the wall or something?? But anyway … those keys are taken by the Devil, unseen by Angel. The line before the end of the scene has something to do with Epiphany Proudfoot – I can’t remember the exact line – voodoo maybe, something about Toots, the blues musician – but when Angell “comes to” out of his revelatory moment – and realizes that the devil has disappeared, he knows exactly where the Devil has gone. Angel’s keys are missing. The Devil took them and is off to “get” Epiphany, who is at Angel’s apartment. Angell, in a panic, runs to see if he can beat the Devil to Epiphany’s. He is still enough torn between the two selves – he has not remembered 100% yet, he can remember him”self” still – he is not Johnny Favorite completely yet (that will be saved for the chilling final shot in the elevator – when we see that it is not our shlubby rumbly detective “going down”, but a cold-eyed killer going down) – but in that moment of running down the street, Angel can still remember who he was … he still feels that he knows who he is … and it all becomes horribly clear: Epiphany was his daughter. He must try to save her.
Hence: the running down the street.
So obviously we see that moment differently.
Marlon Brando isn’t a sacred cow to me. I like to fantasize about pairing him up with other actors I love. I’d put Jeff Bridges toe to toe with him, too. Any day of the week. Nick Nolte. Early Russell Crowe. And Rourke. I cast things in my mind for these guys. I’d love to see them all pair up and duke it out for the spotlight!
If what I wrote reads or sounds subjective it might be because I kind of pigeon holed myself into using the scenes you mentioned to try and define the kind of moment I was referring to.
The scenes as played out are logical to the indivual moments and Rourke gives us corresponding thoughts, emotions and actions for those, and does it very well, fully. It is a linear kind of give and take action, and in that sense Rourke fills out the character in the best way. Its attractive, daring, engaging, all that. I wouldn’t wish for seeing anything more in that regard. I can watch that scene in The Pledge and be deeply moved, am. I can see it as a father myself and go to that “what if I lost own my daughter,” etc. All that. If I step out of that and look and ask, o.k. what is Rourke doing, as an actor, in that particular scene, how is he doing it, and what is this thing, this kind of moment I am referring to, how could it exist in this particular scene for Mickey Rourke… that is what I was trying to do. I don’t know if that counts as totally objective but that was the attempt. This kind of moment I have in mind is when an actor reveals the essence of both the character and the play (or in this case the movie) in a single moment. He/She gathers together the sum of circumstance and situation and executes an action, however simple, that puts behavior into the poetic realm. (Thats the flowery way to put it). Metaphore sometimes. They are playing the action of the character and the action of the play/movie at the same time. There are more ways to explain it, examples to give, but only at the risk of losing my eloquence (if I really have it, thank you) ad naseum (or whatever the phrase is) – or worse being completely boring with it.
Anyway, I don’t hold Brando as sacred cow either and I love your thoughts of casting actors together – fun to imagine what parts and who would be great together.
I might further mention that you have a little bit (or more) of the poetic sense in your writing – this Rourke piece for example combined past, present and future blended with your personal views and anticipation, knowledge, etc.
It sure as hell makes me want to see The Wrestler and look at Rourke’s work yet again.
So thank you very much.
MrG – actually, I think you are VERY eloquent – He/She gathers together the sum of circumstance and situation and executes an action, however simple, that puts behavior into the poetic realm. Yes. I know exactly the kind of thing you are talking about. To me, it is the finest kind of acting. Rare, rare, rare.
I guess I would just say that to my view Mickey Rourke, by the nature of his talent, can’t help but do that. In my view, he is always doing that. To me, it appears that he organically clicks into the material on that archtypal level, and that is how he MUST play it. It’s what makes him so raw. Like Brando, when the material is right – he becomes a vessel, an open channel for the intentions of the writer and the story.
We probably won’t ever agree on this about Rourke – and that’s cool, that’s only right – but I just wanted to say that your expression is, indeed, very eloquent. I just happen to think that Rourke is the perfect example of what you are talking about – head and shoulders above his contemporaries.
I believe I had some grandiose fantasy of casting Rourke as James Tyrone in Long Day’s Journey?? What am I, insane?
I would also like to see a Jeff Bridges circa NOW play James Tyrone with a Mickey Rourke circa 1985 playing Jamie.
Ah, the possiblities abound, if only I had a time machine.
And yes – the way I write always includes past/present/poetics … maybe it’s the Irish thing, I don’t know.
I have written other more straightforward pieces for House Next Door (my William Holden piece, for example), but this one I really wanted to talk about the doggedness and dedication of his FANS – and the only way I could do that was to go personal.
One of my biggest pet peeves is an overuse of the generalized word “we” in writing. I do it – sometimes it fits – but I really try to watch it.
Anyway, that’s neither here nor there. To me, Mickey Rourke the actor is all tied up in my own journey and growth as a person – and I decided to just acknowledge that, in order to make the piece stronger.
Ok casting in the “here and now” is one thing, or even “in the near future” casting. But this “time travel” casting is a whole ‘nother animal. yea, I think we (we in italics) are going to need auditions if that is the case.
Sheila – I would say we are usually only about 6 weeks behind. Which isn’t soooo bad I suppose it’s just when I read stuff (like your piece or I go on IMDb a lot) that it gets frustrating. But for example Revolutionary Road is only advertised for the 23 Jan. And it messes up my awards season because I have a sort of personal tradition to try and watch all the big contenders.
Sheila, this piece was so well done. I wanted to comment on it yesterday but just couldn’t say something as simple as “good job” because I was so overwhelmed — both by the piece and your and MrG’s subsequent conversation.
I don’t know when The Wrestler is going to see national distro, but I can’t wait.
Sheila – “my awards season” HA! I am such a loser! But I do get super excited for all the awards. I almost pitched a fit this year when (and last year come to think of it) one of our channels which shows the awards show didn’t broadcast the SAG awards. And Julie freakin’ Andrews was getting her lifetime Achievement award. Sent such a snotty note to them. I don’t think they cared though. I mean I wake up at like 3 in the morning to watch it live!
Cullen – ohhh, that is SUCH a nice comment. I am so so glad you got a lot out of it.
As a wrestling fan, I will be SO interested to hear your take on that whole aspect of it. I don’t know much about wrestling, so I can’t speak to it – but from my limited perspective I found it to be very respectful of their craft, but also honest about the struggle, the need to always “top” yourself which can lead to people hurting themselves irrevocably, the steroids, and all that – but also the LOVE of the fans and how these men really truly appreciate that love. The wrestlers themselves all come off looking like really nice sweet men.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
To my taste, it is certainly the best performance I’ve seen all year.
Hello Sheila, I just discovered your site and can tell I will be spending many visits here reading. Your writing is powerful and articulate…I’ve enjoyed every entry read so far and I am looking forward to more. Thank you for reminding me of Brad Davis as I’m sorry to say I had forgotten him and it was a pleasure to revisit my memory of his acting while I read your piece. I’ve also been a big Rourke fan since Body Heat and Diner. His performance in The Wrestler broke my heart. I’ve seen it three times now and each time I’ve viewed it I feel it even more. Mickey is able to reveal so much so subtly of his character that it really bears repeated viewings to fully absorb it. He truly is a genius in his craft.
Just a note in reference to the scene in Angel Heart that you describe where the barrier between Harry and Johnny Favorite is beginning to crumble. I haven’t had a chance to watch this movie again since the 80’s but I can’t forget this scene. Mickey nailed it.
Those were not keys that Harry dropped on the floor…they were the dog tags carrying the identity of the young soldier that Johnny Favorite sacrificed in the New York hotel room. The curtain separating Harry and Johnny is lifting and he has had glimpses of his true actions including the memory of Epihany screaming under him but not the complete memory of what had unfolded in the apartment with her. By the time he gets there to discover what he had done the police are there and have found the dog tags around Epiphany’s neck. It was devastating to see Harry melt away and the cold blooded killer emerge.
I just want to thank you for this site and I’ll be sending my friends here for a good read.
Great GREAT piece Sheila! Lord knows when The Wrestler is opening here in South Africa but I cannot wait!
By George, she’s done it again. Reading that piece I felt something deep inside me stir, ready for it’s own resurrection. Bitch, you can write!
Nice work! I appreciate being able to understand this movie in the context of his entire career – past, present and future – as you have outlined in the piece.
And speaking of past, present and future, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen Mickey Rourke, as a character, bring those all those facets and circumstances of a life together in a single moment and render it poetically – as the great ones have done. For example, as Brando did in the moment of “I could have been somebody.” He brought all the circumstances and events of his characters life, past, present and future together in that single moment in time and summed it up in a poetic fashion. (by way of comparison, most actors play out one single action of a character at a time with the most imediate given circumstances as the sole influencer. Its usually done with straight forward logic resulting from their previous actions.) I believe Mickey Rourke has the instincts for breaking up the logic of his characters actions, which makes him mysterious or interesting, but again, whether or not he can, or even has had the chance to develop a moment like “I could have been somebody” I don’t know. I guess that is what I am waiting for in his work.
I think we talked a little about this before and I think you mentioned some scenes where perhaps you thought he did accomplish something like that – so this might be a repeat. Maybe in happens in The Wrestler(?).
Sheila
How can anyone not want to go out and see everything Mickey Rourke after reading Gone Away, Come Back. But whether Mickey Rourke or insight on the first ten names in the phone book – you are a joy to read.
George – thank you so much – what an awesome compliment.
David – I’m so glad you finally got to read it. I’ve been dying holding all that shit back until it launched!!
MrG – I’m not sure if I agree with your statement there that he hasn’t had one of “those moments”. Have we discussed it before?? I can’t remember.
I think he does exactly what you describe in multiple roles – definitely in his 5 minute cameo in The Pledge – That performance is as eloquent a moment as I have ever seen. He has 5 minutes to create a man, a past, a grief, a loss, a hope – anger – he has to create a shell of a man yet who, at the slightest bit of hope, fills up again – and he nails it. You can almost sense Jack Nicholson backing up to get the hell out of the way of the great acting that is going on.
Same with the aforementioned “I know who I am” moment in Angel Heart. It’s some of the greatest acting I’ve ever seen – and it has in it torment, knowledge, the ripping away of denial, the pain … Angel Heart isn’t as great a movie as On the Waterfront, so that might have something to do with the fact that it hasn’t gotten widespread cultural iconic status – but that’s irrelevant, at least in terms of fulfilling the moment at hand. Jeff Bridges does some of the finest acting I have ever seen in my LIFE in The Fisher King and I would not call that a “great movie”. But he is so far and above pretty much anyone else that he elevates the material, he transcends, he makes it pulse with reality and pain and power. Rourke does the same thing (or did, in his best roles in the 80s)
And I also think Barfly is full of such moments. That whole performance is a piece of street poetry.
The last moment in The Wrestler – the final shot – is iconic in its scope and power. I still have not recovered from it. It is devastating. On a King Lear kind of level. There are a lot of painful scenes in the movie – but the closeup shot of Rourke in the final moment is as good as it gets, frankly. If that’s not capturing an entire life in a moment of emotion and poetry and power then I don’t know what is. I’d put him toe to toe with Brando any day.
So I think he DOES capture what you say … he is BORN to do such things, because he is not a vessel for a playwright, or a chameleon – his gift does not lie in characterization (not really), or mimicry. His gift lies in portraying the truth of whatever moment he is in. When the material is worthy of him – all anyone else can do is just get out of the damn way!!
I am SO looking forward (you have no idea, you all) to The Wrestler opening so that I can finally TALK ABOUT IT WITH PEOPLE.
Sheesh!!!
Nicola – How long do you normally have to wait???
My perspective is skewed on this matter because I live in New York and everything opens here first … I do remember the pain of NOT living in New York and feeling impatient for something to open whereever it was I lived.
argh. every time you write for this website you make me cry. stop it! what a great ending to that article. i truly hope this is his moment in the sun. i know oscar talk is all baloney but wouldn’t it be great if this movie were just impossible to ignore next year when voting happens?
Bren – it sure would be great. It’s just one of “those” performances – I’ll never forget it.
I live to make you cry!
(no, just kidding)
Hmmm. Well, let me preface this comment and then I’ll try to give a more specific example…if I can, based on the scenes you mentioned. The preface is that I think Rourke’s work is far, far, far better than most actors, and enthusiasm for his work should always run high. However, I’m not ready to put him toe to toe with Brando, for a couple of reasons, based on his past work (although you certainly have generated a renewed curiousity and interest in it). I might let him spar one round with Brando if he wears headgear though. Of course I haven’t seen The Wrestler so I reserve the right to change my mind about the toe to toe stuff at anytime.
The Pledge is outstanding and moving work. In fairness to Rourke though its just not enough time and narrative to capture one of the moments I’m referring to, so I can barely take myself seriously trying to use it as an example…but what the hell. The man we, as spectators, see in the smoking lounge from the first moment is what man get throughout – a man somewhere in his own adjusted world of having lost his daughter. In that world are all the things you mention, hope, anger, denial, pain, etc., and Rourke portrays it beautifully with his thoughts, his emotions. But he stays in that world. The closest he comes to the kind of specific action I am hoping for is when he says I was supposed to take care of her, and we almost see him getting out of that “comfortable” world of smoking and memories and almost start to “beat himself up” again. Almost, almost, almost. With a little more work we could have seen more precisely why he smokes and sits, moves or doesn’t move, looks or doesn’t look, reacts or doesn’t react to movement around him in the manner that he does – because to not be that way would be to ruin himself completely – to get out of that “comfortable” world would have been dangerous, deadly. It’s oh so close in the scene and the reason it’s missing probably has to do as much as with the direction of the scene as with Rourke’s work. My sense is that Rourke had genius in his conception of the scene that way but perhaps didn’t get to carry it off fully.
The Angel Heart scene you mention is equally well done and moving (Rourke’s work. DeNiro is a total bore in that scene). However, with that line you mention, “I know who I am,” he plays one single action throughtout that scene with it, even in it’s variance, and this is that sense of trying “to convince,” both himself and DeNiro. All good because he does it so well throughout, until the end when he is looking in the mirror and still doing it, but now with a little doubt. What he doesn’t do fully is capture all that, the exhaustion of the scene, the confusion, the doubt, those images in his mind, his life past, present and future, and turn it to a moment of complete realization of who he is or isn’t specifically. He is there looking in the mirror, meaning the chance is there, but it doesn’t happen. Instead I think they end up show him running down the street.
Like you say, its not the kind of movie that Waterfront was, and I don’t think DeNiro helped the scene at all so I’m not trying to hold Rourke to the impossible. I think he can turn one of those moments for sure, but I don’t think he has done it yet, or been given the chance.
Going to the “rawness” of himself he can do. Turning as an actor to different actions once he is there is what I haven’t seen fully.
MrG –
I disagree with every point you just made. You’re quite eloquent, but wrong (in my opinion). This is obviously a subjective matter – hence, my visceral response to your “suggestions” to Rourke, and your observations about what is missing (for you).
You seem to have an expectation (in regards to the Angel Heart mirror moment anyway) that something else should be happening in that moment, as opposed to the reality of what is actually happening. You think the moment needs to tell some OTHER story.
I don’t feel that way – although I relate to your thought process, and I have known that feeling myself with other performances, I feel, “Oh. That actor just missed that one by a mile”, or “it would have been so much more powerful if that actor did THIS instead of what he just did …” –
I do not feel that way about Angel Heart.
The moment is what the moment is – I don’t judge it for what it is NOT. You describe what you wanted, what you think should be there – and your suggestion sounds totally wrong to me. No, no, no – the moment as it is played is perfection.
At the end of the scene, when Harry Angel “comes back to himself” after the moment in the mirror – he looks around and the Devil is gone. We have already seen the Devil scoop up some keys from off the floor. Not sure why the Devil needs keys to get through the door – couldn’t he just … float through the wall or something?? But anyway … those keys are taken by the Devil, unseen by Angel. The line before the end of the scene has something to do with Epiphany Proudfoot – I can’t remember the exact line – voodoo maybe, something about Toots, the blues musician – but when Angell “comes to” out of his revelatory moment – and realizes that the devil has disappeared, he knows exactly where the Devil has gone. Angel’s keys are missing. The Devil took them and is off to “get” Epiphany, who is at Angel’s apartment. Angell, in a panic, runs to see if he can beat the Devil to Epiphany’s. He is still enough torn between the two selves – he has not remembered 100% yet, he can remember him”self” still – he is not Johnny Favorite completely yet (that will be saved for the chilling final shot in the elevator – when we see that it is not our shlubby rumbly detective “going down”, but a cold-eyed killer going down) – but in that moment of running down the street, Angel can still remember who he was … he still feels that he knows who he is … and it all becomes horribly clear: Epiphany was his daughter. He must try to save her.
Hence: the running down the street.
So obviously we see that moment differently.
Marlon Brando isn’t a sacred cow to me. I like to fantasize about pairing him up with other actors I love. I’d put Jeff Bridges toe to toe with him, too. Any day of the week. Nick Nolte. Early Russell Crowe. And Rourke. I cast things in my mind for these guys. I’d love to see them all pair up and duke it out for the spotlight!
David – when it comes time to put endorsements of my writing on my upcoming book – can I please use your quote, “Bitch, you can write”????
If what I wrote reads or sounds subjective it might be because I kind of pigeon holed myself into using the scenes you mentioned to try and define the kind of moment I was referring to.
The scenes as played out are logical to the indivual moments and Rourke gives us corresponding thoughts, emotions and actions for those, and does it very well, fully. It is a linear kind of give and take action, and in that sense Rourke fills out the character in the best way. Its attractive, daring, engaging, all that. I wouldn’t wish for seeing anything more in that regard. I can watch that scene in The Pledge and be deeply moved, am. I can see it as a father myself and go to that “what if I lost own my daughter,” etc. All that. If I step out of that and look and ask, o.k. what is Rourke doing, as an actor, in that particular scene, how is he doing it, and what is this thing, this kind of moment I am referring to, how could it exist in this particular scene for Mickey Rourke… that is what I was trying to do. I don’t know if that counts as totally objective but that was the attempt. This kind of moment I have in mind is when an actor reveals the essence of both the character and the play (or in this case the movie) in a single moment. He/She gathers together the sum of circumstance and situation and executes an action, however simple, that puts behavior into the poetic realm. (Thats the flowery way to put it). Metaphore sometimes. They are playing the action of the character and the action of the play/movie at the same time. There are more ways to explain it, examples to give, but only at the risk of losing my eloquence (if I really have it, thank you) ad naseum (or whatever the phrase is) – or worse being completely boring with it.
Anyway, I don’t hold Brando as sacred cow either and I love your thoughts of casting actors together – fun to imagine what parts and who would be great together.
I might further mention that you have a little bit (or more) of the poetic sense in your writing – this Rourke piece for example combined past, present and future blended with your personal views and anticipation, knowledge, etc.
It sure as hell makes me want to see The Wrestler and look at Rourke’s work yet again.
So thank you very much.
MrG – actually, I think you are VERY eloquent – He/She gathers together the sum of circumstance and situation and executes an action, however simple, that puts behavior into the poetic realm. Yes. I know exactly the kind of thing you are talking about. To me, it is the finest kind of acting. Rare, rare, rare.
I guess I would just say that to my view Mickey Rourke, by the nature of his talent, can’t help but do that. In my view, he is always doing that. To me, it appears that he organically clicks into the material on that archtypal level, and that is how he MUST play it. It’s what makes him so raw. Like Brando, when the material is right – he becomes a vessel, an open channel for the intentions of the writer and the story.
We probably won’t ever agree on this about Rourke – and that’s cool, that’s only right – but I just wanted to say that your expression is, indeed, very eloquent. I just happen to think that Rourke is the perfect example of what you are talking about – head and shoulders above his contemporaries.
I believe I had some grandiose fantasy of casting Rourke as James Tyrone in Long Day’s Journey?? What am I, insane?
I would also like to see a Jeff Bridges circa NOW play James Tyrone with a Mickey Rourke circa 1985 playing Jamie.
Ah, the possiblities abound, if only I had a time machine.
And yes – the way I write always includes past/present/poetics … maybe it’s the Irish thing, I don’t know.
I have written other more straightforward pieces for House Next Door (my William Holden piece, for example), but this one I really wanted to talk about the doggedness and dedication of his FANS – and the only way I could do that was to go personal.
One of my biggest pet peeves is an overuse of the generalized word “we” in writing. I do it – sometimes it fits – but I really try to watch it.
Anyway, that’s neither here nor there. To me, Mickey Rourke the actor is all tied up in my own journey and growth as a person – and I decided to just acknowledge that, in order to make the piece stronger.
Or how about a Jeff Bridges NOW playing James Tyrone with Mickey Rourke, circa 1985 as Jamie, and Marlon Brando, circa 1947 as Edmund?
Now THAT would be interesting.
I don’t know why I need all of my favorite actors to do Long Day’s Journey Into Night at the same time, but apparently I do.
And let’s have Gena Rowlands circa 1984 as Mary.
I adore my cast. When do rehearsals start?
Or we could switch it up.
Marlon Brando circa 1982 playing James Tyrone, and Marlon Brando circa 1952 playing Jamie Tyrone, and Jeff Bridges circa 1971 playing Edmund.
Welcome to how I wile away the hours.
Ok casting in the “here and now” is one thing, or even “in the near future” casting. But this “time travel” casting is a whole ‘nother animal. yea, I think we (we in italics) are going to need auditions if that is the case.
hahahaha “we in italics” Nice!!
I mean, come on, when will someone put Eleonora Duse and Donald Sutherland in a project together? When???
Or Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Reese Witherspoon, which I believe would be a match made in heaven.
Sheila – I would say we are usually only about 6 weeks behind. Which isn’t soooo bad I suppose it’s just when I read stuff (like your piece or I go on IMDb a lot) that it gets frustrating. But for example Revolutionary Road is only advertised for the 23 Jan. And it messes up my awards season because I have a sort of personal tradition to try and watch all the big contenders.
“it messes up my awards season”
Yes, I can totally see how it would!!
Dying to see Revolutionary Road. Just had a big conversation the other night with a friend about it – who adored the book.
Sheila, this piece was so well done. I wanted to comment on it yesterday but just couldn’t say something as simple as “good job” because I was so overwhelmed — both by the piece and your and MrG’s subsequent conversation.
I don’t know when The Wrestler is going to see national distro, but I can’t wait.
Sheila – “my awards season” HA! I am such a loser! But I do get super excited for all the awards. I almost pitched a fit this year when (and last year come to think of it) one of our channels which shows the awards show didn’t broadcast the SAG awards. And Julie freakin’ Andrews was getting her lifetime Achievement award. Sent such a snotty note to them. I don’t think they cared though. I mean I wake up at like 3 in the morning to watch it live!
Cullen – ohhh, that is SUCH a nice comment. I am so so glad you got a lot out of it.
As a wrestling fan, I will be SO interested to hear your take on that whole aspect of it. I don’t know much about wrestling, so I can’t speak to it – but from my limited perspective I found it to be very respectful of their craft, but also honest about the struggle, the need to always “top” yourself which can lead to people hurting themselves irrevocably, the steroids, and all that – but also the LOVE of the fans and how these men really truly appreciate that love. The wrestlers themselves all come off looking like really nice sweet men.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
To my taste, it is certainly the best performance I’ve seen all year.
Hello Sheila, I just discovered your site and can tell I will be spending many visits here reading. Your writing is powerful and articulate…I’ve enjoyed every entry read so far and I am looking forward to more. Thank you for reminding me of Brad Davis as I’m sorry to say I had forgotten him and it was a pleasure to revisit my memory of his acting while I read your piece. I’ve also been a big Rourke fan since Body Heat and Diner. His performance in The Wrestler broke my heart. I’ve seen it three times now and each time I’ve viewed it I feel it even more. Mickey is able to reveal so much so subtly of his character that it really bears repeated viewings to fully absorb it. He truly is a genius in his craft.
Just a note in reference to the scene in Angel Heart that you describe where the barrier between Harry and Johnny Favorite is beginning to crumble. I haven’t had a chance to watch this movie again since the 80’s but I can’t forget this scene. Mickey nailed it.
Those were not keys that Harry dropped on the floor…they were the dog tags carrying the identity of the young soldier that Johnny Favorite sacrificed in the New York hotel room. The curtain separating Harry and Johnny is lifting and he has had glimpses of his true actions including the memory of Epihany screaming under him but not the complete memory of what had unfolded in the apartment with her. By the time he gets there to discover what he had done the police are there and have found the dog tags around Epiphany’s neck. It was devastating to see Harry melt away and the cold blooded killer emerge.
I just want to thank you for this site and I’ll be sending my friends here for a good read.