Stockwell and Sting

Because I must.

Because it pleases me.


“hmmmm. let me contemplate that completely incomprehensible thing you just said.”

dune3.jpg

“Your blood-pressure has sky-rocketed, my lord. I suggest you eat more leafy greens, and stay away from giant undulating worms.”

dune4.jpg

I don’t care about the creepy ‘stache and the phony tattoo. Dude is hot, and that’s all I’m saying. The hot-ness comes from what he looks like, certainly – at least, in my opinion – but also that intensity he has. So. Dude? You’re hot. Point that “oooh, are your eyeballs REALLY blue or have you been medically tampered with?” gun at me.

dune8.jpg

“I am an intergalactic surgeon/healer. I am also quite troubled. Because I have no idea what I’m doing right now in this scene.”

dune15.jpg

(Actually, I did like that scene – where he sees the “message” embedded in the dead man. I liked that X-ray type machine. Etc. But again. What was the message? I just saw the movie, and I have no idea. But I DO know that the doctor was upset about it.)

“Duke! I must warn you! About what, I’m not sure! But I am FILLED with a sense of vague DOOM! So here’s a poison tooth. I will put it in your mouth. Bite down on it when you meet the enemy.”

dune20.jpg

(And no matter what: I love Stockwell’s intensity – which is almost over-the-top but not quite. Acting is all about stakes. Your stakes should always – ALWAYS – be high. Not just in a serious drama, but in anything. The stakes are high in Bringing Up Baby – that’s why it’s so funny. What I like about Dean Stockwell is that he intuitively understands this. Many actors don’t. They rely on their own charm or charisma or talent … and forget about the stakes. The good actors NEVER forget the stakes. So here he is – and his stakes are incredibly high. And they seem real – even if the situation is incomprehensible to the audience.)

Once upon a time, I had a huge crush on Sting. And now I have a huge crush on Dean Stockwell. So I found this below scene incredibly erotic, I don’t mind saying. Sting rough-housing Stockwell? Forcing something into Stockwell’s mouth? Have I died and gone to heaven? (Obviously I did not understand the movie if THIS was my focus.)

dune26.jpg

dune27.jpg

Part of the same scene. Sting is holding his hand over the Emperor’s mouth (or was he a Duke? Whatever. Doesn’t matter.) – and holding his nose closed … and Dr. Yeuh is forced to look on. It’s upsetting for him. In this particular closeup – he reminded me a lot of my acting teacher, Sam. It has to do with “talent” – and not having to work too hard to access your own life. Not having to turn yourself inside out as an actor to get to an emotion. There are some people who just “have it” – meaning: their emotions are accessible. Naturally. Dean Stockwell is one of those people (he’s talked about it quite a bit, too – how he works, etc.) This scene is a perfect example. What was going on with him in this close-up – the tears, the grief – was real. I felt it was real, anyway, and that’s all that matters. Sam, my teacher, is also an actor – and I’ve seen him do stuff – from television, to plays, to readings – and when the moment comes for him to “access” that stuff, it is right there for him. It pulsates with reality. He’s the kind of person who can just give an internal command: “Go deep now. Let it out.” and out it comes. It’s marvelous to watch. And that’s what I thought of when I watched Stockwell break down in this one scene.

dune23.jpg

This entry was posted in Movies and tagged , . Bookmark the permalink.

11 Responses to Stockwell and Sting

  1. Kate says:

    Good for you.

  2. red says:

    Miss Havisham can suck it.

  3. Marisa says:

    I’m a Dune fan… I don’t see how anyone who hasn’t read the book could make heads or tails of the film. But I’m very glad you enjoyed Stockwell’s performance in it.

    The character is so tragic and complex and he just nailed it. Perfect casting. The man is struggling with deep moral conflict at all times. He’s supposed to be a genuinely good man who has been forced to do terrible things …And he has very little screentime to communicate how he feels for his wife and you are left completely understanding him. LOVED him as Yueh.

    Incidentally – have you SEEN the promo images for Dune on imdb? I can’t decide if this or this is funnier.

  4. red says:

    yeah, that Kyle one is super-funny. Look at the shirt – it’s so Flashdance!

  5. red says:

    Marisa – and I agree with you – Yueh has that one line, where he says, “My wife … Oh, but you didn’t know my wife.” And that’s all Stockwell has in the script to convey to us that this man was destroyed by the loss of his wife. And he does it.

    It’s fun to see Patrick Stewart too in his small part!

  6. Marisa says:

    He was! It was really a pretty impressive cast on the whole – and spot on casting, if you are familiar with the characters from the book – which is pretty wild. I mean, it’s this wacked-out David Lynch operatic sci-fi epic that no one could make any sense of and the cast includes Dean Stockwell, Patric Stewart, José Ferrer, Virginia Madsen, Linda Hunt (who was also really really good in this – as she always is) and Max Von Sydow. Wild.

    Also – wierd thing – a very young Alicia Witt plays Paul Atreides’ little sister. While I know she has done oodles of other work, I cannot watch Dune now without thinking “omygawd it’s ‘Cybil’s’ daughter!”

  7. red says:

    I love Linda Hunt too! And it took me a while to even realize that that was Virginia Madsen.

  8. Kate P says:

    Another Sting crush person! I had a crush on him all through high school and college. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to follow “Dune” but maybe if my focus turns out like yours (Dean! Sting!) it would be rewarding enough, ha ha.

  9. red says:

    Kate – oh yes my crush on Sting was apocalyptic!! The good thing about Dune is that you get to see him almost naked – and he’s got this scary 6 pack ab action – he looks like an evil cherub. Sadly, though, he is not in it enough.

    Now if you had a crush on Kyle Maclachlan – you’d get to see a bunch of him!!

  10. tracey says:

    Now, see, I feel like I understand the movie a lot better after this. So much better than actually watching the movie — which I remember as a huh-YOOGE bore.

  11. Marisa says:

    Well, the problem is that the film is based on a book that A) has multiple characters with tons of inner dialog and B) has whole sections that explain the history behind a character or the character’s profession or sect or political machinations or whatever. I think it’s near impossible to translate a book to film in which there is twice as much going on that is never said out loud as there is actual action.

    The mini series that came out a few years ago (with William Hurt. I also love William Hurt. I’ll watch him do anything on screen. He can just sit around smoking a cigarette or tie his shoes and I am just happy watching him sit there.) is much easier to understand while far less true to the book. Because you can either make sense to a viewer or you can be faithful to the text. You can’t be both. ;)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.