Sidney Lumet:
Sometimes the relationship between actors and writers gets very testy indeed. As the director, I have to be very careful here. I need them both. Most writers hate actors. And yet stars are the keys to getting a picture approved by a studio. Some directors have enormous power, but nobody has the power of one of the top stars. If the star demands it, any studio will drop the writer in less than thirty seconds — and the director too, for that matter. Most of the time, I’ve done enough work ahead of time so that this sort of crisis never arises. I’ll come to an agreement with the writer before an actor has been approached, and I’ll usually have a thorough discussion with the star about the script before we decide to go ahead.
These experiences vary. Most actors, despite Hitchcock’s pronouncement, are very bright. Some are superb on script. Sean Connery, Dustin Hoffman, Jane Fonda, Paul Newman are wonderfully helpful. One can gain a lot by listening to them.
Pacino isn’t terrifically articulate, but he’s got a built-in sense of the truth. If a scene or a line bothers him, I pay attention. He’s probably right.
“Sean Connery, Dustin Hoffman, Jane Fonda, Paul Newman are wonderfully helfup.”
I hate it when they assume we all speak Yiddish.
BWAHAHAHA shit, man. I’m a bit manic. I’ll change it now.
HAHAHA
“Pacino isn’t terrifically articulate” *ahem*
There was a time when I would have been surprised at that.. I mean, Pacino?.. Al Pacino?
But I’ve seen Looking for Richard
Good/interesting though it is… Al does not come across as articulate.
I just changed that mistake – you read my mind. I’m having a manic episode right now and cannot be counted on to be accurate. Or accurte. Whatever.
No, the guy is not articulate. And to be honest, I’m a bit sick of his schtick. He is great, don’t get me wrong, I LOVE the guy – but his schtick is getting old. By that I mean:
— I speak with quiet intensity, clipping off the consonants in a staccato way, and then suddenly, “unpredictably”, I START TO SHOUT.
I mean, it’s powerful, sure, but it’s schtick nonetheless, and he does it too often now. Just saw the preview for Merchant of Venice and it was all about that: i speak low and intensely AND NOW I AM SCREAMING
It is schtick.. and I’m not sure why he keeps repeating it.
In Looking for Richard he seemed so out of his depth.. that seems harsh written down.. but I got the impression of someone who loved the play itself.. but wasn’t able to tell himself, never mind anyone else, why.
I mean, where’s Serpico? Where’s the quiet intensity I remember throughout that film? Or am I just mis-remembering?
And the reviews I’ve seen have been very mixed for Merchant of Venice.