More to come – much more to say about this flawed yet lovely film – but for now.
Best friends in real life. They’d been best friends since the 1950s at this point. And here they are – Playing characters in a movie. Over 10 years before Frank Booth and “Ben” came together in Blue Velvet. The two of them had a VERY tough decade ahead of them at the time of the shooting of the film below – work drying up, nothing happening, careers stalled, serious drug addiction, financial strife, dead in the water. But for now: It’s 1974 (that’s when it was shot). They’re listening and talking. And enjoying each other – it’s wonderful to watch their dynamic. I could look at stills like this all day long.
They’re traveling – On the train. A real train – not a set. A moving train. With no “extras” – whoever was in the car, was also in the scene. It was that kind of shoot. So they’re going across the country. Listening to each other and talking to each other. Their faces.
There’s something so honest about it. They’re showing more than they’re telling. In every shot. It’s great.
Oops! Just Quantum Leaped – wrong movie. Same guys, next decade.
Moving back to the right movie now. Love this one below.
Hey Sheila,
For what it’s worth, I’ve been watching your Dean Stockwell, erm, fascination from afar, so I’m not really sure if you’re aware that he’s currently doing a fantastic job as a cylon on the new Battlestar Galactica. If you haven’t already checked it out, you might find it interesting. The whole series is an amazing, character-driven piece of work, but his role, while admittedly somewhat small, is integral to the whole. He really pulls it off.
It’s a big series, and a big time investment, but it’s so worth it.
Kathy – yes, I’ve heard MUCH about his BSG cameo – although I haven’t watched the show (I am without a television right now in my life). It’s on my Netflix queue – the whole series – and I’m psyched to catch up with the rest of the universe. The few clips I’ve seen on the show have really impressed me.
But it was neat, how it seems like so many audience members were happy to “see” Stockwell when he showed up. On a lot of the sites I read, people were like, “Hey! There’s that guy from Quantum Leap!”
I can understand why people were happy to see him show up. I wasn’t expecting him, but in the context of his character(s), he’s perfect for it. It just fits. Casting genius.
You’ve got plenty of time to catch up. The next season doesn’t start until next spring and the rest of us are dying in the meanwhile. They left us hanging BIG TIME. You’ll be begging for the SciFi channel by then. ;)
KATHY – I just love how passionate the fans of that show are. My television situation has been spotty, to say the least, so I get a lot of stuff on DVD after it comes out …. or I mooch off my friends. hahaha
But I am very psyched to catch up. Stockwell – who is now 70 – living comfortably in Taos, NM – loves the job – I’ve read interviews with him where he’s like, “I come in, I do my thing, I’m out in 2 days … I get a nice check and then I’m back up on my mountaintop where I’m happiest.” Something like that. Its just the job you want when you’re that age. He said that he hadn’t seen ANY of the show when he filmed the first episode – even though he’s a big sci-fi fan … but he was so impressed with the writing – it gave him a lot to latch onto.
What can I say. He’s my favorite actor right now. :)
What’s weird about the fans is that a lot of us have come into it completely by accident. As in, the husband started watching, but I refused to desecrate the spirit of Dirk Benedict, Starbuck is not a chick, etc., and yet, somehow, I got sucked in. Many people have similar tales of woe. ;) I mean, I had dreams about Chief (the guy who’s in charge of Viper maintenance) right after I was diagnosed—and I never have dreams about anything tee vee or movie related. You get into it.
You’ll really enjoy it. And then you’ll be stuck with the rest of us, waiting for new episodes. Supposedly this is going to be the last season, too, which sucks, but there are rumors of a spin-off, thankfully.
Have fun with it! ;)
Riffing on a theme here, Kathy – I wasnt real sure about a female Starbuck either…who could replace Dirk Benedict?!!…but man, have you seen how frighteningly SIMILAR she is to Benedict, just physically? OMG…she could be his daughter! And plus, I really think she pulls off the toughness without being cliche. That was one thing I really liked about the new BSG.
And I had the same reaction to Stockwell’s appearance in the show – I was glad to see him to, although he plays a truly evil Cylon.
You’re so right, Sharon, she IS similar to Dirk! I’ve noticed that, too. Maybe that’s helped her win me over. I dunno. At first I thought she was just playing it for the machismo props angle, but over time, that aspect just highlights her vulnerabilities much, much more. As much as I hate to say it (and do I ever hate to say it, because the nine-year-old with a massive crush on Dirk hates me for it) she’s taken Starbuck to a place he never could, even if the writing in the original series had been up to par.