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Tag Archives: Roaring Twenties
“A good director must be able to inspire whoever he was coaching so that the actor would live the scene. Make-believe must become reality.” — Raoul Walsh
It’s his birthday today. Raoul Wash directed a number of great films (in a career as vast as his, the names stick out), but one also thinks of the great PERFORMANCES in these great films, often from actors who were … Continue reading
Posted in Directors, Movies, On This Day
Tagged Ida Lupino, James Cagney, Raoul Walsh, Roaring Twenties, White Heat
4 Comments
Present Tense: Death Scenes
William Holden, “Sunset Boulevard” For my next “Present Tense” column at Film Comment, I wrote about a long-time obsession – which I have covered from time to time here on my site: Actors performing death scenes. And a tribute to … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Movies
Tagged Alfred Hitchcock, Billy Wilder, Bonnie and Clyde, Faye Dunaway, Francis Ford Coppola, James Cagney, Janet Leigh, Jensen Ackles, Marlon Brando, Meryl Streep, Present Tense, Raoul Walsh, Roaring Twenties, Shirley MacLaine, Sunset Boulevard, Supernatural, Vincente Minnelli, Warren Beatty, William Holden
6 Comments
“The Animal Died In A Slow and Amazed Way.”
Peter Bogdanovich, in his essay on James Cagney in Who the Hell’s in It: Conversations with Hollywood’s Legendary Actors, writes: One of the guests asked [Cagney] how he had developed his habit of physically drawn-out death scenes, probably the best … Continue reading
My 2 All-Time Favorite Cagney Moments:
— his death scene in The Roaring Twenties – he makes it into a tragic ballet – all in one long take. The way that guy moved! — the scene where he freaks out in prison about his mother dying … Continue reading
Speaking of William Holden’s Death Scene
(were we? Yes. We were.) … Here’s a post of 5 death scenes (on my new addiction – Matt Zoller Seitz’s blog) I found myself nodding in agreement at the inclusion of Sean Connery’s death in The Untouchables. I haven’t … Continue reading
James Cagney Appreciation Day
That picture, by the way, is from the unbelievable last scene of Roaring Twenties – the “big shot” moment. I thought it would be appropriate to post the excerpt that mentions how beautifully Cagney always did death scenes. Bogdonavich – … Continue reading