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

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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

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“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

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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

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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

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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

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