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From The Manchurian Candidate<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Stockwell is barely in this one, has maybe 3 lines – but then a big ol’ closeup in that final scene (seen above), where his world crashes around him. That’s a star closeup. The camera has moved in on him slowly – it’s all in one unbroken take – but he saves the “money” intensity til the camera is closest. He’s modulating whats happening in him, holding back the good stuff – until he knows it can be seen. I love crap like that, obviously – it’s the unsung great moments of people just doing their job<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Stockwell doesn’t like a lot of things. He doesn’t like to rehearse, he doesn’t like to do research, he doesn’t like to talk about the scene beforehand – he doesn’t like a lot of talk. What he DOES like is to know what camera lens will be used, how the shot is set up, how the camera will move – and other technical issues – because he needs to know how he will fit in to all of THAT. He said that this has been the case since he was a little kid, and an old pro by the age of 9.<\/p>\n
On Gentleman’s Agreement<\/i> – when he was 8 years old – Elia Kazan, the director, came up to him before a big crying scene. Stockwell, as a kid, dreaded crying scenes. He would get a new script, and flip through it looking for any tears he would have to shed – and if there were tears, he would worry about it and dread it for the entire shoot. So he had to cry in Gentleman’s Agreement<\/i>. Kazan pulls him aside and starts giving him pointers, saying, “Maybe you should think about, you know, a puppy you loved who died … anything that makes you sad …” Stockwell, a CHILD, nodded at Kazan, whatever – easier just to agree with those who are so much LARGER than you. “Yeah, uh huh, I’ll think of a puppy, sure, dead puppy …” Then right before the scene, he rubbed his eyes as hard as he could for about a minute, until they were good and irritated and full of tears – and played the scene with the remnants of the tears in his eyes, that had NOTHING to do with emotion and everything to do with IRRITATED EYEBALLS.<\/p>\n
He’s the best thing in that movie, with John Garfield running a close second. Young Stockwell sure acts Gregory Peck off the screen. I like Gregory Peck, but he is a self-righteous wooden YAWN in Gentleman’s Agreement<\/i>. Yes, it’s how the part is written, but still, doesn’t make it any more watchable.<\/p>\n
It doesn’t matter whether or not Stockwell’s tears were “real”. If it seems like they are, to us, we will be moved.<\/p>\n
“Yeah, Kazan, dead puppy, whatevs … I know you’re Mr. Actors Studio Marlon Brando METHOD man, but I got my own method, pal, even though I’m EIGHT and I’ll just rub my eyeballs out of their sockets to get some good tears, mkay? ACTION!”<\/p>\n
Stockwell has said he didn’t know why “they” wanted him in Manchurian Candidate<\/i> – but I would imagine Demme (also director of Married to the Mob<\/i>) wanted to surround the main characters with a solid supporting cast of great character actors – to give the film weight, and reality – and you can see them everywhere (also, you can see a lot of Demme regulars, if you look closely) – like, Bill Irwin (wonderful actor) plays the Boy Scout troupe leader – he has 2 sentences of dialogue – that’s IT – he’s a glorified extra but he just NAILS it. Stockwell plays one of the big-wigs at Manchurian Global – whose entire life and career depends on Shaw being elected. He has propped up the campaigns of Eleanor Prentiss Shaw – she can pretty much thank the company personally for keeping her elected.<\/p>\n
Stockwell also has said that acting with Meryl Streep – being in a scene with her – was a revelation of just what a damn genius she really is.<\/p>\n
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From The Manchurian Candidate. Stockwell is barely in this one, has maybe 3 lines – but then a big ol’ closeup in that final scene (seen above), where his world crashes around him. That’s a star closeup. The camera has … Continue reading