I'm reading a book right now entitled Hellraisers: The Inebriated Life and Times of Richard Burton, Peter O'Toole, Richard Harris & Oliver Reed, and it's lead me to realize that I have never seen a Richard Burton film, and have really only seen O'Toole, Harris, and Reed in more modern things. I don't remember Camelot (Harris) or Oliver! (Reed). The only thing I can think of having seen w/O'Toole in it is Stardust, although someday we'll get around to Lawrence of Arabia. I love Harris and Reed in Gladiator, and truthfully, I have loved Reed ever since, and only because of, Black Arrow, which is lamentably unavailable on DVD. WTF, Disney??
All of this is just to comment on my increasing commitment to movie geekdom. In the last year or so I read a Gene Kelly bio and a Judy Garland one, and have plans to read one on Chaplin at some point ... Hollywood's fascinating. I think we forget that the antics of the obnoxious celebutantes and crazy actors of today is truthfully nothing new. Seriously, read Hellraisers and you'll realize that today's gang is pretty tame by comparison. The writing's kind of a mess, but it's terribly entertaining.
At any rate, I've now added Becket, Cleopatra, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? to the old Netflix queue ... Camelot's already on it, as is A Lion in Winter and Oliver!. Fun times ahead! Any recommendations to add?
Oh, WAOVW is very, very good. Kind of uncomfortable at times because of all the bickering, but it's an amazing script and performance. Burton also did a Hamlet that's supposed to be good, though I don't think I've seen it. I think all his Shakespeare work is revered. Also good Burton: Night of the Iguana, and a bunch of war movies you're probably not too interested in :)
ReplyDeleteI don't know O'Toole that well either, besides more modern stuff. But yes, Lawrence of Arabia FTW! See it on the biggest screen you can find. Truly epic.
Harris: A Man Called Horse, Mutiny on the Bounty, and Camelot are the only ones I know well. Maybe Guns of Navarone? Another war movie but lots of good actors (Gregory Peck, David Niven)
Reed: Wow, I know the name but have seen very little of his work.
You're the second person to rec Night of the Iguana, so I'll have to add that one. Vaguely interested in Mutiny on the Bounty, having seen the earlier Gable version...
ReplyDeleteOliver Reed is awesome. Again, I've seen him in barely anything, but I totally love him.
Lawrence of Arabia is a visually radiant film. And TCM plays it a lot.
ReplyDeleteI like Mutiny. But then I like stranding people I dislike on desert islands....
Speaking of rogues in hollywood, Erol Flynn has an autobiography. I only read a part of it where he relates how debt collectors took everything, incl. the wife's clothes, and how he never really regretted the crazy life that lead to that.
Lawrence of Arabia is really high on The List, so when I say we'll get around to it someday, I mean when we've watched #s 54 down to 6. :) We should get on that...
ReplyDeleteI've never seen an Errol Flynn movie, either. Suppose I ought to remedy that at some point...