Thinking of Joanne Woodward today.
By the way, the LA Times Carina Chocano has a lovely piece about Newman titled, “Paul Newman Wielded His Beauty Like a Craftsman”
That he did.
Thinking of Joanne Woodward today.
By the way, the LA Times Carina Chocano has a lovely piece about Newman titled, “Paul Newman Wielded His Beauty Like a Craftsman”
That he did.
A good guy. A good life.
Wow! Our world is a little more empty without Paul Newman.
From the time I was a kid, and everyone in the neighborhood had to see “Somebody Up there Likes Me” because all us young hoods could relate. Then as a teenager everyone identified with “The Hustler” and acted like Fast Eddie at the local pool halls. “Cool Hand Luke” and “Hud” spoke of the way we felt as young adults, and then as an older adult, and cynical, having felt the slings and arrows of life by then, was renewed in my faith in humankind’s ability to do the right thing, inspired by Paul Newman in his (my opinion) greatest role of all as the washed up (but one time brilliant and ambitious),alcoholic, ambulance chaser lawyer, Frank Galvin in “The Verdict”
RIP Paul Newman
Newman’s performance as Frank Galvin, from a script by David Mamet, is one for the ages, a distillation of all the characters he created to fit his on-screen persona. Galvin is the rebel in winter, peering into his empty bourbon bottle and muttering “Is that all there is?” A truly remarkable turn.
Absolutely remarkable.
Here’s a link to Newman’s closing arguments in “The Verdict.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBD6FxrtJN0
I’d forgotten it was Mamet who wrote it. Thanks for the reminder. It’s such very, very good writing in addition to the stunning performance by Newman.
That’s what I’m talking about. Frank Galvin, not unlike Newman himself after the tragic loss of his son Scott, realized that the only road to salvation and redemption was to take on a social cause, affect some kind of change on this planet, otherwise what is a man’s life worth? “The Verdict” will long stand as a celluloid testament to Newman’s acting prowess and deep progressive concerns.