Discland
edited by Jonathan Doyle
Mafioso (The Criterion Collection, 3.18.2008) Nino Badalamenti is a supervisor in a car manufacturing plant who hasn't taken a vacation in over two years. On his way out the door to visit his beloved childhood hometown of Sicily -- with his blonde wife and daughters -- Nino is handed a package by his boss and asked to deliver it to a powerful and influential Sicilian gangster named Don Vincenzo. Once in Sicily, Nino has a hoot seeing friends and family, but his wife has trouble fitting in and is unfairly dismissed as a snob by Nino's family. Even more worrisome, Nino finds himself entangled in an intricate web of secret mafioso dealings and is eventually sent on an unexpectedly... elaborate errand. (continued)

Richard Widmark passes

Richard Widmark has departed after living a mostly full and rewarding life for 93 years. We should all be so fortunate. I know I'm supposed to say that his performance as Tommy Udo in Kiss of Death ('47) was his most memorable work. But I'll always enjoy three of his performances a bit more -- the Dauphin in Otto Preminger's Saint Joan, the hard-assed Colonel Lawson in Judgment in Nuremberg and his oily operator character in Against All Odds. Plus those run of 20th Century Fox films he made in the early '50s. Widmark was 15 years younger than the calendar year. He didn't break into films until in his early 30s.

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on March 26, 2008 at 12:01 PM

comment #1

Reedyb [TypeKey Profile Page] says ...

Don't forget Night and the City (He's an artist without an art) or Panic in the Streets.

Posted by Reedyb [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 26, 2008 12:29 PM

comment #2

T. S. Idiot [TypeKey Profile Page] says ...

An outstanding actor who never appeared in a truly great film, though Night and the City comes close. At his best playing morally compromised characters. My five favorite Widmark movies:
Night and the City
Yellow Sky
Road House
Panic in the Streets
When the Legends Die

Posted by T. S. Idiot [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 26, 2008 12:33 PM

comment #3

Arizona Joe [TypeKey Profile Page] says ...

I did not see "Kiss of Death" until about six months ago. It was outstanding, and shocking, wheeling the old lady down the stairs and all that.

Mr. Widmark was his own man, and a thoughtful guy. They don't make them like that anymore.

Posted by Arizona Joe [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 26, 2008 12:39 PM

comment #4

Pelham123 [TypeKey Profile Page] says ...

I recommend "The Bedford Incident".

Posted by Pelham123 [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 26, 2008 12:50 PM

comment #5

Scott Feinberg [TypeKey Profile Page] says ...

As I mention in a longer tribute to Widmark (http://andthewinneris.blog.com/2921645/), who I was supposed to interview next month, I believe his finest film may actually have been Samuel Fuller's "Pickup on South Street" (1953), although "Kiss of Death" (1947), "Panic in the Streets" and "Night and the City" (BOTH 1950!) are also some pretty terrific options.

Posted by Scott Feinberg [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 26, 2008 12:54 PM

comment #6

Scott Feinberg [TypeKey Profile Page] says ...

As I mention in a longer tribute to Widmark (http://andthewinneris.blog.com/2921645/), who I was supposed to interview next month, I believe his finest film may actually have been Samuel Fuller's "Pickup on South Street" (1953), although "Kiss of Death" (1947), "Panic in the Streets" and "Night and the City" (BOTH 1950!) are also some pretty terrific options.

Posted by Scott Feinberg [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 26, 2008 12:54 PM

comment #7

GlassFamily [TypeKey Profile Page] says ...

He is phenomenal in "Night and the City" and don't forget "Pickup on South Street," which is another really great performance.

Posted by GlassFamily [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 26, 2008 12:56 PM

comment #8

Edward [TypeKey Profile Page] says ...

An actor I'll never tire of. My condolences to his family.

Posted by Edward [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 26, 2008 01:48 PM

comment #9

goodvibe61 [TypeKey Profile Page] says ...

I just recently caught a screening of Night and the City up in Seattle at the SIFF Center, during their Noir fest.

It was really great stuff, and Widmark had a tremendous run of superior work in the 50's. He's one of my favorites. He'll be missed.

Posted by goodvibe61 [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 26, 2008 01:58 PM

comment #10

Chicago48 [TypeKey Profile Page] says ...

He deserved an honorary Oscar. There was a campaign to give him one, but the Academy passed him by.
Is Doris Day next? Just thinking here, that there are so many old-timers that need to be honored before they pass.

Posted by Chicago48 [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 26, 2008 01:58 PM

comment #11

cinefan [TypeKey Profile Page] says ...

Widmark was also memorable as the villain in Murder on the Orient Express. He was only in the film for a brief amount of time but he has a great scene at the beginning of the film with Albert Finney and I like the strong sense of arrogance and entitlement that the character has in abundance as played by Widmark.

Posted by cinefan [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 26, 2008 01:59 PM

comment #12

lazarus [TypeKey Profile Page] says ...

"Are you wavin' the flag at me?"

A ballsy line from a ballsy performance in a ballsy film. I don't know if Pickup From South Street was his best work, but it's what I thought of first.

And it's a a shame that he never received an honorary Oscar, lord knows the Academy has had many opportunities. Considering how few people are left from that era, they would have acknowledged him.

Posted by lazarus [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 26, 2008 02:18 PM

comment #13

Gaydos [TypeKey Profile Page] says ...

What does Widmark's passing signal? The absence of John Ford, Andre de Toth, Don Siegel, Delmer Daves, Sam Fuller, et al. Pardon me if I'm nostalgic for an American cinema that is long gone. Praise God for DVD, HD and otherwise!

Posted by Gaydos [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 26, 2008 02:19 PM

comment #14

Rich S. [TypeKey Profile Page] says ...

He was another of those tough guys with a toughness that didn't depend on his performance, makeup etc. It was simply there. He was even great in The Alamo, where he spent the whole movie on a cot.

Posted by Rich S. [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 26, 2008 02:23 PM

comment #15

Terry McCarty [TypeKey Profile Page] says ...

I'd add MADIGAN and DEATH OF A GUNFIGHTER to the list of films mentioned.

Posted by Terry McCarty [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 26, 2008 02:33 PM

comment #16

JohnCope [TypeKey Profile Page] says ...

Don't Bother to Knock (which was also one of Marilyn's most underrated pictures) and, yes, definitely Against All Odds (strangely I just heard the Phil Collins' title track while I was in the grocery store today and couldn't help but wonder if this was playing due to his passing).

His final perf in True Colors was also memorable.

Posted by JohnCope [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 26, 2008 02:36 PM

comment #17

BurmaShave [TypeKey Profile Page] says ...

PICKUP ON SOUTH STREET is a personal favorite. A true original.

Posted by BurmaShave [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 26, 2008 03:55 PM

comment #18

CinemaPhreek [TypeKey Profile Page] says ...

PICK-UP ON SOUTH STREET might be Widmark's best role - I'm still going through much of his other work, but it is arguably Sam Fuller's best work. And let's not forget Thelma Ritter's turn, which was Academy nominated (her 4th on the way to 6th)

Posted by CinemaPhreek [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 26, 2008 03:58 PM

Posted by racsluos [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 26, 2008 04:18 PM

comment #20

lipranzer [TypeKey Profile Page] says ...

I also like his work in PANIC IN THE STREETS and NO WAY OUT. Widmark may have been known for playing tough guys and bad guys (and in the latter, his character was especially vile), but he was also one of those actors who could play a decent man without making him boring, and he did so in the former.

Posted by lipranzer [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 26, 2008 04:41 PM

comment #21

JB Moore [TypeKey Profile Page] says ...

I'll fish a couple of beers out of the river and pour one out for him. One of the greatest ever. RIP, sir.

Posted by JB Moore [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 26, 2008 05:34 PM

comment #22

drillo cocco [TypeKey Profile Page] says ...

What a wonderful actor -- the sense of danger, the sheer charisma. One of the giants
RIP

Posted by drillo cocco [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 26, 2008 06:15 PM

comment #23

moviemaniac2002 [TypeKey Profile Page] says ...

I especially love what I conider the
unofficial "Widmark Vs.Poitier" trilogy..in which
Widmark and Sidney Poitier faced off portraying
the widest variety of adversaries two actors
have ever played...
Starting with "No Way Out" with Widmark's
psychotic, racist street thug tomrmenting
Poitier's saintly young intern....Then, years
later..on to the gloriously loopy-doopy "Long
Ships" with Widmark as a a wily conniving
Viking (!) crossing wits and swords with
a ruthless Moorish Prince (Poitier, trying to maintain his "Othello"-like dignity amid a cast
of roaring Hambones including Russ Tamblyn
and Oscar Homolka.
Finally, the best of them, the doomsday nukes
at sea thriller "The Bedord Incident" an odd
"Fail-Safe/Strangelove" hybrid with Widmark as
a nuclear-armed Ahab relentlessly searching
for his personal Moby - a russian sub. Poitier's
along for the ride as a journalist who, like everybody else in the cast, learns too late that
Widnark's single-minded quest has also infected
his crew.
Another Icon gone, also ignored by the
so-called "Motion Picture Academy". What a
shame , what a travesty. RIP, Mr. W.

Posted by moviemaniac2002 [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 26, 2008 06:33 PM

comment #24

atticusrex [TypeKey Profile Page] says ...

Widmark was very cool. Great voice and unusual style.

Pick-Up on South Street is my personal fave of his and I do love the underrated Roadhouse and that great song Ida Lupino sings.

His first film is also a standout and while yes he was nervy and crazy it also featured the best acting of Mr. Victor Mature's career.


Posted by atticusrex [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 26, 2008 07:08 PM

comment #25

renorambler [TypeKey Profile Page] says ...

I just watched Pickup on South Street with a friend over Oscar weekend. I was struck by how much fun he seemed to be having with that part. He'll be missed.

Posted by renorambler [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 26, 2008 07:29 PM

comment #26

K. Bowen [TypeKey Profile Page] says ...

PIckup on SOuth Street. Great stuff. Rest in Peace.

Posted by K. Bowen [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 26, 2008 08:42 PM

comment #27

nemo [TypeKey Profile Page] says ...

Road House has always been a personal favorite of mine, in part because it always seemed as if no one else had ever heard of it (obviously not true in this company).

The oblivious way Widmark acts as if he owns Ida Lupino, but also thinks he's charming the pants off her and everyone else he meets -- well, you hate him, but also pity the poor fool for not seeing what's coming.

And I can't believe Lupino's singing! Her range is not wide, but neither was Billie Holiday's. The expressive but depressive way Lupino delivers those songs fits her character's sense of entrapment and doom perfectly.

I'm glad to see Road House is out on DVD. I have an old VHS copy I sometimes pull out to amaze my friends. "You won't believe the picture you're about to see."

Bogart In a Lonely Place. How freaking bent Widmark could be in a lot of 40s film noir. The whole pre-Code era of the early 30s. Modern audience don't know what they're missing, how challenging the old movies could be.

Posted by nemo [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 26, 2008 09:40 PM

comment #28

nemo [TypeKey Profile Page] says ...

Oh yeah, The Bedford Incident! I'd love to see Widmark in that again.

WIdmark is a perfect stand-in for Bush and Cheney rampaging into Iraq. His stupid escalation of that incident!

The look on Poitier's face -- like the look on the American public's face in the last couple of years! -- when he finally realizes that Widmark has no backup plan, hasn't really thought ahead, is coasting on macho bluster, doesn't know what the hell he''s doing.

When Poitier finally realizes they're dead in the water, and Widmark has put them there.

Posted by nemo [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 26, 2008 09:49 PM

comment #29

Terry McCarty [TypeKey Profile Page] says ...

Speaking of JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG, here's a link to an article on the passing of Abby Mann:
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117982942.html?categoryid=13&cs=1&n...


Posted by Terry McCarty [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 27, 2008 01:50 AM

comment #30

T. S. Idiot [TypeKey Profile Page] says ...

Nemo: Where do you see that Road House is on DVD? I can't find it. Amazon says it's unavailable. A minor but very engaging noir, it and The Mask of Dimitrious, also not on DVD, are my favorites by the underrated Jean Negulesco.

Posted by T. S. Idiot [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 27, 2008 05:48 AM

comment #31

lionsfan [TypeKey Profile Page] says ...

Even in an otherwise innocuous-seeming westerrn like "Warlock" (which, however, has a much larger gay subtext than almost any other western save perhaps the hamhanded"Doc"), Widmark conveyed moral earnestness and commitment. Whether one agreed with his character's actions or not in most of his films, you sensed his belief in himself, and his core humanity.

And he had charm to spare. Enough to slide by as a scheming Viking in "The Long Ships" and as 'pal' one should never even think of breaking out of prison in "The Law and Jake Wade." Catlike physical grace, too.

Posted by lionsfan [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 27, 2008 09:19 AM

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