In the obits for the recently-deceased John Vernon, everyone mentioned his role as Dean Wormer in Animal House. Almost no one, of course, mentioned his two finest roles — Maynard Boyle, the Reno-based mob guy in Don Siegel’s Charley Varrick (’73), and Mal Reese, Lee Marvin’s cowardly betrayer in John Boorman’s Point Blank (’67). There’s a transcendent moment in Varrick when Vernon, playing pool in a desert saloon, is called to the phone and told by small-time thief Varrick (Walter Matthau) that he wants to return a large amount of stolen mob money. Getting this dough back has been Vernon/Boyle’s obsession throughout the film, and when he hears it will be returned he delivers a beautiful little gesture with his hand. The gesture says, “Amazing! My life isn’t over, I won’t be killed by my mob associates…life can be beautiful!”
Day: February 5, 2005
Have the right-wing attacks against
Have the right-wing attacks against Million Dollar Baby (or the import of its ending, rather) given any kind of advantage to The Aviator? I am of the firm opinion that The Aviator has no chance to take the Best Picture Oscar…none. There is a slim chance that a last-minute surge of sympathy for Martin Scorsese (with everyone starting to realize that The Aviator is finished, and wanting to do something for poor Scorsese after all…despite the indications of Clint Eastwood’s DGA Best Director win) has begun to manifest….maybe. I’m attributing this development to last Tuesday’s release of the two-disc Raging Bull DVD.