The sound on this clip is weak, but the words that Laurence Olivier spoke when he accepted his Lifetime Achievement Oscar in 1979 — classy, precisely described and deeply felt, his emotional pores wide open — has never left my memory. I also vividly recall Jon Voight putting his hand to his head and going “whoa!” after Olivier finished. That’s something only an open-hearted liberal does. Voight, as we all know, has let that part of himself go.

February 20, 2009by Jeffrey Wells32 Comments