Check out Megan's piece on Mulholland Books.We saw GET LOW last night with Robert Duvall. Great performance, but my favorite of his movies is THE GREAT SANTINI. In that film, Duvall created an iconic character, one who heads my list of "bad" fathers. But also a believable and complex character.
I went through the list at IMDB and he has made his share of bad movies but a lot of good ones too.
What's your favorite Robert Duvall movie?
34 comments:
There aer so many it's hard to pick one, starting with his first - Boo Radley in TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD.
I think if I had to pick one it might be Gus McCrae in the miniseries of LONESOME DOVE. Otherwise: TENDER MERCIES (his Oscar), THE GREAT SANTINI and THE APOSTLE.
Jeff M.
Patti - I have to agree that The Great Santini is a good movie. I also very much like Tender Mercies And the funny thing is, I didn't think I was going to...
As much as I want to say about his work in dramas (THE GREAT SANTINI is in fact GREAT), I too veer toward his work in westerns. LONESOME DOVE, BROKEN TRAIL, OPEN RANGE, and GERONIMO (his Al Sieber portrayal was a standout in that film). Thanks, patti.
The Godfather Part II.
I'm with Le0pard on the Western supporting roles. I love him in Open Range and, especially, Geronimo. He was fantastic in Crazy Heart last year as well.
He's also really good in supporting roles. He was about the best thing in the ridiculous DEEP IMPACT. And I'll second his work in Westerns. Whatever the role, Duvall always manages to come across as a real person.
On the other hand, I saw THE OUTFIT over the weekend. It should have been better.
I just watched The Godfather - Part 2 last night, and Duvall was great in that. Also, I truly enjoyed his performance in The Apostle.
Lots I haven't seen yet, so there's a few for the list.
He's one of those actors who elevates any movie.
I lean toward Westerns as well with LONESOME DOVE and OPEN RANGE my favorites. The APOSTLE was very good though.
Two for sure: TENDER MERCIES and LONESOME DOVE. Sometime everyone should watch his early film TOMORROW, in which he created the character Billy Bob Thornton ripped off for SLING BLADE.
Who can forget Duvall's classic performance in Apocalypse Now...
Well, William Faulkner created the character in TOMORROW...
So many good peformances that, rather like Fleur (whose post looks like something's missing in the middle), I tend to think of the film he most elevated by his performance...the professional version (vs. the student film) of THX-1138.
The best thing about him is his ability to bring credibility to any part he plays--in any genre. He is a cowboy, he is a gangster, he is a singer, he is a military man, he is a man in pain. Like Gene Hackman, you just can only help a movie by casting him.
I'm going to take your question to mean my favorite movies in which Duvall has appeared, and that makes for a pretty easy answer: "The Godfather", "The Godfather Part II", and "Apocalypse Now". None of the others really come close to these three. Picking his best performances would be much more difficult.
Colors. GF Part2.
I had completely forgotten COLORS. Good question--performance or movie. I guess the combo. He was great in the GF, but it was not his biggest part by any means. But maybe the best films overall.
Too many to list. LONESOME DOVE, OPEN RANGE, THE GREAT SANTINI, APOCALYPSE NOW, THE APOSTLE, COLORS, and I'll think of several more as soon as I'm done here. One of the truly great actors in movie history.
As a non-fan of APOCALYPSE NOW, he was one of the few saving graces for me. And yes, I can second Todd's recommendation of TOMORROW.
Jeff M.
One of my favorites is "A Family Thing" with James Earl Jones. Watching those two play off of each other is just amazing. The thing I love about Duvall is how he, the actor, disappears into a role. I see the characters he's playing not the star he is. That's a talent too few stars maintain through their careers.
Duvall's best role has to be in the mini-series LONESOME DOVE. It allowed him the extra time to really develop his character. Not just the usual couple hours in a film but several hours.
Brilliant novel and brilliant movie.
Also reminds me of Ed Harris in that way . . . I'd add his turn as Frank Burns in MASH (much scarier than the TV version), yeah Boo Rad, the G-father, Apocalypse-N "Charlie don't surf" diatribes; haven't seen Tender Mercies nor much of Lonesome Dove, for that matter. Great Santini is a strong contender.
I like him in everything he's in. I think some of his westerns would have to be my favorites. Loved in the Sackett TV movie.
Forgot MASH, altogether. I guess he's the greatest actor of his generation and no one seems turning up to outdo him in the next two.
Well, for me, he couldn't save COLORS...and I'd suggest there are others of his generation that can match him, but he's among the best. Hackman's surely another.
Who's up to him and his peers since? Hmm. I'll mull that. Duvall can be a bit broad, but the likes of Christian Bale are always broad, and don't even try to suggest hambones like Sean Penn or Johnny Depp. Hmm. Tim Robbins is solid, sometimes brilliant, in unobtrusive ways...hmm.
I'm in the "Godfather" and "Godfather, Part 2" camp.
I checked his filmography on IMDb, and that really is an impressive CV. While not my favorite movie of his, THE CHASE is one underrated movie, and he is great in it.
Question: has he ever done straight comedy?
GET LOW is a comedy.
No, a tragedy more like it.
Can't think of any comedy.
Really? Haven't seen GET LOW, but they sure are selling it as rustic humor. M*A*S*H, of course, was grim comedy...the television series actually better, for the first few seasons, if not as well-crafted.
A FAMILY THING, KICKING AND SCREAMING, and THANK YOU FOR SMOKING are mostly comedies...but no farce for for Duvall. I'm amused that his only HITCHCOCK PRESENTS was entitled "Bad Actor"...
Lots of great stuff for him, but my tastes are odd: I like his performance as Ned Pepper in True Grit, and his Watson in The Seven Per-Cent Solution. And I also like his Frank Burns in the original MASH.
Tom-I haven't seen those movies recently enough to remember his performance except for Frank Burns.
GET LOW has a few (very few) comic moments but it is pretty darn sad.
As for Todd Mason's question on who from later generations might compare to Duvall (or Hackman): what about Woody Harrelson? He certainly has the range.
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