Robert Mitchum has the amazing ability to play all sorts of roles while still maintaining his Mitchumness. This is one of my favorites. He lets Jean Simmons take on the evil role and yet we never quite believe he is her dupe. Love it.
What is your favorite Mitchum part?
28 comments:
Can't say if I've seen this film. Although not one of my favourites, I remember Robert Mitchum in "The Angry Hills," the war film based on a crisply written novel by Leon Uris.
THE RED PONY and THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER.
I never saw this one.
OUT OF THE PAST
THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER
THUNDER ROAD (I couldn't resist)
Jeff M.
THE SUNDOWNERS and HEAVEN KNOWS, MR. ALLISON
And I love A HOLIDAY AFFAIR.
Night of the Hunter and Eddie Coyle are amazing.
I also really liked when he played Marlowe on Saturday Night Live and everyone else in the sketch could hear his narration.
THE SUNDOWNERS is terrific, Sandra.
"His Mitchumness." I love it! In his memoir Frank Langella said that Mitchum's greatest strength was his ability to stand there on camera "and just be."
I might have to change to THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE. What a career.
Yes, Al. He could do that perfectly and yet the workings of his brain were also apparent. He inhabited every role like it was written for him. Even the romantic parts.
My favorite Robert Mitchum movie is probably due to the circumstances under which I saw it. When I was a kid, my dad took me to see HEAVEN KNOWS, MR. ALLISON, and -- although the picture doesn't represent his finest performance (and the picture isn't quite that good, I say, having seen it again some 50 years later) -- I have a soft spot in my heart for it.
I haven't seen NIGHT OF THE HUNTER but OUT OF THE PAST is my favorite. FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE was terrific but that was more of an ensemble piece.
I think we all have a soft spot for Mr. Allison. OUT OF THE PAST is in the top three for sure.
NOT AS A STRANGER was one of the first of his movies I saw. Gloria Grahame always was one of the best femme fatales. And who could play the good wife better than Olivia DeHaviland.
Perhaps Anzio, or Winds of War...FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE is probably the best.
Hands down it has to be NIGHT OF THE HUNTER. A bravura performance.
No one mentioned CAPE FEAR -- that comes a clsoe second for me. Iprefer him in his brute incarnation than his softer side like what he does in ANGEL FACE and UNDERCURRENT.
Patti, I love love love Gloria Grahame in anything, even Ado Annie in OKLAHOMA. I loved her opposite Dick Powell in THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL.
Jeff M.
I first remember him as Eddie Coyle, but loved Sundowners and his softer roles. He had a great small part as a soldier in the underrated THE STORY OF G.I. JOE which is hard to see these days; sometimes Turner Classics plays it.
I'll give THUNDER ROAD a little love.
Out of the Past (1947)! I also adore Holiday Affair, River of No Return and The Friends of Eddie Coyle.
Out of the Past would be first but here's a vote for two flawed but enjoyable films:
His Kind of Woman
Villa Rides
Cape fear
He's pretty much always great but Night of the Hunter comes to mind, for sure.
THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE, because it was such an un-Mitchum part, playing the beaten-down loser. I read he was to be cast in the Peter Boyle role and asked to be Eddie instead. Well played, sir.
One that doesn't get mentioned is THE LONGEST DAY. A large ensemble cast, epic spectacular movie, but his portrayal of Genera; Cota was non only memorable, but fit perfectly with my image of Cota from multiple reads of the book. To me, the best line in the movie is Mitchum's, at the end: "Run me up the hill, son." Not much of a line, but perfect in its context, an delivered to perfection.
ANGEL FACE. I love that movie and Mitchum is great in it. I have a copy of a couple Hopalong Cassidy movies where he appears as a villain. So much talent and screen presence; he just walks away with them.
NIGHT OF THE HUNTER & CAPE FEAR. A tie.
Night of the Hunter, Friends of Eddie Coyle and Cape Fear.
Already mentioned but I still go with "Out of the Past" and "Heaven Knows Mr. Allison."
Deb
Out of The Past, Holiday Affair and Night of The Hunter
All of the above, and I'd add River of No Return. Glad Thomas mentioned Story of G.I. Joe.
I just heard a Boston journalist on NPR evaluating Boston accents in movies. It's a difficult accent to acquire (I'm good at accents, and I can't get it right.) His verdict was that Mitchum in THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE was the best he had ever heard.
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