‘The Last Movie Stars,’ Ethan Hawke’s terrific 6-part study of the lives, films and families of Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, is irresistible to anyone who loves movies and/or these 2 Oscar- winning, revered actors. As I understand it, Hawke was approached by CNN who had gotten the rights to a trove of interviews Newman had initiated in the late ‘60s for a memoir. Those reminiscing included the couple’s close friend writer Gore Vidal, actor Karl Malden, director Elia Kazan. All were unusually frank but Newman abandoned the project and burned the videos. Luckily his producer had transcripts of all the interviews and Hawke lets us hear them as read by his famous friends, including George Clooney for Newman, Laura Linney for Woodward.
What emerges in a project initiated by the couple’s daughters is the surprising depth covered over their half century together. We hear from Newman’s first wife, Jackie McDonald. He left her shortly after the birth to their 3rd child to marry Woodward. He says Woodward, whom he met in the Broadway production of ‘Picnic,’ opened an entirely new sexual dimension to his life. She became a star before he did, winning a Best Actress Oscar. But as so often happens in ‘A Star Is Born’ Hollywood, as her career faded in the early ‘60s and she tended to their 3 daughters, his soared with hits like ‘The Hustler,’ ‘Hud’ and ‘Cool Hand Luke.’ We see the couple appear frequently on TV interview shows – it seems like an entirely different time when candid conversation ruled – and of course in movie clips, at work, in home movies.
Hawke, whose own celebrity union with Uma Thurman is never mentioned (although their daughter Maya, an actor, is here), examines the stresses on their marriage beyond the He’s wanted, She isn’t film life. He was a functioning alcoholic. He’d miss Christmas dinner because he’d passed out. They both had affairs. As she was taking care of the kids, the only work she could get was opposite her husband. The clips, from films, appearances and newsreels, are extraordinary in the way Hawke coordinates them to echo or reflect what the interviews are saying or discussing.
As the hours continue, it’s apparent Hawke favors the empathetic Woodward over the remote Newman. Hawke frequently airs all 5 daughters’ insights. It’s especially touching, tragic even, to hear about the never-ending problems with his only son Scott Newman who in 1978 OD’d. He was 28. Scott, the first born, we hear was an especially sensitive child, damaged when his father abandoned the family. Woodward, we learn, was a ferocious maternal figure to all 6 children. But Newman, aloof as ever, could never connect with Scott who began acting out at 12 sniffing glue. There was rehab, car crashes, more rehab. With his dad famously taking up car racing at 47, we see Scott on a TV show, introduced only as Newman’s son. He gets into a car and does a stunt that entails ‘flying’ up a ramp and over a dozen parked cars to crash and emerge intact. It’s pretty humiliating with a palpable sense of desperation.
As Newman’s career continued with lightweight vehicles where he seemed mostly disengaged, a change came with Sidney Lumet’s Boston-set ‘The Verdict.’ Not mentioned is that Robert Redford, a loyal friend to Newman since ‘Butch and Sundance,’ reportedly exited the movie just weeks before location filming was to begin because he decided he didn’t want to play a drunk. Newman being a drunk had no problem playing one. Lumet was known for his theater-inspired filmmaking method. He would rehearse his actors like a play for 2 weeks. They would be off script, lines memorized, in a room with precise blocking outlined in chalk. Once filming breezily began, Lumet would nearly always wrap days early. Only at the start of ‘Verdict’ Newman wasn’t ‘off book’ and Lumet felt he was phoning it in. So on a Friday he frankly told his star exactly that. Newman arrived on set Monday fully recharged and giving a performance that won him yet another Oscar nomination and universal praise.
There were other late-life triumphs. Newman and Woodward last teamed with Merchant Ivory on a beautifully low-key character study ‘Mr. and Mrs. Bridge.’ They did roundtable interviews with print press in Kansas City, Missouri, where they filmed. Both were exceedingly charming; you felt you were in the presence of living legends. At the Plaza Hotel’s opening night party for ‘Nobody’s Fool’ (another Best Actor Oscar nomination) I remember how surprised I was to see Newman, like the happiest kid in the world as he stood next to me greeting friends, beer in hand (of course), surprised and happy to say, ‘They really seem to like it!’ There was so much to like.
We read in a postscript that in 2007 Newman was diagnosed with terminal cancer and given less than a year to live. Just days later Woodward was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Paul Newman died in 2008. He was 83. Woodward is still with us, if only physically. ‘The Last Movie Stars’ streams on HBO Max.
NEW DVDs:
CLASSIC & BEYOND AWESOME Easily my singular favorite Stanley Kubrick film, the 1956 racetrack heist thriller ‘The Killing’ (4K HD, KL Studio Classics, Not Rated) ranks among the greatest Fifties’ noirs, right alongside John Huston’s 1950 crime caper ‘The Asphalt Jungle.’ This brand new 4K HD master, from a scan of the original negative, really qualifies as Kubrick’s 2nd feature and his assurance, pacing, performances are revelatory. To this is added the astonishing, entertaining, virtually nonstop audio commentary by film historian Alan K. Rode who credits Kubrick as one of the authentic geniuses of cinema. Kubrick, born in 1928 in the Bronx, had, we’re told, 3 obsessions as a young man: Photography, movies and chess. He excelled at them all. He saw every movie he could, he screened every film in the Metropolitan Museum’s collection twice – this was before movies were readily accessible as Beta, VHS tapes or DVDs. You had to physically have the film to see it. While Sterling Hayden was the bankable star who made the film possible, Kubrick triumphed in casting his large supporting players, each a definitive physical and psychological portrait that bristles with authenticity, most notably smoldering Vince Edwards (later a TV star as Dr. Ben Casey) as a killer thug who wants to scam in on the loot, Elisha Cook Jr. (‘The Maltese Falcon’) whose dysfunctional marriage to Marie Windsor (‘The Narrow Margin’) brings down the house of cards and Jay C. Flippen, the elderly drunk with a soft spot for Hayden. Kubrick knew as much about lenses and cameras as his legendary cinematographer Lucien Ballard – and warned him he’d be history if he didn’t follow his directions on which lens and which angle to shoot precisely as he was told. Another legend, Jim Thompson (‘The Getaway’), co-scripted with Kubrick. They employ, like the source novel, a flashback structure that was quite innovative back then. Hayden, coincidentally the star of ‘Asphalt Jungle,’ worked with the filmmaker again on ‘Dr. Strangelove.’ Rode recounts how after 40 takes he still couldn’t get it right and how generous and kind Kubrick was, giving Hayden a pep talk – when he finally got it right on the next take.
BULLOCK’S COMEDIC RETURN A flagrant ‘Romancing the Stone’ wannabe, ‘The Lost City’ (4K Ultra HD + Digital Code, Paramount, PG-13) has, on paper at least, much going for it. Primarily it has Sandra Bullock as the proverbial fish out of water. If Kathleen Turner took this into a steamy, sexual dimension, Bullock as the popular romance novelist remains steadfastly virginal around Channing Tatum’s not-too-bright model. He imagines the reason her books sell is due to his barechested sex appeal on her books’ covers. As they end up in South America, mired in a silly escapade by a demented billionaire (is there any other kind in movies today?), Brad Pitt makes a brief cameo appearance. Nearly an hour of bonus content. Including bloopers, deleted scenes and a tribute to the star’s dynamic.
TWIN TERROR The 2019 British thriller ‘Cordelia’ (DVD, Screen Media, Unrated) was scripted by and stars Antonia Campbell-Hughes as twins. It’s Cordelia who meets the handsome neighbor Frank (Johnny Flynn who played David Bowie in ‘Stardust’) and distrusts him almost immediately. With her twin sister away for the weekend, Cordelia descends into a paranoid world of her own making. Should Frank be worried for his health? Bonus: Making of.
TWO PEERLESS PROS A remarkable true story, engagingly adapted by the late, great Roger Michell (‘Notting Hill’) in his last film, ‘The Duke’ (Blu-ray, Sony Pictures Classics, R) tells a tale of an eccentric Englishman (Jim Broadbent) whose life is dedicated to political protesting, his long-suffering wife (Helen Mirren) and the Goya oil painting of The Duke of Wellington that’s stolen from London’s National Gallery and held for ransom. As London’s Swinging Sixties dawned, the theft of a million dollar masterpiece was big news. Especially when it seems it was stolen not for money but to make a political point. Broadbent is, as expected, sublime, especially in the docket getting laughs (all of which is faithfully transcribed from actual testimony). The ending with a clip of an 007 movie is shocking. A Behind the Scenes Making of Bonus.
CARREY CARRIES ON As sequels go, ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’ (4K Ultra HD + Digital Code, Paramount, PG) scores with its cast, humor and outrageousness intact. Credit director Jeff Fowler, back at the helm, and a plot that has Idris Elba voicing Knuckles, the villain allied with Carrey’s Dr. Robotnik. There is an all-new animated short featuring Sonic (again voiced by Ben Schwartz) and Knuckles. Featurettes on: Carrey’s Robotnik, Knuckles, deleted scenes & bloopers.
SPACE ODYSSEY ‘Event Horizon’ (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital Code, Paramount, R), now in a 25th Anniversary Edition Steelbook, is Paul W.W. Anderson’s sci-fi space thriller. Set in 2047, the missing spaceship Event Horizon is suddenly orbiting Neptune and an astronaut crew is sent to rescue survivors, if any. Now well regarded, originally ‘Event Horizon’ was squeezed into quick release when the studio, Paramount Pictures, realized James Cameron’s ‘Titanic’ was not going to be ready. Anderson, who would go on to helm the popular ‘Resident Evil’ franchise, was forced to see his 130-minute director’s cut reduced to 96 minutes for a quick release – which flopped. A hit on home video, Paramount was eager to restore the film to Anderson’s original vision – only the cut materials were lost. Special Features: Commentary by Anderson and producer Jeremy Bolt, 5 documentaries on Making of, ‘The Point of No Return’ with Anderson commenting on filming and the ‘unseen rescue scene’ with conceptual art.
THEN & NOW? As a follow-up to ‘Downton Abbey,’ Julian Fellowes’ ‘The Gilded Age: The Complete First Season’ (DVD, HBO, Not Rated) has not matched its predecessor’s cultural impact. What could? This handsomely mounted, beautifully cast HBO series benefits from its timeliness as it examines the late 19th century robber barons and the stark contrasts between the incredibly rich and everyone else. Just like today! Special Features: An all new, exclusive featurette: ‘All That Glitters: Creating the Gilded Age.’ There are also ‘Inside the Episodes’ featurettes, another on the Black Elite, close-up looks at designing the series and its many characters. Plus a Russell House set tour with Carrie Coon.
CARREY TRIUMPHANT A cinematic sci-fi landmark ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’ (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray, KL Studio Classics, R) comes courtesy of innovative screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (‘Being John Malkovich’) and director Michel Gondry (‘The Green Hornet’). This brand new 4K Master has the duo – who shared the 2004 Best Original Screenplay Academy Award –offering an audio commentary. The story pivots on Carrey’s Joel who is stunned to discover his girlfriend (Kate Winslet) has had their relationship erased from her mind. So he goes to the same doc for the same procedure, only to discover love doesn’t fade, at least in his case, so easily. Winslet was Oscar nominated; the high-profile cast includes Kirsten Dunst, Elijah Wood and Mark Ruffalo. Bonus conversations with Gondry and Winslet, Gondrey and Carrey. Deleted & extended scenes.
WHO’S CHEATING WHO? Anne Fontaine, the prolific Paris-based writer-director, discards the idea of a ‘women’s cinema’ with her films which include a biopic of Coco Chanel and the 2016 ‘The Innocents’ about nuns after WWII assisting pregnant women who have been raped by Nazi soldiers. ‘Nathalie’ (Blu-ray, Cohen Media, Not Rated), from 2003, is a psychological drama that begins when a wife Catherine (Fanny Ardant) accidentally discovers her husband (Gerard Depardieu) is cheating on her. In revenge, she hires a prostitute (Emmanuelle Beart) and instructs her to seduce her husband and tell him her name is Nathalie. Catherine also wants to hear all the details and these 2 develop a slightly strange relationship. Then things get even stranger. Remade in 2009 in Canada with Julianne Moore and Liam Neeson and Amanda Seyfried. In French with English subtitles.
EVERY PAINTING TELLS A STORY Rod Serling’s ‘Night Gallery: Season Two’ (Blu-ray, KL Studio Classics, Not Rated) from 1971-72 is a virtual blockbuster with a remarkable rollcall of actors: Broderick Crawford, Sandra Dee, Joel Grey, Patty Duke, Vincent Price, George Maharis, Cloris Leachman, Adam West and Orson Welles!! Serling, still best known for ‘The Twilight Zone,’ scripted many of the episodes and hosts. In ‘Season Two’ there are no less than 32 audio commentaries by ‘Night Gallery’ historians, filmmakers Guillermo del Toro and John Badham (‘Saturday Night Fever’). There is also the featurette ‘Revisiting the Gallery: A Look Back’ with many actors (Lindsay Wagner, Pat Boone, Joseph Campanella), directors, a composer, makeup artist and ‘Night Gallery’ historians Jim Benson and Scott Skelton. There is also ‘A Look at the Show’s Troubled Second Life in Reruns’ and another with artist Tom Wright on all the marvelous paintings that are key to every story.
BRAVO BAVA! Classified alongside Alfred Hitchcock as one of the creators of the modern horror film, Italy’s Mario Bava was known for his visual flair as he chronicled the gaps between reality and illusion. Bava’s 1965 ‘Planet of the Vampires’ (Blu-ray, KL Studio Classics, Not Rated), now in a brand new 2K master, is justly praised for its innovative special effects (managed despite an extremely low budget) as 2 space ships crash on a planet and the surviving crew confronts a horde of disembodied, soul-snatching aliens (I ask: Are there any other kind!). For the Master of the Macabre – Bava died in 1980 at 65 – ‘Planet’ looms large in his oeuvre that includes ‘Black Sabbath’ and ‘Kill, Baby, Kill.’ Special Features: 2 audio commentaries, one by Bava biographer Tim Lucas, the original Italian opening credits and TRAILERS FROM HELL from Joe Dante and Josh Olson. Critics have suggested, rightly, Bava’s ‘Vampire’ as a major influence on Ridley Scott’s ‘Alien.’
DEVIL IN A RED DRESS Tobe Hooper will always be revered for ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ (‘74) among the most influential horror films ever. Hooper, who was 74 when he died in 2017, directed this 1990 TV movie ‘I’m Dangerous Tonight’ (Blu-ray, KL Studio Classics, R) with ‘Twin Peaks’ star Madchen Amick as a woman who unknowingly takes a cursed cloth and fashions it into a sexy red dress. Almost immediately she’s transformed by the ancient evil possessing the dress and kills. Again and again! And again! Based on a story by film noir’s favorite author Cornell Woolrich and costarring ‘E.T.’ mom Dee Wallace, ‘Psycho’ star Anthony Perkins and R. Lee Ermey (Kubrick’s ‘Full Metal Jacket’). Special Features include 2 audio commentaries, a Dee Wallace interview, another with the cinematographer Levie Isaacks, behind the scenes footage (with optional commentary) and a video essay ‘A Dress to Bring Out the Devil in You.’
