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Post by spiderwort on Oct 7, 2019 15:17:39 GMT
He rose from being a troubled youth who spent a lot of time in reform schools to being the world's most popular actor. And he was so good as an actor, because he could say so much without words - one of the most powerful tools an actor has. We lost him way too soon in 1980. I enjoyed him in almost everything, but I liked him best in these: The Sand Pebbles (1966), for which he received an Oscar nomination as best actor, in a film beautifully directed by Robert Wise.
Bullit (1968), the film with the best car chase in history
Papillon (1973)
The Great Escape (1963)
Love with the Proper Stranger (1963) (oh, I miss Natalie Wood!)
and two classics from my childhood: the show that made him famous
and the one that scared me to death.
Your thoughts on this very popular actor and his films?
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Post by TerryMontana on Oct 7, 2019 16:19:46 GMT
It's been way too many years since I watched a movie of Steve McQueen but the guy was one of the greatest movie stars in film history.
My top-5:
Papillon The Great Escape Bullitt The Magnificent Seven The Getaway
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Post by Longtallsally on Oct 7, 2019 18:35:33 GMT
I've only seen a handful of his films. Those terrymontana ^^^mentioned plus Nevada Smith and The Thomas Crown Affair.
I loved them all.
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Post by therealcomicman117 on Oct 9, 2019 20:03:04 GMT
One of the great original "cool guys", along with Paul Newman. Maybe didn't challenge himself later in his career (though Enemy of The People is interesting from a career perspective), but he did make his mark on some great classics.
Some of my favorites include The Cincinnati Kid, The Great Escape (love that motorcycle scene), Papillion, and Hell is For Heroes. Another underappreciated flick of his is Love With The Proper Stranger, more of a Natalie Wood film, but it proved McQueen could play more sensitive romantic lead roles, had he pursued those more often.
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Post by therealcomicman117 on Oct 10, 2019 1:46:06 GMT
One of the great original "cool guys", along with Paul Newman. Maybe didn't challenge himself later in his career (though Enemy of The People is interesting from a career perspective), but he did make his mark on some great classics. Some of my favorites include The Cincinnati Kid, The Great Escape (love that motorcycle scene), Papillion, and Hell is For Heroes. Another underappreciated flick of his is Love With The Proper Stranger, more of a Natalie Wood film, but it proved McQueen could play more sensitive romantic lead roles, had he pursued those more often.
Really appreciate your comments, especially about his unusual dive into the classic theatre world when he produced and starred in Ibsen's An Enemy of the People, which I'm sad to say I never saw. That must have been something - with an adaptation by Arthur Miller and co-starring Bibi Andersson. I know he was dedicated to doing it and got it greenlit, but it seems such an unlikely project for him. Did you see it and, if so, what did you think of it?
And your comment about Love with a Proper Stranger is right on the money. That's a very special film, I think, because of Natalie Wood, yes, but also because McQueen met her on the right terms under the guidance of Robert Mulligan. I've always loved him/them in that film, and that film in general.
I haven't actually seen An Enemy of The People all the way through, but what I have seen is quite good (I need to finish it, really). It looks to be a very "stagey movie", but it's also quite effective, and as a later day aging Steve McQueen performance goes, it might actually be his best straight dramatic turn. He's quite unrecognizable in it too. I know he was really saddened, when WB basically dumped the film, and the movie flopped because he really went all-out as far as the lead role was concerned.
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Post by hugobolso on Oct 10, 2019 3:11:02 GMT
I never paid attention to him. Well he was already dead before I said my first word. He was a manly guy, bad boy, that also could be cool. But he expend all his life trying to imitate and surpass Paul Newman.-
Wrong moove.-
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Post by PromNightCarrie on Oct 13, 2019 20:10:17 GMT
Didn't have the greatest acting range but what a magnetic movie star. And if I could sleep with any actor from history, resurrecting him at his peak, it would be him.
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Post by Longtallsally on Oct 22, 2019 14:56:31 GMT
Sally, since you've seen only a handful of his films, I would strongly recommend that you watch Love with the Proper Stranger (1963), co-starring Natalie Wood in one of her Oscar nominated performances. It's a very entertaining, smart film with an atypical but fine performance by McQueen.
The trailer looks promising. The film is available for streaming at Amazon. I‘ve added it to my watchlist. Thanks for the recommendation. How‘s your eye?
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Post by spiderwort on Oct 22, 2019 15:06:01 GMT
It's better. Thanks for asking. Still can't be on-line too long though. Do it when I can, but will be getting off after this post.
Hope you like the film, but don't feel obligated to watch it if you don't. I thought it was quite enjoyable and love the soprano sax score by Elmer Bernstein. Of course, I'm also a huge Natalie Wood fan (re: Splendor in the Grass, et al).
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Post by Longtallsally on Oct 22, 2019 15:27:49 GMT
spiderwortI‘m always grateful for getting recommendations of good films as I don’t find it easy to pick the good ones out of these myriads of films available. Thanks again, Spiderwort, and get well soon.
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Post by spiderwort on Oct 22, 2019 16:45:59 GMT
spiderwort I‘m always grateful for getting recommendations of good films as I don’t find it easy to pick the good ones out of these myriads of films available. Thanks again, Spiderwort, and get well soon.
Oh, you're so welcome, sally. And thanks for your good wishes. I really appreciate your kindness.
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Post by PromNightCarrie on Oct 22, 2019 16:51:04 GMT
I've only seen a handful of his films. Those terrymontana ^^^mentioned plus Nevada Smith and The Thomas Crown Affair.I loved them all.
Sally, since you've seen only a handful of his films, I would strongly recommend that you watch Love with the Proper Stranger (1963), co-starring Natalie Wood in one of her Oscar nominated performances. It's a very entertaining, smart film with an atypical but fine performance by McQueen.
I've seen this one. McQueen and Wood actually have really good chemistry in it.
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Post by jimmalone on Oct 30, 2019 19:34:57 GMT
As a person he surely wasn't uncomplicated, but I love him as an actor. He might be in my Top 25 or Top 30 actors of all time.
Admittedly this might also be supported by fact that I like most of the movies I've seen with him a lot. There's The Great Escape, The Getaway, Bullitt, Papillon, The Towering Inferno, The Sand Pebbles, Cincinnati Kid, The Magnificent Seven and Hell is for Heroes. Which is quite a lot when you consider his filmography isn't that voluminous considered to other actors.
It also has to be said that he wasn't the most versatile actor. Much of his success was due to his presence, which was nearly as good as any actor's. He didn't leave his comfort zone often, which is a pity. Cause two of his finest performances were films, in which he left his image of coolness and gave emotional, heartbreaking portraits, showing he was very well capable of it - Papillon and Cincinnati Kid. For the latter one he's my Best Actor winner in 1965 and I give him several nominations.
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Post by pacinoyes on Oct 31, 2019 9:56:39 GMT
He is one of the actors that negotiated the middle ground between stardom and what audiences expected from actor - An Enemy Of The People is not my favorite film (though it has some scenes which are exactly right) but there's something about the dedication he had in seeing it through.
McQueen would have been an amazing Willard in Apocalypse Now and a McQueen/Brando would have been monumental.
I often think of The Thomas Crown Affair in relation to McQueen because, unless I'm mistaken(?), it's the very first major American film where the "bad guy" wins. You always hear about how "important" films like Easy Rider or Bonnie & Clyde were but the relatively light Thomas Crown Affair signaled a culture shift in what audiences wanted and how film and US culture were changing - and he was the perfect person to embody that change.
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Post by futuretrunks on Oct 31, 2019 22:48:57 GMT
Not that familiar with his work, but what he did in The Thomas Crown Affair with Jewison is the coolest performance I've ever seen. The dude's swagger was ridiculous without posturing.
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Post by futuretrunks on Nov 1, 2019 17:10:33 GMT
Not that familiar with his work, but what he did in The Thomas Crown Affair with Jewison is the coolest performance I've ever seen. The dude's swagger was ridiculous without posturing. I urge you to check out some of his other works, particularly those so often mentioned in this thread. McQueen had a strong persona and an immense onscreen honesty. He was totally captivating. And you'd probably also just enjoy the films mentioned on this thread. So many are outstanding. I've seen Bullitt and The Mag 7, but I need to catch up with the rest.
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