Sunday, September 9, 2012

Before, And Even After the Fall


While Montgomery Clift isn't quite the icon that Marlon Brando and James Dean clearly are, in my little part of the blogosphere, this individual rules. a) His filmography from 1948-1953 is as stellar as any; "The Search", "Red River", "The Heiress", "I Confess", "A Place in the Sun, and, of course, "From Here to Eternity". b) Even after his car accident and drug addiction, he continued to pound out very memorable roles in "Suddenly Last Summer", "Wild River" (an exceedingly under-appreciated Elia Kazan gem), "The Misfits", "Raintree County", "Judgment at Nuremberg" (one of the greatest cameos in cinematic history - right up there with Anthony Quinn's in "Lust for Life"), etc.. And c) if it hadn't have been for Mr. Clift, Brando and Dean might not have ever existed (at least not in the way that they did; brooding, dripping with angst, vulnerability, etc.)..................................................................Look, I'm not saying here that Brando and Dean weren't sensational. They were, and completely. But to not include Montgomery Clift as a part of this conversation (rebels/dark side of the moon type actors), that I cannot abide by.

3 comments:

BB-Idaho said...

Clift and Brando traveled in
different circles and had different personalities. My favorite Clift movie 'The Young Lions' paired with with Marlon Brando and the unlikely Dean Martin.

dmarks said...

"When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie..."

Will "take no prisoners" Hart said...

Martin actually had a pretty solid screen career (in between the pizza-pies and cocktails).