Comments on: A Man Among Men

By: Carl

Carl — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 21:02:13 +0000

I’m a little surprised that “The Rack” (1956) hasn’t popped back into the popular culture. As I remember, Newman plays the p.o.w. who has broken under the pressure of physical and psychological torture and is being court-martialed for treason. Lee Marvin is the gung-ho accuser, a fellow p.o.w. who did not break but was subjected only to physical torment without the psychological accelerators.

It’s maybe not one of Newman’s best acting performances – he’s young and raw – but its exploration of the subtleties of torture and human endurance, duty and compassion is riveting. Newman’s doubt and ultimate self-condemnation was wrenching to me, especially in comparison to Marvin’s narrow moral certainty. Which one would McCain have been?

By: cjlee1

cjlee1 — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 14:29:33 +0000

I think my favorite film of his, among many, is “Hud.” A lot of great dialogue, and he walks such a fine line between being admirable and completely reprehensible. What makes the performance work for me is how his behavior is not simply a reflection of who he is personally, but how it’s a reflection of the changing circumstances around him, essentially the decline of the American West and how there is no room for the kind of masculinity he aspires to. Instead of riding a horse and tending to a prosperous ranch, he drives a convertible and chases pigs at the local fair. Like “The Last Picture Show” which is also based on a Larry McMurtry novel, “Hud” captures this transitional period, and Paul Newman, like Jeff Bridges in the LPS, internalizes and personalizes this historical change (with all its uncertainty) brilliantly.

By: Western Dave

Western Dave — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 03:47:48 +0000

Plus, he was a top-notch race car owner with the Newman-Haas team. Too bad he never won the Indy 500.

By: kit

kit — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 16:42:43 +0000

Indeed, a wonderful movie, wonderfully played.