tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125194422306151768.post122203076670896595..comments2024-03-16T10:03:59.180-07:00Comments on The Movie Projector: Yearning to Express Myself: The Life and Career of Tom CourtenayR. D. Finchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05045080274131718843noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125194422306151768.post-56791845020912316752011-08-20T15:16:05.095-07:002011-08-20T15:16:05.095-07:00Well, R.D, I'm a lifelong Dickens obsessive (I...Well, R.D, I'm a lifelong Dickens obsessive (I've read all his novels countless times, and have also read all 12 volumes of his letters, loads of journalism, short stories, etc, etc!), and I think he fully intended all the complications in Mr Dorrit, who is at least partly based on his own father - a darker version of Mr Micawber. I agree with Sam that I also loved the previous version of LD, which is visually more powerful - but I never tire of seeing different interpretations of Dickens on screen. With his bicentenary next year, there are several new adaptations coming up, including a new version of Edwin Drood, possibly my favourite, so I'm wating for that one with bated breath!Judyhttp://movieclassics.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125194422306151768.post-71747150217471349362011-08-17T23:54:43.535-07:002011-08-17T23:54:43.535-07:00Sam, I haven't seen the earlier version of &qu...Sam, I haven't seen the earlier version of "Little Dorrit." I've read conflicting things about it, but everyone seems to like Alec Guinness, who plays the same part as Courtenay. I started the post with the four actors I thought personified the British New Wave movement because of all of them, it seems to me Courtenay has been the most overlooked. I have the 2004 ed. of David Thomson's "Biographical Dictionary," and he doesn't even get an entry, although the other three do. I saw him years ago in "King Rat" and didn't even remember him and in "Dr. Zhivago" and barely remembered him. It wasn't until I saw "Me and the Girls" on TV in the 80s that I was really aware of him. All the other films I covered in the capsules I've seen since then, most of them in the last few years.<br /><br />As for Courtenay and Finney, it was interesting to read about the young Courtenay being compared to the young Albert Finney because they seem so different to me--Courtenay a very introverted actor and Finney a very extroverted one. That comes through clearly in the two films they starred in together. But their styles did make a great complement.R. D. Finchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05045080274131718843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125194422306151768.post-15706168226180394252011-08-17T14:41:54.664-07:002011-08-17T14:41:54.664-07:00The recent LITTLE DORRIT is a impressiive for sure...The recent LITTLE DORRIT is a impressiive for sure, though I've playfully sparred with Allan over whether it compares to the previous Ezuard version. (I say it doesn't) In any case, this is quite the celebration here of an acting icon, who is more than fondly remembered for THE LONELINESS OF THE LONG DISTANCE RUNNER, BILLY LIAR, KING AND COUNTRY and THE DRESSER. You've done a fascinating job framing Courtenay's accomplishments in light of the other British greats, and your extensive capsule work on each individual work is buffo.<br /><br />That was indeed some fireworks display by Courtenay and Finny together in THE DRESSER.Sam Julianonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125194422306151768.post-48049980190385515902011-08-17T14:16:59.060-07:002011-08-17T14:16:59.060-07:00Judy, thank you. I enjoyed "Little Dorrit&quo...Judy, thank you. I enjoyed "Little Dorrit" immensely. I love the BBC adaptations of Dickens, and this was one of the very best. The casting was just amazing, with wonderful actors in even the smallest roles. British actors show such commitment to their profession that they can make even a small part memorable! But still Courtenay made the strongest impression on me. Dickens's characters tend to be rather two-dimensional, but there are so many of them and so much happening that I don't often notice it. When Dickens does create a full-blooded character like Pip in "Great Expectations" it just takes my breath away. This is surely the prototype for all the many novels about a character re-examining the past and finding how his perceptions at the time were all illusory. Anyway, I thought Courtenay brought more to Mr. Dorrit than Dickens probably intended--haunted by the past like Pip.<br /><br />I also like Tom Bell and recall him from the two films you mentioned and, of course, the TV parts I've seen him in, like Jane Tennison's nemesis in the "Prime Suspect" series.R. D. Finchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05045080274131718843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125194422306151768.post-82260511173240066502011-08-17T13:29:58.041-07:002011-08-17T13:29:58.041-07:00A great piece, RD. I thought Tom Courtenay was won...A great piece, RD. I thought Tom Courtenay was wonderful as Mr Dorrit in the recent BBC/Andrew Davies 'Little Dorrit', and I've also enjoyed many of his other performances over the years. I tend to think of Tom Bell together with the other British actors of the same era you have discussed here, as he was also so talented, though I suppose he never quite achieved what he could have done - still, he was great in 'the L-Shaped Room', and many years later in 'Wish You Were Here'.Judyhttp://movieclassics.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125194422306151768.post-51685926651447212452011-08-16T20:27:14.125-07:002011-08-16T20:27:14.125-07:00True, Dirk predates the British New Wave, but I st...True, Dirk predates the British New Wave, but I still think of him because of films like DARLING, ACCIDENT, and THE SERVANT, which exhibit traits of the genre. I haven't seen THE SERVANT in years, but remember how Losey used spacing between the two main characters to convey which one was in "control." The American Film Theatre series was an intriguing experiment--it might have been financially successful as a BBC television presentation...but then it might not have attracted its powerhouse stars. I keep hoping Criterion will surprise me with a release of NOTHING BUT THE BEST. I'm intrigued to see if I like it as well. I finally saw THE DEADLY AFFAIR, a John Le Carre adaptation, for the first time since my teen years. It was pretty decent, but not the marvelous spy film I remembered.Rick29https://www.blogger.com/profile/08358116647815569722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125194422306151768.post-15597522793111691962011-08-15T22:49:45.503-07:002011-08-15T22:49:45.503-07:00John, I think of this period as a golden age of Br...John, I think of this period as a golden age of British cinema. I've been fascinated with it since seeing a handful of films from this period years ago when I was in college. In the last few years I've been able to fill in many of the gaps, and I have to say that TCM is in large part responsible for this. I wrote on "A Taste of Honey" a few months back after finally being able to see it on TCM. It is unavailable on home video. TCM is also where I saw "King and Country" recently after being turned off by the negative comments at IMDb and Netflix about the available DVD. I'd been interested in writing about Tom Courtenay for some time but would not have done so without being able to see "King and Country" first, so you might say TCM made this post possible.<br /><br />Rick, I'm as big a fan of the British New Wave as you. I don't really think of Dirk Bogarde as part of this movement but of the previous generation, as he was 10-15 years older than the four I discussed at the beginning of the post and had been making movies since the late 40s. But he was a wonderful actor and did some of his best work with American expat Joseph Losey. My favorite performance of his is in "The Servant." Did you know Vincente Minnelli wanted him for the lead in "Gigi" but he wasn't available? I'm less enthusiastic about Laurence Harvey, but he was superb in "Room at the Top" and did appear in some British New Wave films like "Darling." Of the four I talked about, Albert Finney is my own favorite. I had to stop myself from mentioning more than just a few of his performances! Like you I'm very fond of Alan Bates. So many wonderful movie performances. But like Finney and Courtenay he was also a great stage actor, and the films he did for the American Film Theatre, while limited as cinema, capture his strong stage presence. I've seen "Butley" and "Three Sisters" (directed by Olivier), and he is superb in both. I'm planning to watch "In Celebration" soon. I only recently heard about "Nothing but the Best" in an interview with Bates while researching this post. He called it "one of my favourites," so I'm going to have to try to locate it.<br /><br />It's a pleasure to discuss this period in British cinema with people as enthusiastic about it as myself. It seems to have been rather neglected in recent years.R. D. Finchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05045080274131718843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125194422306151768.post-32155385090001759552011-08-15T17:49:37.912-07:002011-08-15T17:49:37.912-07:00Superb profile of Tom Courtenay! As you know, I...Superb profile of Tom Courtenay! As you know, I'm a big fan of the British New Wave and, along with Dirk Bogarde (who started earlier) and Laurence Harvey, these actors were the most significant of that genre. My favorite Courtenay film is still THE LONELINESS OF THE LONG DISTANCE RUNNER. I thought he was excellent in LITTLE DORRIT; in fact, I forgot he was in the cast and didn't recognize him at first! Of the four actors you highlighted, my favorite may be Alan Bates. I have been looking for one of his films for years. I saw NOTHING BUT THE BEST, sort of a black comedy version of ROOM AT THE TOP, as as a teen...and haven't seen it since. Keep thinking it will be released on DVD, but not even VHS yet.Rick29https://www.blogger.com/profile/08358116647815569722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125194422306151768.post-77544844747786731452011-08-15T16:23:59.211-07:002011-08-15T16:23:59.211-07:00The British cinema of the late 50's and early ...The British cinema of the late 50's and early 60's was golden and the four actors you discuss were at the center of it. I only recently watched KING AND COUNTRY and found Courtenay's performance, as well as Bogarde's, riveting. If I remember correctly, THE LONLINESS OF THE LONG DISTANCE RUNNER was the first of the British Wave films that I ever saw and it remains favorite. Fascinating review here R.D.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com