Am I the only one who thought Orson Wells' performance was unwatchable?
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steviez33 — 19 years ago(April 29, 2006 10:29 PM)
I thought he played the role of the rich Southerner to a "T". Maybe it's because I was expecting so little of him after reading the boards here, but I thought he was easily understandable. Didn't know anything about the fake nose until I read it in the trivia though - don't know why he used one either, since it seemed close to his actual nose.
How I fight is why I'm feeling sore. -
gtredshoes — 19 years ago(May 14, 2006 12:00 PM)
I doubt you're the only one, but I agree with those who see his performance as masterful. Welles may have been difficult to work with, but isn't this often the case with great talent? So, Welles wouldn't take direction from Martin Ritt? Haven't we all heard/seen directors who have stated after completing their films and/or plays that while "X" was impossible to work with, they realized that "X" was right about the character and they were wrong? I think Welles was superb in his part as was Franciosa. Think about the personality of a charcter and, at the same time, ask whether the things that bother you about the portrayal of that character aren't actually an accurate portrayal of that very personality; i.e., you disliked them BECAUSE they were unlikeable? It may be difficult to watch these characters act, but isn't that really simply a reflection of real life? We don't like them in reality they wring their hands and fumble and whine and drive us crazy. Why do we expect them to be any different on stage/screen? If the actor portrays the character accurately, it makes sense to dislike the character, but to criticize the actor who brought the character to life makes no sense at all. To dislike the actor and the acting in such a case, is to shoot the messenger for succesfully delivering the message.
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lucie_52 — 19 years ago(May 14, 2006 02:22 PM)
You make an excellent point. It was difficult for me to separate Franciosa from the role. Perhaps that simply means he did an excellent job of portraying that character. I still want to slap the character silly, however
It's never too late to be who you might have been - George Eliot -
HillieBoliday — 15 years ago(March 21, 2011 02:06 PM)
Five years later.you are absolutely right!
I DID NOT like the character, Jodie; but I thought Anthony Franciosa did
a spectacular job making me feel that way!
I was angry at Jodie because he wouldn't stand up to his father.
He was angry at the 16, 17, & 18 year old boys who whistled at
his wife. He should've been of reveling in the fact that he caught
and won her, which should have made him poke his chest out in masculine
pride instead of being insecure!
And how about the comment old Will Varner made about him now knowing
the history connected with the name Quick, because he was constantly
chasing after his wife! Well since old man Varner wanted grandchildren,
it stands to reason WHY Jodie was always chasing after his very beautiful
wife who was totally in love with him! I'm a heterosexul female who is
"strictly dickly", and even I could see all of the sex appeal that
Lee Remick was oozing out all over the place.WHO COULD RESIST HER!!
I just wanted Jodie to use his balls to assert himself as a man
with some strengths, and not just the ones he was
using to try to make some grand babies with his wife for old man Varner!!
Anthony Franciosa was spot on with his portrayal of the character!
"OOOI'M GON' TELL MAMA!" -
MADDOXRJM — 19 years ago(May 16, 2006 01:42 PM)
I suspect you are not completely alone with that opinion, but I thought his performance was great, and also found it easy to understand him when he spoke.
Perhaps after living in the south for many years it was easier for me. -
ktbooks2003 — 19 years ago(May 16, 2006 04:28 PM)
I saw this film for the first time this afternoon. I have to agree Welles was pretty hard to take and to understand. Everyone else was pretty good, but the makeup situation with Mr. Welles was so distracting in every scene he was in. The greasy wig was repulsive.I didn't buy the reconciliation with Jody at the end either. Too patseems to me Daddy Varner would be more likely to kill him when he came out of that barn. High melodramavery much like Cat on a Hot Tin Roof!
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rhonda-yates — 19 years ago(July 02, 2006 12:22 PM)
It always seemed like the pace was perfect through the barn burning scene, and then everything was hurried along for the Hollywood ending. Earlier Will had told Alan Stewart to keep quiet about jilting Clara or "I'll tear you apart with my bare hands". What do you think he would do if you locked him in a barn and set it on fire? But they had to get the "Jody" problem out of the way so we could see Ben and Clara finally together at the end. A minor flaw in a great movie!
BigPhil -
vickistg — 19 years ago(October 29, 2006 12:33 PM)
I agree with the part about Jody to an extent. It did seem a little pat, but then I thought about men I've known like that. All they wanted was for their sons to show some backbone. Perhaps Daddy had been needling Jody for years to get him to "man up"! It could have used a little more development,though.
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practicepiano — 19 years ago(November 06, 2006 06:55 AM)
This is one of those movies I've never been able to make myself watch the "hot, sweaty, family power struggle, women in slips and men with various ego problems" films don't always hold me!
I'm watching it now, and I do find the makeup and wig very distracting (having just read that the nose often fell off didn't help).
But I'm finding the most distracting thing about Welles' performance to be his posture and focus looking down, hunched over, rarely making eye contact. Besides being constant enough to be distracting, it also seems out-of-character for the role.
I keep thinking that if I close my eyes and listen, I might like the performance better. -
jasperparker — 18 years ago(July 12, 2007 05:35 AM)
I absolutely love this film. I thought Orson Wells' performance was outstanding. The interplay between Will Varner, Ben Quick and Clara Varner
is what I love most about this film. Oh, and I understood everything that
Will Varner said perfectly. -