| Skybird |
09-27-08 06:56 PM |
Paul Newman set standards - as star, as actor, and as a human being. He never had a comeback, for he never was away for over 50 years, and we all believed he would be around always - we took him being around for granted, didn't we.
In his acting he brought together characteristics and qualities that easily could be judged to be impossible to be brought together in just one czharacter, and often even appeared as natural contradiction, and right this inner contradiction of charcters he played made his roles so alive, and believable. It was this art to bring such antagonistic features together in a believable way, that formed his fame as actor, and as a man who represented male ideals without being perceived as excessively "macho", or as invulnerable. Schwarzenegger and Stallone always will have to live with the nimbus of being action stars only, representing almost perverted and one-sided extremes of "mucho machismo" masculinity. Different to them, Newman was not less masculine, but had diversity of expression in his repertoire, a certain natural "brokeness", and before everything else - he was a true character actor.
His social engagement and willingness to give, needs no words, the story of his "Newman's Own" label is known by now - all profits from it, 200 million dollars, went into social support projects. His courage to speak out politically at a time when this still was banned in Hollywood, honours itself and speaks of his courage and integrity. As race driver, he made second place at Le Mans - try that yourself, if you can.
I did not like all his movies for themselves, but I liked them becasue he played in them.
He will not be replaced.
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