Paul Newman: A Delayed Tribute

When Paul Newman died, I left a rather lifeless tribute to hims, telling in a small paragraph my thoughts and feelings towards him, followed by my favorite Newman films. This man deserved better, he was such an influence on me as an actor. There was a naturalism to his performances that you don't see in others, Newman made it seem so effortless. I can't tell you how many times as an actor I've heard from directors "give me a little more" or "give me a little less". We are forever trying to find that sweet spot where everything seems to flow and we are no longer acting. Newman mastered that and looking back at his work I was just in awe at what he could do. I decided to revisit three films from his past, films where his star shone brightest. They are "The Hustler", "Hud", and "Cool Hand Luke", here's what I saw.

The Hustler: As "Fast Eddie" Felson, Newman perhaps gives his most acclaimed role as a young arrogant pool hustler who wants to make it to the big time. Eddie is a self-destructive loner, but in this film, the world is filled with loners. The film is less about pool and more about character, Eddie's whole world has been building up to a showdown with the famous "Minnesota Fats" (Jackie Gleason) but he loses not because of his lack of talent but because of his lack of character. Two people will have a profound impact Eddie through the rest of the film, his manager (George C. Scott) and the woman who loves him (Piper Laurie). They are both sort of the Angel and devil sides on Eddie's shoulder, and it takes personal sacrifice by one of them to make him turn into a man of character. Throughout the film Eddie is not much of a hero, but he is a human being who makes mistakes and who will make more mistakes but he comes out as a man of integrity and you cheer for him. Newman was made for this role, he has the boyish charm and sensibility of the character but he also had the hunger in him to prove himself, which is just what Eddie needed. This is one of the great ensemble films with standout performances form Scott, Gleason, and Laurie who is one of my all time favorites, but this is Newman's show, his journey, and his redemption in the end.

Hud: The first time I saw this film I hated it. Hud was an egotistical, womanizer who thought of nobody but himself, and I thought the film was despicable and depressing. Looking back at it now, I now know how wrong I was. Yes Hud was all of those things, but I also thought he was a pretty good guy who did the best he could, and God help me if I didn't feel sorry for him. Hud is a loner, a drifter, and no one loves him, not even his ethical father who always seems to be holding a grudge for Hud. I wanted to yell at the father saying "Hey dad maybe it's because you never loved Hud is because he acts this way." Newman seems to not only understand this character but he also seems to have walked in his shoes. The end is kinda tragic where Hud is left more alone than he was at the beginning of the film. He seems to be the scapegoat to everyones troubles, poor Hud.

Cool Hand Luke: Oh that iconic Luke, that beautiful Luke, with that Luke smile of his. How can anybody not love this movie, even people who don't love classic films love this movie, my brother who doesn't have the same enthusiasm for classic films as I do always watches "Cool Hand Luke" whenever it's on television. Luke is a hero plain and simple, there's nothing "anti" about him, he's a pure hero as Atticus Finch or James Bond. Two years in a chain gang for pulling the tops off parking metres? Come on! Luke doesn't let anyone get him down, he keeps coming, even if it's with nothing. There was that time they broke him by digging a never ending ditch but he came back, and when he's about to carve up a dead turtle for that sunglasses wearing sharp-shooting boss of his, but instead steals a truck along with George Kennedy, my eyes were almost full of tears. I find "Cool Hand Luke" to be a cathartic movie experience, and perhaps it has taken this long to figure it out but it probably is one of my absolute favorite movies of all time. Paul Newman is a legend just for this movie, and I thank him for it.