By Ed Garea
It
always seems that, while one dies alone, death itself comes in
bunches. In just two days back-to-back in December we lost two of the
brightest lights in the Hollywood firmament.
Peter
O’Toole passed on first, on December 14 at the age of 81, followed
by Joan Fontaine a day later at the age of 96. We will cover her
career in a subsequent article; for now we’ll concentrate on the
great O’Toole and his films.
The
thing that always amazed me about O’Toole was that he managed to
last so long; one would have thought he would have drunk himself to
death long ago. In his last years he sort of resembled an ill-kept
grave. But what a talent: O’Toole was easily one of the most
talented men ever to set foot on stage or screen. His T.E. Lawrence
will always be remembered as one of the greatest performances ever on
film, as will his portrayal of Henry II in both Becket (1964)
and The Lion in Winter (1968).
As
far as Oscar was concerned, O’Toole was always a bridesmaid but
never a bride. He holds the record – eight – for having been
nominated in the Best Actor category without winning.
He
cemented his reputation as a brilliant actor in his late 20s, when he
became the youngest leading man ever at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre
at Stratford. While there he also cemented his reputation as a
hellraiser, fueled by goodly amounts of alcoholic beverages.
It
was the latter reputation that almost caused producer Sam Spiegel to
overlook him when casting the part of T.E. Lawrence, but director
David Lean pitched for O’Toole and was rewarded when Spiegel saw
O’Toole’s screen test and admitted to Lean that they had found
their Lawrence.
Lawrence
of Arabia took nearly two years to film, but upon its
release O’Toole was now Filmdom’s latest superstar. Contrary to
popular belief, it was not O’Toole’s first movie. He appeared in
three previous films, the best known of which was Disney’s 1960
adventure, Kidnapped, in which he had a small role as
“Robin McGregor.” He had third billing in the 1960 crime
drama, The Day They Robbed the Bank of England, about
three IRA men in turn-of-the-century England who plan to rob the Bank
of England of its gold bullion. O’Toole is the officer in charge of
security at the bank.
Below
are my favorite O’Toole performances, sorted by year.
Lawrence
of Arabia (1962): Who doesn’t love
this movie? Oh sure, we can find some crank on IMDb who hated it. It
was overlong, not historically accurate, etc. However, they’re in
the distinct minority. Lawrence is a majestic movie, the sort
they don’t make anymore (for one thing, CGI may have killed off the
epic). It has a great script, wonderful cinematography and pacing,
and, most of all, solid performances from its cast. Despite this,
however, the film is structured in such a way that if the leading man
fails (most of Lean’s other epics rely on the same formula), so
does the rest of the film. And O’Toole makes sure the film doesn’t
fail, capturing the spirit, if not the history, of Lawrence the man.
It’s a film that, despite its length, I can watch anytime.
Becket (1964):
So how does one follow up on a triumph like Lawrence of
Arabia? Why with Becket, of course. Using Jean
Anouilh’s play as a basis, it’s the story of the turbulent
relationship between King Henry II of England and Thomas Becket,
Archbishop of Canterbury, childhood friends who later became bitter
enemies when Becket got religion and stood up for the Church against
the King, and was ultimately killed for it. O’Toole’s Henry is up
against another heavyweight in Richard Burton’s Becket, in the days
before Liz and booze destroyed his career. John Gielgud also turns in
quite an effective performance in a supporting role as King Louis VII
of France.
The
Night of the Generals (1967): This is a nice little gem
in the O’Toole oeuvre, a tale about three Nazi generals suspected
in the murder of a Polish prostitute in Warsaw, now in Paris, where
one is in on the plot to kill Hitler. O’Toole, as General Tanz,
gives a good, suspicious performance. Could he be the murderer?
Donald Pleasance and Charles Gray, as the other two suspected
generals, also give excellent performances, as does Omar Sharif as
the investigating officer on the case. The film does lose its focus
with the kill Hitler plot in Paris, but overall it’s quite good,
especially O’Toole.
The Lion in Winter (1968): O’Toole is once again Henry II,
but this time the focus is not on his intrigue with Thomas Becket,
but with his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine. It’s Christmas 1183. Henry,
aging but still conniving, calls a meeting where he will name a
successor. In attendance are his scheming wife, Eleanor, and his
three sons, Richard, Geoffrey and John. Also called are his mistress,
Princess Alais, whom he hopes to marry, and King Philip II of France.
All want his empire, but only one will be named. O’Toole is having
a field day. Having played Henry before, he is comfortable with the
character. Katharine Hepburn is wonderful as Eleanor (she got the
Oscar for her portrayal), and a young Anthony Hopkins shines as
Richard. Watching O’Toole and Hepburn engaging in their game of
political chess (Henry wants John as his successor while Eleanor
favors Richard) is mesmerizing: two pros at the pinnacle of their
craft. And for those looking for offbeat Christmas movies, the
setting of this film should fit the bill.
The
Ruling Class (1972): O’Toole is the mad 14th Earl
of Gurney in Peter Medak’s wonderful satire on the upper classes.
The Earl believes himself to be Christ, wearing glasses because it’s
cold, resting himself on a crucifix, and suddenly breaking out into
song and dance numbers. His peers and family think he’s quite mad.
Yet, when he undergoes a metamorphosis, dresses as a Victorian
gentleman while speaking of capital punishment and superior breeding,
his peers think him not only cured but prepare him for his seat in
the House of Lords. The real point is that the Earl is not cured at
all; he now believes himself to be Jack the Ripper. For those who
love dark comedy or simply want to see a different O’Toole, this is
one to see.
My
Favorite Year (1982): O’Toole is in his element in
this hilarious comedy. It’s 1954 and King Kaiser (read Sid Caesar)
is the biggest thing on television. His guest this week is
swashbuckling actor Alan Swann. Now all Kaiser and his staff have to
do is make sure Swann stays sober for his appearance, a task not as
easy as it seems. As the dissolute Swann, O’Toole dominates the
film. Although his character is supposedly based on Errol Flynn,
there are a few touches based on O’Toole himself, such as the habit
of not wearing a watch (“I don’t trust them, one hand is bigger
than the other.”) and his preference for Pinch scotch. In fact,
O’Toole’s performance is so true to his real life self that it’s
hard to discern where Flynn ends and O’Toole begins. The idea of
having junior writer Benjy Stone babysit Swann is based on the
real-life incident of having then Caesar show’s junior writer, Mel
Brooks, chaperone guest star Flynn around before his appearance
on Your Show of Shows.
Ratatouille (2007):
Having provided the voice of Sherlock Holmes in a series of animated
films for Burbank Studios in Australia, O’Toole was no stranger to
the genre. In this heartwarming animated movie from Pixar and Disney
about a rat who dreams of becoming a great French chef, O’Toole
supplies the voice of Anton Ego, food critic for “The Grim Eater,”
and someone whose word can make or break a restaurant. Though he
initially comes on as the villain of the piece, his character is the
heart of the film because of his love of good food and his honesty. A
large part of the fun in watching Ratatouille
is listening to O’Toole resonant voice as Ego. Besides, if I didn’t
mention this film, Steve Herte would never forgive me.
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