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Oh Warren

Posted by Susan Thea Posnock On June - 14 - 2008

He flirted with Oscar but never wholly embraced the way the industry, and probably he himself, thought he deserved. The icon who had one eye on the mirror as he watched himself walk by was known for so many things. A pretty boy who got serious fairly quickly and who seemed to be embodied so many times over – was he Bud Stamper from Splendor in the Grass? Was he Clyde Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde? Or was he John McCabe or George Roundy from Shampoo? Joe Pendleton from Heaven Can Wait and of course, Jack Reed from Reds? Dick Tracy? Bugsy? He was so many cinematic icons – he became them, didn’t he?

Anne Thompson has written, I think, the best sum up of last night’s AFI tribute to Beatty at the Kodak:

A luminous Jane Fonda started out the evening saying that she knew Warren longer than anyone, 50 years, from his days playing piano bar in New York. “We did our first screen test together,” she recalled, a love scene for a Josh Logan movie that never got made. She kicks herself for not realizing at the time that this great-looking man surrounded by smart gay friends was actually straight. “It’s nice to know somebody else who shares the same chunk of this town’s history,” she said.

Still, no tribute to Beatty is complete without my own personal favorite role – Lyle Rogers in Ishtar. Beatty was perfectly cast as the dumb one, the less charismatic but sweet one. Sweet though? Not sure about that. Growing in Southern California over the ’70s my older sister encountered Beatty once while she was the checkout girl at a market. He took one look at her tits and loudly thanked her. He never hid who he was but of course, this was all before Annette Bening changed him into his final metaself, husband and father.

Woody Allen once famously said that when he died he wanted to be reincarnated as Warren Beatty’s fingertips. It’s true that he was known for his taste for women and his taste in them. Natalie Wood, Julie Christie, Diane Keaton, Michelle Phillips and famously, Madonna who appeared to scare him out of bachelorhood forever as he met and hooked up with Bening shortly thereafter. Maybe he realized, after appearing in Truth or Dare, he was just getting too old for that shit. But he nailed her. He nailed Madonna. If he weren’t married, though, and maybe ten years younger I feel certain he’d make a play for Angelina Jolie. He seemed to seek out the girl of the moment. Someone once said about him that winning an Oscar was a great way to get to date Warren Beatty.

Beatty was always good on film, always good behind the camera. He only faltered later when he seemed unable to let go of his own narcissism and insisted upon being filmed through a silk screen. He has to know that there is value to growing old and value in playing older characters. He just needs to get his old self out of the way. I sound like I’m writing a horoscope.

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    No Response for "Oh Warren"

    1. cjKennedy June 14th, 2008 at 4:07 pm 1

      I don’t think people who only pay attention to movies post-Star Wars really get how big Beatty is. That story about your sister is funny. Yeah, he was being a pig, but at least he was direct about it and didn’t apologize for it.

      I love Heaven Can Wait….and yeah, though it is much maligned, there are some great moments in Ishtar. He did befuddled while managing to remain charming better than anyone since Cooper.

    2. RRA saw DICK TRACY as a kid June 14th, 2008 at 8:30 pm 2

      You know, I’ve never seen ISHTAR fully, except I know this one shocking fact: Each of Beatty and Hoffman’s salaries could have individually completely funded PLATOON…which came out also in 1986, and was a box-office/Oscar winner.

      As for Beatty….never saw HEAVEN CAN WAIT (no interest really) but I really thought REDS was a great, if slightly uneven, movie that was pushed by ambition, ego, and keeping that docu-drama narrative in the final cut. Not as directorial great as say RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, which is my vote for 1981, but I don’t have a problem with Beatty winning the Best Director Oscar that year.

      Also quite liked BULLWORTH.

      Its just, all of Beatty’s projects, the fucker just spent money like it was water or something, especially with DICK TRACY.

    3. Miranda Wilding June 14th, 2008 at 9:15 pm 3

      Warren still has a brilliant mind and, during the 60s/70s, there weren’t many that had more searing magnetism or were hotter physically.

      I never believe peoples’ PR. But I’m sure he was quite the king bee amongst the lovely flowers.

      Yeah, he should have had his (beautiful) ass kicked for what he said to your sister, Sasha. But possibly he thought it would make her laugh. I wasn’t there. Maybe it really was that grotty…?

      I must admit that I’ve been very, very curious about ol’ Warren and it kills me that that curiousity will never be…um, SATISFIED. I need a cold shower before I get out of here tonight.

      But he was supremely talented as a director and producer. He always knew how to cast the right person. As an actor he often cruised on his considerable charisma but he could deliver the goods.

      I love your “one eye on the mirror” remark, Sasha. VERY clever. I adore that song madly…and I’ve been there a few times.

      I had some dreams/They were clouds in my coffee…

      Indeed…

    4. Alexander Coleman June 14th, 2008 at 9:23 pm 4

      Yes, RRA, it’s pretty amazing to think that Chariots of Fire defeated the raw ambition of Reds and the brilliant perfection of Raiders of the Lost Ark. God, the ’80s were a horrid decade for AMPAS Best Pictures, save for Amadeus.

    5. Sam Juliano June 15th, 2008 at 10:42 am 5

      Alexander, at the time I applauded the win of CHARIOTS OF FIRE over REDS, even though I still loved the latter quite a bit, especially the interview segments. We had a wait a long time for that Paramount DVD.

      Now, over 25 years later, I am not so sure the right decision was made, even if I still seem to like CHARIOTS more than a number of others do. It seems the exhilarating-at-the-time win of the British cinderella film is now the butt of ridicule, for those who present the all-time worst Oscar decisions. Yet a number of our finest critics loved CHARIOTS, including the nearly impossible-to-please Stanley Kauffmann of The New Republic.
      His best performances, in my view? Jack Reed, Clyde Barrow and Joe Pendleton.
      And like Miranda, I was aghast at that Beatty confrontation at the market. I loved the way you conveyed that Sasha! LOL!

    6. SeattleMoviegoer June 15th, 2008 at 12:59 pm 6

      so many of my friends hated REDS. one took a date to the movie. the girl later told me that my friend left part way through and didn’t return until the end…playing video games for 2 hours. and that was in the days of Pacman and Caterpiller. me? I loved it. saw it several times. most impressed with the passion of Jack Reed’s character–hoping for a better world when Russia threw off its monarchy–only to see it go to hell. it mirrored Beatty’s passion for the film and filmmaking period. he also drew out of Diane Keaton her best performance ever. the guy is impressive. yes, god gave him good looks, but his talent and drive are what stand out.


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      Up in the Air
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      The Hurt Locker
      An Education
      Precious: Based on the Novel
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      A Serious Man
      Inglourious Basterds
      Up

      Julie & Julia
      Star Trek
      District 9
      Bright Star
      Where the Wild Things Are
      A Single Man

      Best Actor
      Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
      Colin Firth, A Single Man
      George Clooney, Up in the Air
      Matt Damon, The Informant!
      Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker
      Viggo Mortensen, The Road
      Ben Foster, The Messenger
      Michael Stuhlbarg, A Serious Man
      Michael Sheen, The Damned United

      Best Actress
      Gabby Sidibe, Precious
      Carey Mulligan, An Education
      Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
      Abbie Cornish, Bright Star
      Helen Mirren, The Last Station
      Michelle Monaghan, Trucker

      Best Supporting Actor
      Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
      Alfred Molina, An Education
      Stanley Tucci, Julie & Julia
      Peter Sarsgaard, An Education
      Robert Duvall, Crazy Heart
      Peter Capaldi, In the Loop
      Zach Galifianakis, The Hangover
      Anthony Mackie, The Hurt Locker
      Brian Geraghty, The Hurt Locker

      Best Supporting Actress
      Mo'Nique,Precious
      Anna Kendrick,Up in the Air
      Maggie Gyllenhaal, Crazy Heart
      Julianne Moore, A Single Man
      Melanie Laurent, Inglourious Basterds
      Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
      Samantha Morton, The Messenger
      Emma Thompson, An Education
      Cara Seymour, An Education

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      Jason Reitman, Up in the Air
      Lee Daniels, Precious
      Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
      Lone Scherfig, An Education
      Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds
      Joel and Ethan Coen, A Serious Man
      Neill Blomkamp, District 9
      Spike Jonze, Where the Wild Things Are
      Tom Ford, A Single Man
      Jane Campion, Bright Star

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      Mark Boal, The Hurt Locker
      Joel and Ethan Coen, A Serious Man
      Jane Campion, Bright Star
      Quentin Tarantino,Inglourious Basterds
      Michael Haneke,White Ribbon
      Bob Peterson, Pete Docter,Up
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      Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner, Up in the Air
      Nick Hornby, An Education
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      Peter Morgan, The Damned United
      Geoffrey Fletcher, Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
      Scott Burns, The Informant!
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      Best Editing

      Chris Innis, Bob Murawski, The Hurt Locker
      Sally Menke, Inglourious Basterds
      Dana E. Glauberman,, Up in the Air
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      Greig Fraser,Bright Star
      Robert Richardson,Inglourious Basterds
      Roger Deakins, A Serious Man
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      Bruno Delbonnel,Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
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      Where the Wild Things Are
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      Best Sound Mixing

      Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
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      Best Sound Editing

      District 9
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      Jany Temime,Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
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      Mary Zophre, A Serious Man
      Colleen Atwood, Public Enemies
      Consolata Boyle,Cheri

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      Carter Burwell, Karen O,Where the Wild Things Are
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      Best Foreign Language Film (submissions)

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      The Most Dangerous Man in America
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      Sergio
      Soundtrack for a Revolution
      Under Our Skin
      Valentino
      Which Way Home


      Best Animated Feature
      Up
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      A Christmas Carol
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      Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
      Ponyo


      Best Visual Effects
      Star Trek
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      Best Makeup

      Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
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      Best Song

      Best Live Action Short

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      Best Documentary Short

      China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province
      The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner
      The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant
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      Music by Prudence
      Rabbit a la Berlin
      Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait of Maurice Sendak
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