[quote_simple]To grace the poster for its 66th edition, the Festival de Cannes has chosen a couple who embody the spirit of cinema like no other: Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman, photographed during the shooting of the aptly named A New Kind of Love, by Melville Shavelson (1963).[/quote_simple]
[quote_simple]For the Festival it is a chance both to pay tribute to the memory of Paul Newman, who passed away in 2008, and to mark its undying admiration for Joanne Woodward, his wife and most favoured co-star.
They were honoured at the Festival de Cannes in 1958 – the year of their marriage – with the selection In Competition of Martin Ritt’s The Long Hot Summer, the first film in which they appeared together. The links between their story and that of the Festival continued with a series of films directed by Newman, who cast Woodward in unforgettable roles in The Effect of the Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds(Competition – 1973) and The Glass Menagerie (Competition – 1987).[/quote_simple]
My favorite performance by Woodward is Beatrice “Betty the Loon” Hunsforder in The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds. Their daughter, Potts, was great — and Eli Wallach’s daughter played the elder sister.
Pierre,
I have never seen this film (but I own a DVD copy of it and have never watched it).
I remember in the ’70s that Carol Burnett actually went on record as saying she voted to nominate Woodward as Best Actress (I think the year was 1972) that year (the year of Liza Minnelli, Diana Ross, Cicely Tyson, Maggie Smith and Liv Ullman). It would have been a more interesting race with Woodward in the mix somewhere.
Young Paul Newman most beautiful man ever in the movies and he could act too.
Patryk, I wasn’t using the term radical in a political sense. I meant that in an artistic sense. But it was a poorly chosen word nonetheless. I can certainly see why you would think I meant that.
HoustonRufus, I would hardly call Newman and Woodward “radical.” Espousing Democratic and liberal positions is not “radical.”
Having seen Joanne in Westport last summer at an Obama fund raiser was thrilling. Wishing only the best to Ms. Woodward and her family. Newman and Woodward contiuously gave back to not only their Connecticut neighbors, but they lived and breathed their liberal views by speaking out about causes they supported. Despite being on Nixon’s worst enemies list, they kept up their support for women’s rights and gay rights. Joanne lent her support in a minor roll in “Philadelphia.” Paul and Joanne lent class, intellect and beauty in an industry that was hardly worthy of their talents.
I wish we could get a Criterion box set of Newman’s directed films. In addition to “Marigolds,” and “Rachel, Rachel,” and “Glass Menagerie” there were also the underseen “Sometimes a Great Notion,” and the made for television “The Shadow Box.” Lastly, “Harry and Son.” Beautiful poster, indeed.
Keifer, I think the movie you are referring to is MR. AND MRS. BRIDGE, not MR. AND MRS. SMITH, which starred another on-screen real life couple, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.
David,
Yes! Thank you for correcting me, David.
I, of course, meant Mr. and Mrs. Bridge.
Thank you so much for posting this, I love them so much! How cool is Cannes for picking this as their poster for this years festival.
Of the current crop of stars, I think Nicole kidman embodies Newman’s artistic charm and classy personality.
This poster took my breath away because I love them both so much. Newman, well. I can’t even find the words. I idolize him. I’ve been in love with him for years. He’s the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen. And all the performance. Hud, Cool Hand Luke. And all the good he did in the world. Sorry. Getting carried away. I think about Woodward often. I miss her presence and wish she’d come back for a role, but I certainly understand her choice to be private.
To me this poster represents what was so wonderful about them and still is. They were new Hollywood royalty, but they were artists and part of the vanguard. They were radical but elegant. When I think of movie stars post golden age, Newman is this titan. But he wears such status with such cool ease and aloofness. Again, I’m gushing. I adore them both. I’ll miss him forever and I wish her well.
Ryan, Sasha and everyone.
We have nominations to 2012 CINEMA PRIZE!…My awards.
Please check out my blog and comment.
I’ll show the top ten of my favourite films when I announce the winners on March 27 of 2013.
http://felipe-cinema.blogspot.com/2013/03/2012-cinema-prize.html
Rachel, Rachel also co-starred Oscar nominee Estelle Parsons in a beautiful performance as the repressed lesbian, and never quite gained her footing again on film after this movie.
But I still maintain that Parsons should have been cast as the star of the film August: Osage County recently. She was terrific in that lead role on stage – a part that should have been hers on celluloid. Oh, damn that Meryl Streep!
and adapted from a classic work of canadian literature, i might add
yes, Rachel, Rachel! Nominated for a bunch of Oscars, too!
One of Woodward’s greatest performances is in RACHEL, RACHEL. Newman also directed that. I also feel a kinship with this couple as one of their daughters is named Nell, which is our daughter’s name. In MARIGOLDS, Nell Newman has a part, credited as Nell Potts.
Since Audrey in ’52 capris have never left the scene…
a bit dotty…
New Cannes posters are much better than Oscars’ (except those designed by Saul Bass).
Ryan Adams the editor has already put it so well, and what’s more, save redundancy at all. However, I feel the urge to kudostorm the nonpareil choice of the French Cannes, as well as the original camera crew members; thus, again, slothful for now, stealing shamelessly from the famed editor, I say, “Timeless chic”.
Beautiful and Classy….
Looking forward to what le Festival de Cannes has to offer this season!
Paul Newman is one of my favorite actors of all time. I, too, really miss seeing him on screen.
His Brick in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” was so Oscar-worthy (even though Elizabeth Taylor got all the buzz that year).
I think my favorite performance is “Hud”. That performance stands up years and years later. It is an iconic, great performance which should have won him the Oscar in 1963 (sorry, Sidney Poitier – “Lilies of the Field” was milktoast compared to Newman’s “Hud”). Joanne Woodward even went on record stating that she, too, felt Paul Newman should have definitely won the Oscar for “Hud”.
I loved this poster of them. I’ve never seen this particular photograph before.
Another overlooked gem – Newman and Joanne Woodward were so wonderful in “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”, their last film together I beleive.
I’ve no argument over the quality of Newman’s performance in Hud, but Poitier’s work in Lilies was bravura stuff.
Yes – the 60s were pretty classy. Things got ugly in the 70s and fell into ridiculous in the 80s.
OT==> Talk about an Oscar contender this year you guyss!!
http://www.flicksandbits.com/2013/03/22/first-looks-at-christian-bale-amy-adams-on-the-set-of-david-o-russells-abscam-film/42632/
http://www.vulture.com/2013/03/heres-christian-bale-with-a-comb-over.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+nymag%2Fvulture+%28Vulture+-+nymag.com%27s+Entertainment+and+Culture+Blog%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
Really looks like multiple nominations. David O. Russel deep in the Academy Awards game.
Beautiful! Perfect poster for Cannes.
Timeless chic
Capri pants were more prevalent in the ’60s than I realized
I genuinely miss Paul Newman’s presence in the world and in Hollywood and any excuse to pay tribute to him is more than welcome as far as I’m concerned.